Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Asia Ruoma. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Asia , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
Yes, I have to agree that coming up with a name for your business can definitely be difficult. In 2015 I launched my business, and unfortunately I was unable to trademark the name I chose due to legal reasons. At that time I had already became known for the name. I took a couple years off to reset and think before coming up with a new name for my brand. I went back to the drawing board, and wanted a name that represented me, my life, and my story. So I went as far back to when I was first born. I played around with a few ideas and finally , PRIMOGÈNITO came to my mind. PRIMOGÈNITO means “first born” in Spanish. Although I am not Spanish, as an American, Spanish is the second well known language here in the country I was born in. I am the oldest of nine, which makes me my mom’s “first born” child. From there I created graphic’s with the word PRIMOGÈNITO and fell in love with it. And that’s how I came up with my brand’s name and brand story.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am Asia Ruoma, Founder and Creative Director. I don’t yet consider myself a Designer as of yet. I do complete all creative direction for my clothing brand and I am an overall visionary. I started out creating graphic tees in 2013 which very quickly evolved into a full clothing brand based off of the demand from my family, friends and clients. I found inspiration in not fully loving what retail stores were selling at the time. Everything was too trendy and almost every store had the same things. My main focus is on developing quality and simplicity. PRIMOGÈNITO is a stylish brand with the concept of simplicity. With everything I create, I create from a blueprint of genderless clothing. Clothing that can be seen as Menswear but still allows the most stylish Women to be able to wear it and set her own fashion trend. The most thing that I am proud of, honestly, is the fact that I actually started. I want my supporters and viewers to know that the hardest thing about business is, starting. Once you start you’ve already accomplished something. Believe in what you’re praying for and what you’re doing. Once people see that you believe in it, then they’ll hop on. Just keep going, never settle and never EVER give up.”
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
It may sound cliche and I’m sure we hear it all the time, but word of mouth and social media is literally what got my business going! My first year in business was the most profitable of consistent sales. I lived the saying “making money in your sleep”. I was hungry and hustling hard my first year. With that drive in me I was posting on all social media platforms three times a day, sending out email blasts of new products & sales, reaching out to celebrities and bringing my brand to their attention. I randomly met a well known Atlanta rapper Artist outside of Lenox mall and introduced myself as well as my brand. He actually loved my work so I provided a care package to him. After wearing one of my designs and going viral, my business began selling non stop. I share that to say, don’t be afraid to promote yourself. I did it and it got my business off the ground
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
There really isn’t a back story to it, but one lesson I had to quickly unlearn was to set your price point based off of what you believe it is worth. I had moments of frustration with trying to set a price point. I quickly realized I had to focus on quality and then make it worth it
Contact Info:
- Website: Primogenitonyc.com
- Instagram: PRIMOGENITONYC
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Asiaruoma