We were lucky to catch up with Dale Cordice recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dale, thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

We came up with the idea of Different Is The New Cool because Dale has ADHD. He struggles with staying focused, controlling his emotions, sitting still and holding conversations. His peers aren’t always kind or accepting of his struggles so making friends can be tough. He often felt excluded. To see your child experience that is heart breaking. I will never forget when Dale was in Kindergarten one of his classmates walked up to me and said, “Dale is my friend. He’s a little crazy, but a lot good.” Although Dale isn’t crazy, I understood what he meant. That just warmed my heart to see him being accepted for exactly who is. As parents, we have always taught him that he is not defined by his diagnosis. We continuously tell him that he’s awesome and that ADHD is his Super Power! We encourage him to embrace his Different because he is fearfully and wonderfully made! The things that make him Different are the things that make him Cool! We realized that if Dale was feeling this way, other children with different abilities may feel this way too. We knew we had to do something to let young people with different abilities feel seen, included and accepted. We wanted to bring awareness to all different abilities, not just ADHD. We also wanted to create a space for young people to feel strong, fearless, confident and cool! We wanted to educate them on how to become Difference Advocates so they can speak up for themselves. We had our why, but we didn’t have the how. Then we had that aha moment! Dale has been modeling and ripping runways all over the South East wearing other people’s designs, what if we created our own! We thought that the quickest way to spread our message was through a trendy clothing line. Dale’s childcare provider happened to be an artist. We told him what we wanted to do. We wanted our logo to be Different and represent Dale, so we came up with the backwards f’s and the o’s that are shaped like his glasses. He created our logo. He also previously had a clothing line so he educated us on vendors. Next thing you know we were showcasing our line in fashion shows all over the country and even Canada. We had no idea how our brand would be received, but it’s been absolutely amazing to see how well received we are. To hear young people share their stories about their different abilities just touches our hearts. Our goal is to turn our customers into family. We want everyone one to know that Different Is The New Cool is not just a shirt, it’s a movement!

Dale, 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?

Different Is The New Cool is the premiere clothing brand geared towards the advancement of young people with different abilities. We are a family-based business built around Dale. Dale is a 12-year-old scholar, actor, model, CEO and motivational speaker that happens to have ADHD.  Inspite of ADHD, Dale is thriving and so can you!  Different Is The New Cool is based on the core values of: Inclusion, Inspiration, Self-Confidence, Collaboration and Service,  Our mission is to inspire and celebrate young people with different abilities through a trendy clothing line.  We also advocate for equal rights and access for all.  We educate young people on how to speak up for themselves by taking and living the Difference Advocate Pledge.  With the Difference Advocate Pledge you agree to:  1) Embrace your own Different 2) Be a friend NOT a bully 3) Take the limits off of yourself. We are seeking to be known both nationally and internationally for our trendy fashion and community service. Our vision is to change the world one Cool kid at a time.

Our website consists of t-shirts, performance t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies and cardigans. You can also take the Difference Advocate Pledge and purchase a wristband. You can book Dale for speaking engagements as well.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Initially our social medial audience consisted of family, friends, fellow models etc., but as we started to showcase in more and more shows spreading our message our social media audience started to grow. Because we’re a clothing line, we like to ensure we have professional product photos on our social media platforms. Our social media audience is also growing because we remain consistent. We post often. We post various types of content, posts, reels and stories with a focus on educating, empowering and entertaining our audience. We recently accepted a 30 day video challenge to increase our visibility and that’s done wonders for our engagement. It forced us to step out of our comfort zone and start doing live videos. Our audience is able to connect with us even more now. We’re giving them a glimpse into our everyday lives and why we do what we do. My advice for those just starting to build their social media presence is to be consistent and authentic. Let people see all aspects of you, be relatable. Share your why, what you stand for and who you do it for often. You want to build that know, like and trust with your audience. Most of all, have fun with it.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Our best source of new clients has been referrals. It’s a great feeling to hear someone say they heard about us from a friend or family member. Another great source for us getting new clients has been vending events.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.differentisthenewcool.com
• Instagram: @differentisthenewcool2020
• Facebook: Dale Jr Cordice

Image Credits
Dlyfe Photo Rain’s World Photography I Am Ziyah