We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alton Shedrick Jr a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alton, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

To become successful, stepping out on faith plays a big part. Also, you have to have enough courage to believe in yourself regardless of who does not believe in you. With success comes failure. But that doesn’t mean give up on yourself if you fail. Failure is for you to determine what went wrong and the lesson that it taught. Consistency is key. It might sound cliché but it’s true. Consistency will instill hard work. Someone could be more skilled and talented than you will mean nothing if you’re more consistent than them. To be successful, you have to be willing to stand out from the crowd. Don’t be afraid to be who you see yourself becoming. If no one else see’s who you’re destined to be, that’s perfectly fine. It’s not for them to see. Be a leader and not a follower. Besides, being like everyone else is boring anyway. You have one shot at this thing called life so why not aim for success? Don’t chase success, attract it. Everything will happen at the exact moment that it’s supposed to happen. If you ever feel discouraged, which is perfectly fine, always remember this. Someone who was dealt with a hand worse than yours took their story and won with it. So why not win and become successful with the hand that you were dealt?

Alton, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a business owner of a luxury streetwear clothing called DE’JARD. I was blessed to have a two parent household who would reward me with those things as long as I brought home good grades. Throughout my life, I played basketball, created music and I even became a professional barber. In each of those fields, fashion plays a big part. Growing up I wore Jordan’s, Nike’s, Iverson’s, etc. and once I graduated high school, I fell in love with high end fashion with brands such as Gucci, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Moncler, Fendi, Off-White, Heron Preston, True Religion, Robin’s Jean, etc. I came up with the name DE’JARD one night in my room while listening to music. Most high end fashion brands are named after the designer themselves. My name isn’t unique so I went to the drawing board to think and come up with a creative yet unique name for my brand. So I wrote out my full name, put letters together and on the first attempt, I came up with DE’JARD. I’ve always been big on being a blessing and helping others. Learning about successful businesses, I learned that the most successful businesses didn’t focus on money. They focused on problem solving and how their customer could benefit from their business with the service or product that they provided. Discipline isn’t easy but it’s necessary. As a business owner, you won’t be able to save every dollar that you make. You have to reinvest right back into your business with inventory, office supplies, marketing, as so forth. With todays society, almost everyone wants to be in high end fashion but not everyone can afford it. So I figured why not invest in the same high quality fabrics, package and present it as if they were shopping with those same brands and give them the same experience as if they did. But what makes it even better is that I’m providing the same high end quality but for an affordable price. I’m happy that I was able to accomplish making customers happy looking good and feeling great without having to spend a lot of money on a fashionable look. I’ve been able to have pieces from my brand shared with social media influencers such as King Cid, Smooth Gio, IliasATL and AyJayTee, recording artist such as Rick Ross, Luh Tyler, Yungeen C3 Trapland Pat, and XOTrapp including popular videographers DrewFilmedIt, Overtime Tae and YaniiVisuals. Also having the opportunity to share my brand with up and coming brand model Keith Brown as well as rising D1 basketball prospect Ezekiel Udozorh. I listen to feedback from customers for ideas on the type of designs they like when it comes to fashion so I can provide them with what they’re looking for.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

During my professional barbering career and after learning how to run a business from working for myself inside the shop, I new it was time for more. I’ve always wanted more for myself. I’ve always seen bigger and better for myself because that’s what my parents taught me. In 2021 while only being in the career field for only a year and a half, my father become ill. I was blessed to have him in my life so it was time to return the favor and be there for him. I gave up barbering, put my life on hold for 2 years and took care of him. I still needed income that I could generate from home. Instead of continuing to spend thousands of dollars a year of high end fashion, I knew it was time to invest and start my own business by creating a clothing line. It was very challenging changing professions early in my career of entrepreneurship, but it had to be done.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I built my audience on social media by simply being myself. Authenticity is one thing that people love and it will get you far. Social media is nothing but a highlight reel so I post highlights that will grab the eye of others for my brand and pictures in fashionable outfits. Some being trendy and some simply being what I like. If you’re just starting to build a social media presence, don’t aim for a viral moment, Although viral moments can help you, they are here today and gone tomorrow. Focus on quality and longevity.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dejardworld.com
• Instagram: @1loothunter.aj and @dejardworld
• Other: TikTok: @dejardworld

Image Credits
Image Credits: Overtime Tae YaniiVisuals