We were lucky to catch up with Doncel Brown recently and have shared our conversation below.

Doncel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

Finding the right name for your brand can be such a complex process. I think it’s important to stay true to your brand’s vision and goal, while also creating something familiar but unique. I knew I wanted to start a brand that was focused on sparking dialogue between the different generations, but I had so many options of what to call it at the time. It wasn’t until I stopped overthinking and went to the core of the brand that I found the right name.

Generation stems from the generational labels that have been created to categorize when we were born. This is something we constantly hear used such as Millennial, Baby Boomer, Gen Z, and so on. The word Typo I believe is really what completes the brand’s name. Normally when you hear of the word typo it is used to indicate a word is spelled incorrectly by the system. Although none of the words are spelled incorrectly in the brand. We use the word typo to indicate that someone can look at who you are or what you stand for, and think that you are wrong. This is just their opinion and it doesn’t have to become your reality. We use this red line throughout our branding to take the power back in being a typo, and a way to show you are proud of who you are.

A bonus secret with the typo logo is the red line is placed in the center of the text with the text shifting apart. This is symbology to show that these differences at times can separate us, and we want to empower talking about them rather than avoiding them.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Doncel Brown and I am the Founder & Creative Director for the fashion brand Generation Typo. I got into the fashion industry through my focus and belief in creating more dialogue between different generations. Fashion has been the most consistent translator throughout time, and I truly believe it is the best way to spread the message and vision of my brand.

We sell different fashion items from clothing, to accessories, and most importantly conversations. We solve the problem we all have every day which is what to wear, and feeling confident in what you are wearing. I believe its important to not only feel good in what you’re wearing, but believing in the message behind your look.

We have been blessed with many amazing opportunities such as New York Fashion Week, DC Fashion Weeks, and multiple press coverages. The thing i’m the most proud of however is the stories we hear from supporters around conversations they are able to have with others. In a world where you never know how much time you have to talk, I believe the only right time is now.

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

Manufacturing and producing products can be a very confusing process. Prior to starting Generation Typo, I had no idea how fashion items were created or even what the processes were called. Facing this challenge is what taught me one of my most valuable lessons, and that is to lead with your strengths. I could have hit the roadblock of having no formal fashion education and stopped my journey before it even began. However, I used my strength in graphic design to push past this obstacle. Although I wasn’t able to speak to the technical process of fashion production, I was able to make very detailed graphic mock-ups. I then sent these mock-ups to multiple different manufacturers and learned fashion backward from them. They told me what different processes, and materials, and techniques were called. In terms of finding the right manufacturer, this truly comes from trial and error and a lot of sampling. Always request a sample from any manufacture you’re dealing with before placing large quantity orders. I think the real focus should be less on the manufacture and more on your tech packs and manufacture instructions so that you are able to take it to any factory and get the same results. You don’t want to end up reliant on one manufacture and they close business, now you are stuck without the ability to manufacture more products.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

We sell all of our products through our own website – www.generationtypo.com . We chose to do this in order to have more control over the customer experience. Using platforms like Amazon, Etsy, or Printful have their benefits in owner usability, but this results in a limited experience for your customers. Hosting your own website and using platforms like Shopify allow you to create any experience you would like. Being able to have custom branding, promotional pop ups, and expanded payment options are some benefits.

This is what works best for our brand, I would recommend for those looking to start a brand to look into all of the options. Deciding what works best for you business and model, because what works for some may not work for others. You and your business are unique and you should treat it that way.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.generationtypo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/generationtypo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/generationtypo
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/generation-typo
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/generationtypo