We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brandon Preston a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Brandon , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
Going from idea to execution can be a scary experience, throughout my time in fashion, this has been one of the things that stuck out to me. Its an alchemical process, to turn an idea to solidified reality. It is spiritual, and I give nothing but praise to the most high everytime I complete the process. It takes trial and error, and I had to learn how to accept that I will not always be successful, constant repetition of the same idea until it slowly becomes a reality is the only way to succeed. You will try and you will fail, but you will learn and I find that very important in this business as it helps you grow not only as a person but as a fashion designer as well. I am currently experiencing this right before my eyes with the first GFA fashion show which will be held October 19th,2024. It will be the first show that I am hosting myself and I am taking this as a chance to execute my ideas as well as learn from the experience and i’m so excited to see what it turns out to be.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Fashion peaked my interest at 16. I got into the industry by simply “being cool” and stepping out of traditional boundries with my outfits. Often out in public people would notice me, and compliment my outfits. I realized I loved the excitement that my outfits brought to not only myself, but to others as well. At this time, I already made friends that were photographers, which then led me to a phase one summer to pursue modeling. My friends kept me motivated and continue to motivate me 4 years later. At 16, I just knew this was for us and as a collective, we held each other accountable no matter who was ahead of who. Now being 20 I see that a lot of my hard work has paid off and I am proud of the things I create and instill in people. I am most proud of the brands ability to spread and how it grew on people overtime as they become more conscious of who they are. Watching my brand grow from an idea to something so much bigger is inspiring and leaves me with a desire to do more. I want all potential clients and followers to know the intentions of everything we do from the clothes to the events, are pure and come from the heart. I know what uncertainty can I feel like and we dissolve all of that simply by creating.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
In my opinion it’s not simply about the clothes or how cool they look, having brand physicality is the most effective way to gain clientele. Giving my customers/community something more than just clothes, something that makes them see or think about GFA everyday, and not just when they put the clothes on. As a solo designer it is important to me to instill a message in everything I do. I love the support I am getting from everyone who purchases, as they understand im still in my beginner era. This is just a start of something that will someday be great !
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
I consider myself a student of life. I am always seeking out information. Knowledge is a foundation for what keeps me going. I often think my curiosity to learn and experience more is what led me to the fashion world. Books I would like to acknowledge that encouraged me along the way are intelligent investor and a whole lot of stock trading books. Some youtubers that I have to pay homage to for their knowledge include Joey Lott, Bliss Foster, Frugal Aesthetic, Vedanta Society of New York, Swami Tadatmananda, 19keys, Billy Carson, and Unfinished Legacy who is also a brand on the west coast.
Contact Info:
- Website: siddhigirl.online
- Instagram: girlfromakasha
- Linkedin: linkedin-https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-preston-4044301a6
- Twitter: Girlsfromakasha
Image Credits
📸: @worshiprico