We were lucky to catch up with Antonio Crew recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Antonio, thanks for joining us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

When I think about my legacy, I think of my children first and foremost. My goal in life is to ensure I’m leaving a lasting impression on them. I think by being a good role model, I set them up for success to see what it’s like to come from nothing and make something of yourself. I think if my children see their Dad; doing his best to live up to his full potential it will encourage them to do the same. I hope my legacy lights a fire inside them to pursue their dreams, follow their passions and never give up.

Antonio, 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 was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. I’m a graduate of Cincinnati’s School for Creative and Performing Arts; where I majored in Visual Art. I believe my passion for art and creativity came early in life. My father sketched a drawing of Superman from the cover of a comic book when I was a kid. I use to trace the drawing over and over until one day I could draw it without tracing it. I mean I studied that picture it was committed to memory. From there it was non-stop I would doodle all over my homework growing up; which prompted a former teacher to advise my mother to send me to Cincinnati’s School for Creative and Performing Arts.

I got my start in fashion around 2009, a former roommate of mine was a model. She was putting on her own fashion show and needed designers. I thought how hard could really it be? to enter a fashion show I was in for a rude awakening. Other designers in the show had handsewn products and creations well beyond the vintage t-shirts and jeans I had for my models. That was my first brush with fashion.

In 2011 I joined the military and left Cincinnati for Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. Later on in 2015 I decided I would take up my old passion and take it as far as it could go. I came up with BLKTRNGL (Black Triangle) as my brand name and never looked back. I taught myself how to screen print t-shirts and would sell them to all my military buddies or random strangers. That was a struggle for one man. I ended up finding a vendor and a print shop to outsource all my work so all I would have to do is sell the merch.

Now its 2022 Blktrngl has been in business for 7 years now. It comes with its ups and downs, but I love what I do. I’m able to create nice quality luxury streetwear. We currently only work with direct to garment prints and all are designed by me. I prefer direct to garment right now because I don’t have a lot of overhead and don’t have to maintain this massive amount of inventory. If I make a design and it doesn’t pick up traction it gets axed and there is no cost to me because I don’t have a garage full of t-shirts.
Blktrngl currently owns the trademark for Cincinnati Vs Everybody so right now that’s our baby and we just want to see it grow we’re really proud of that.

I want to welcome anybody who would like to support a Black and Veteran owned luxury streetwear brand. We’re working really hard to share our vision with the world.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for my brand has been social media. Social media is your friend guys. Its free doesn’t take much to get engagement. Direct messaging potential customer or brand ambassadors has never been easier for me. If I was someone using social media to reach clients, I would draft a simple welcome or a thank you message to send to people when they like your post. Even a simple hello I’m so and so whenever you have a chance check out our store. You honestly never know what can happen take a chance no risk no reward.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

To fund Blktrngl I saved between $60 to $100 every time I got paid from active duty. Once I had enough saved, I purchased the materials need to execute my plans. Listen don’t go broke chasing your dreams by any means and take care of your responsibilities. Just save what you can accordingly then meet each obstacle head on. The money may seem like a lot now but in the end you’re going to make it back plus more.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.blktrnglstore.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blktrngl/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Theblktrnglstore