We recently connected with Evan Coleman and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Evan, thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us a story about a time you failed?

Most of my work up to this point has been a “failure”. From individual projects to the growth of my business, it has all been a series of failures that I have learned from. I do not feel badly about this at all because I have learned so much from these moments. I am very young in my career and artistry; most of what I put out is a failure, to me. In college, I was taught when presenting your own work, do it as though it is perfect. The viewer will not recognize the blemishes, only you. I live by this. I deliver my work as though it was all intentional, but the majority of the time I made an error and improvised the rest. I do not reference my work as a failure but a learning opportunity. Moving forward, I know what needs to be done differently to succeed and that has made much more of an impact than always getting it right. I fail everyday and that is why I believe I will succeed.

Evan, 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 am an elementary art teacher, small business owner, and father of 2 children. I received my bachelors degree in art from Southeast Missouri State and have since started a custom clothing and embroidery business. Evan Pierce Aelier is the name of my business specializing in one of one pieces that are either up-cycled or cut and sewn. I bring to life custom shirts or hoodies for special occasions, tailored concert outfits, and even custom blankets and quilts. I am a part of a creative collective called “YVO” or “Yea Very Odd”.

My passion is in fashion making and design. I create pieces with the goal of inspiring and motivating others to be themselves in writing their story. Each collection I design, I want to invoke a feeling. I want the clothes to give people confidence to be bold in their dreams to truly shift society.

Moving forward, I am working to create a complete environment merging my artist background and entrepreneurial goals putting more energy into the marketing space. Being a complete creative, including video production, product design, and community events is the ultimate goal.

To stay connected, follow:
@evanpierce.atlr on instagram
@.evanpierceatlr on TikTok

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

A book I love and reference a lot is “Relentless” by Tim Grover. My dad told me to read it while I was still playing sports and the message can be applied to business. Tim Grover was Michael Jordan’s trainer and he tells about the philosophy of Jordan. A relentless mindset in everything he did. He was a ‘cleaner’, Grover called it. A cleaner did all the things nobody saw to the highest level. He arrived early, stayed late, and outworked everyone who was there in between. You do not think about the obstacles but push through no matter what. You either perform to be the best or you do not try at all. I do my best to be a cleaner in my field. Work harder, smarter, and perform better than everyone else. The results may not happen today, but when it is all said and done everyone will recognize who the champion is. It will be undeniable.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

I hand make all of my work. At least 90% of what you see I have made in some way from the tag to decals to designs. My great grandmother taught me to sew a few years back and that skill has progressed into embroidery and other fashion processes. Being hands on in the production process is my favorite part of what I do and very important to me. It does limit how much I can offer but quantity is not important to me at this moment. I treat fashion as a practice.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://evanpierceatlr.myshopify.com
• Instagram: @evanpierce.atlr
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evan-coleman-437b9b235/
• Other: TikTok: @.evanpierceatlr