We were lucky to catch up with Darrien Curry recently and have shared our conversation below.

Darrien, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

I wish I wouldve started a little later than I did. When I first came with this idea I mainly had good surface level ideas. When it was time to actually start up there were so many small detailed things that i had to learn along the way. So i took a couple losses just to learn. If I could redo it I wouldve researched just a little bit more before diving in head first. Its a mistake many entreprenuers make. Im proud of myself to stick it out and learn from my mistakes, and now my original ideas are all coming to reality. But Id be lying if I said the path was easy

Darrien, 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?

I do music so Ive always been a creative thinker. Ive also always had an eye for clothes and fashion. id like to call myself a trendsetter in my younger days because things id create (or feel like I created lol) would spread throughout my school. I wanted to mix my music and taste for clothes together and create a something special that represents where im from.

my brand is called polarbear city and it represents the northside of chicago. Growing up up north was a totally different vibe from the rest of the city. Very diverse and independant as I was able to live in neighborhoods where so many people had their own cultures and businesses. Whether it be a corner store or restaurant , Shoe store or liquor store, there were many people that owned their own business and always spoke on the value of smart and hard work.

Id like future fans and clients to know Im no different than anyone walking this earth, but at the sametime theres only one me just like theres only one you. I connect with people because of this understanding of energy every human being brings to this world. I come from nothing so to be able to create something in my mind that is now a reality of this world is a blessing. Furhtermore, Proof that anybody can obtain the life they see fit for themselves with a little patience, focus, and discipline

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

At the moment I am currently doing my own manufacturing. I actually created my own logo then had it digitized. From there i just became curious of the entire process. So I bought machines and blanks and started from there. I was so terrible for the first couple of months that I almost wanted to give up. But the thought of giving up pushed me to go even harder and be more patient with myself and the process. I was going to revert to vendors, but at the time their prices just didnt make sense as it would have forced me to start off selling at what Id believe to be a very high price especially for a business just starting. Doing the manufactoring myself also allowed me to not only learn so much more about clothes and different materials, but it also allowed me to explore my creativity. Not to mention it added more respect that I already have for labor workers.

small things I learned from manufactoring

Everything costs. Just because I charge for example $100 doesnt mean I just made a $100. It is my responsibility to fund this business and keep it running in good nature

time consumption is valuable and everyone should be compensated the right way for their time and effort invested in projects

I learned about so many different materials to work with and the price ranges of each

I also acquired a certain sense of pride knowing I made these clothing designs and outfits. so to see people wearing it is such a good feeling

and lastly I learned as harsh as it sounds majority of consumers dont care about your process or journey. Only the results. The road can be lonely at times ,but keeping faith and staying dedicated because you believe what others dont or cant see at the time helps build your character so much

How did you build your audience on social media?

I was already doing music and had a small fanbase that really liked my music. Before I actually started promoting verbally Id just do videos or take pictures with the clothing on.. Eventually People started asking what was that “sweater” I had on or “shirt” etc. I gave a few items to good people and a few close friends and they also posted videos and pictures on their pages as well. Before I knew it I had more request for clothes than I was actually prepared for . Once I seen that I created a page and started promoting and traveling neighborhoods around my city . it helps that i do music because I can promote both the music and the clothing apparel at the same time and receive pay for both.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/polarbearcity_chicago?igsh=c2lkNXVmMHh1OTc5&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https//youtube.com/@polarbeartriple3821?si=PCNOm-DFA80zoxFP