We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Donta Daniels a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Donta thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

This past year has been a huge risk for me. July of 2023 I left my retail job to pursue my passion of wanting to own a clothing line. I had experience with getting some T-shirts printed from my local T-shirt printing place but I had no idea what it took to build a business from the ground up. It wasn’t that I couldn’t do my retail job, It was quite the opposite. I was doing the job a little too well and noticed that I wasn’t getting promoted or my hard work wasn’t being appreciated. I thought to myself “ Why am I building the legacy of another brand when I do this for myself?” after leaving the job I thought about what I wanted in my brand-name to be. After coming to a decision. I outsourced a logo to be made with my last $40 from a designer on fiver. A couple of months down the road, By the grace of the universe I found out a program offered through PHA ( Philadelphia Housing Authority) that offered a six-month course To help build and fund your business. Although I applied last year and didn’t get in, I took the risk and applied again. I got the acceptance letter and started my journey towards building my business and December 2023. Now we are in July 2024 and I have my business up and running!

Donta , 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?

So, a little bit about myself. My name is Donta Daniels also known as Norfstar. I am 27 years old from the city of brotherly love , Philadelphia. North Philadelphia to be exact. For as early as I can remember , I’ve always been interested in the arts. Whether it was music, theater, painting, etc. You name it, I was drawn to it! Also coming from a long line of seamstress, Tailors and pattern makers from my father side of the family , passion for fashion is literally in my blood. throughout high school, I learned to perfect my artistic skills through gaining access to an art program geared towards the inner city youth through Temple university , Tyler school of the arts. Throughout the program I quickly worked proved that I was capable of doing more and eventually was asked partner with Tyler school of the arts to work and participate in several different public programming , Curatorial and also mentorship programs. After Covid in 2020 things on the artistic field for me came to a complete stop. I tried to get a normal 9 to5 job, hoping that I can rise through the ranks and get a career. Let’s Just to say things didn’t plan out that way, and because I wasn’t creating anymore, I just felt unexpired. Something in my life is missing. Eventually, I landed a retail job at a fancy hand store — It was basically a luxury thrift shop for hype beast. There I learned more about clothing than I could’ve imagined. I started to learn about different brands like Hellstar, Emotional therapy, Aimé Leon Dore etc. I mean, I already knew these brands were popular, but I was learning why they were popular. Why they cost as much as they do, who was their targeted demographic & what was the hype was about? And then Something clicked for me. My passion was back! Eventually, I left the job and with the knowledge that I learned from that job I built my brand, We Are Pixxxies! We Are Pixxxies is a vibrant haven for the creatively inclined! We understand that self-expression is not only important but also an art form. And our brand is tailored for those who embrace their inner spark and choose to live loud and in color! At We Are Pixxxies, we pride ourselves on being colorful and having quality pieces that can last longer than the trends that are being cycled out nowadays. I truly wanted to create a brand that represented the cool, quirky, & campy kids who rarely get a chance to be seen or shown.

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

How I keep in touch with clients and Foster brand new loyalty is putting the customers as the face of the brand. Celebrities and influencers with a lot of following are the main target for brands to have promote their products. However, here we are pixies we put the customers in front. From working with micro influencers to creating a hashtag (#Pixxxmail) where customers can use the hashtag to show off their looks In which we post to our Instagram stories. Also throwing in some free goodies like a stickers, a handwritten note of appreciation, etc. so we can really let the customers know that we are more than a brand we are community!

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been being a walking billboard for my brand. There is nowhere that I go without having something with my branding on it. Whether it’s A T-shirt or simply a sticker with my logo on it The most effective strategy for me has been dressing up and showing people what my product looks like on everyday people in everyday settings. Also, frequenting places that my target demographic may be. What better way to build a clientele, then going to where your clientele is and talk to them?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.wearepixxxies.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearepixieapparel/
• Other: TikTok- @Wearepixxxies

Image Credits

Photographer: Visuals by Bren
Models: Saki Savavi
Zaaminah
Norfstar