We were lucky to catch up with Carson Butler recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Carson thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

How I came up with the idea for my business is I saw that people loved the message behind my brand Scars Make Stars clothing, as I was in a car accident at the age of two, but despite that I now show my scars confidently at the age of 19. However, people did not like the designs as much as I thought. Also, I realized I didn’t have any experience in designing either. As a result, I knew it would be perfect to practice my design skills by creating custom clothing. Also, I knew it would allow me to provide a service to my audience through designing and collaboration. it made me excited because I knew that no one was doing custom clothing the way that I am doing. Most brands just drop clothing with the hope that it sells. I create clothing with absolute conviction that I can sell it because it’s personal to my customer. I knew it would work and it’s working now since I do my clothing brand full time.

Carson, 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?

For people that don’t know me, I am just like everyone else. However, my story that is unique to me is that I was in a car accident at two years old, which was a life or death scenario. I was left with six physical Scars, on my chest and arm, shoulder, nose, and head. The one on my chest is the most visible and glaring. Growing up in elementary and middle school, I never had the most confidence in my appearance, because of how I looked. I was a happy kid, but sometimes I asked why me? Fast forward to 2023, I started going to a gym, called Rich and Fit in Atlanta, Georgia, where I showed my chest scars for the first time ever in public. The community was very welcoming and they helped me build the confidence to talk about my scars. In March, I lost my job without notice or warning. With my newfound confidence and current desperation, I decided to start my brand, where Scars make a stronger and not struggle.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

I actually run my clothing brand through print on demand manufacturing. The manufacturing company I use is ‘Printify’, which integrates directly to my Shopify store. They manufacture almost anything one can think of: shirts, shorts, pants, bras, even accessories like mugs and journals. Using Printify alsohelps me show my customer what their shirt will realistically look like on a custom clothing call, since I can put digital designs on blank clothing. I highly recommend it.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

I keep in touch with clients by offering an ambassador opportunity to everyone that buys custom clothing. I realized that custom clothing creates a stronger connection to the brand for my customers, so they are much more willing to share and spread it. I also realized they can do marketing for me and give me advice when I need it.

Contact Info:

• Website: smsclothing.net
• Instagram: instagram.com/scarsmakestars
• Other: tiktok.com/@scarsmakestars

Image Credits
First Two Pictures: EJ (@mil1lionllc on Instagram) 3rd Picture: DJ Velilla (@djsogroovy on Instagram) 4th Picture: Dontez Akram (@_therealtez on Instagram – 270k+ followers) 5th Picture: Aristotle Varner (@aristotle_investments on Instagram – 720k+ followers) 6th Picture: Jonathan Dupiton (@finessersonlyclub on Instagram – 455k+ Followers)