We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chakari Monsanto. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chakari below.

Hi Chakari, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I have always had a passion for fitness since I was younger along with a love for fashion even younger than that. Creating my own fitness clothing brand became a no brainer once I got older but unfortunately I was plagued with fear for years before actually taking the leap and getting started. In 2021, I had 2 very life-changing near death experiences that occurred within a short time span of one another which ultimately led to me reconnecting my relationship with Jesus Christ. It was then that I knew it was time to put the work in to create the clothing brand. The name Rooted comes from the Bible passage Colossians 2:6-7 NIV stating, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” These verses are the sole foundation of Rooted Activewear, LLC. The way that Jesus was able to inwardly change me for the better and now I can outwardly express that positive change through my life and the clothing is something special that I wanted to spread to the world. I want every person that purchases our clothing to not only feel good because they will look good but feel amazing by receiving hope and inspiration to experience their own inward changes through Christ Jesus. Each article of clothing has a QR code that allows access to a new verse of the day every single day. This means you can read the Word for yourself, wear the Word on your body and have the ability to share with others and spread the hope message. With so much negativity going on around us, I’ve found that spreading the hope message and the love of Christ to the world is my purpose and I intend to continue to walk in it.

Chakari, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Chakari Monsanto and I am the CEO and Founder of Rooted Activewear, LLC. Rooted Activewear, LLC. is a Christ-based clothing brand that specializes in active and everyday wear for men and women. We have clothing selections ranging from basketball shorts, sports bras, leggings, joggers, running shorts, t-shirts, fitted tees, lounge sets, etc. We plan to extend our products to accessory products as well including fanny packs, gym bags, socks and more. We launched in April of 2022 and have been advantageously working towards facilitating the outward expression of our customers’ inward changes. We all go through various journeys throughout life (fitness journey, self love journey, finding one’s self, etc.). Regardless of the ups or downs of those personal journeys, we want for Rooted Activewear to be there as a constant reminder to our customers to remain steadfast on their journey, stay the course and be uplifted every step of the way. We are most proud of the community (coined “The Rooted Crew”) that we have been building and continue to build. It is bigger than a brand, it is bigger than the products, it’s about the lives being reached and the community being built through the hope message of Christ.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

POP UP SHOPS! Sorry for the excitement but pop up shops have really been the best source of new customers. Being an e-com clothing brand has it pros and cons with one of the cons being the trial and error of successful bringing in new customers. Pop up shops are in person and although a little nerve wracking at first, they are a great way to meet new customers face-to-face and share the mission of the business. Be sure to have a good amount of inventory, a price list, business cards, forms of payment listed and a positive attitude! I’ve done pop up shops in malls and in local community venues but the best place for me has been local gyms because it is active wear after all!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn is just because they are your “friends” does not mean they will support you in new endeavors. The backstory is rather short, however after having my business for over a year now I have noticed that a lot of people that I thought were “friends” haven’t supported my business in any way. It’s not about them purchasing clothes from me but merely liking a post or sharing a post to spread the message about my business for free. I’ve also experienced complete strangers support my business as if they have known me for years and are excited to see more of what’s in store for Rooted Activewear’s future. When going into business, it is definitely a good lesson to not go in expecting that people who seemingly are your friends will be happy for you, support you and your endeavors. It is best to go into business with a clear and open mindset to everything you will encounter and, for me specifically, allowing God to lead and watching Him bless the business how He sees fit.     

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rootedativewear.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/rooted_activewear/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/rootedactivewear/

Image Credits
Stephan D. Reese Adrian the SnapGod