Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jamaal Clinton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jamaal, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I came up with the idea of making and crafting custom shoes about 20+years ago. My mother, sister and I have always bonded over fashion. Growing up my sister often designed clothing and I would design footwear. We were two young children who had an interest in fashion. Everything changed when I was fifteen years of age. We lost our mother to a terrible illness. Nothing was the same, I shut down completely and fashion became too painful. All it did was remind me of my mother’s absence, not having her by my side, giving her approval or words of encouragement took away the joy I once found in designing. I have always been an artistic individual. My mother recognized this in me and made sure to feed my creativity for as long as she walked on this earth. My goal was always to make her proud but with her no longer here I felt everything I use to enjoy doing such as singing, drawing, writing, creating, and dreaming, all had no purpose. I felt I had no one to make proud. It wasn’t until about seven years after her passing that I decided to try again. When I made the decision to dive back into the world of arts, I hit rock bottom when I realized I was alone, doing what we loved together. I had no push, no help, no support, or no love from anyone. All of my family and friends had moved on and seemed to have forgotten about my very existence. It was tough and again, feeling defeated and lonely I stopped Pursuing my dreams of being a world known fashion designer. I found work in other industries but the one thing about purpose is, it doesn’t leave you alone. Of course, I was successful in areas outside of the fashion world, however I was unfulfilled. I was not walking in my purpose. At the age of thirty-three I said to myself “Jamaal, it is now or never!”  It was then I decided that I no longer needed to seek validation from others. It was time that I stopped allowing my past to dictate my future. From that moment on, I have been moving in full speed when it comes to chasing my dreams. By nature, I am a creator, I was born to create. Everything I touch, is forever changed, forever better off than when I found it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

The footwear that I design are a representation of me, stylish and unique. Last year, while at work I was discussing basketball with a colleague. One of my favorite players was the legendary NBA player Bob Elliott. While we were discussing basketball and Bob Elliot’s career in the NBA, a Tupac Shakur song was playing on the radio. My mother was a big fan of Afeni Shakur, an American political activist and member of the black panther party, but mostly importantly the mother of Tupac Shakur. It was at that moment Elyiott Shakur. For legal purposes I changed the original spelling of the name Elliot and registered my business with department of state and launched “Elyiott Shakur a little over a year ago. Thus far I have sold over twenty pairs of shoes. People may not know my name yet, but the name “Jamaal Clinton” will be a household name, a world-renowned fashion designer. When the name Jamaal Clinton comes up in conversation the responses will be who? Jamaal the fashion designer, Jamaal the actor, Jamaal the model. The one who made something out of nothing. This may be the first time you have heard the name Jamaal Clinton and Elyiott Shakur, but I promise you it will not be the last. Until next time America.

Stay blessed and highly favored.

>Skies the limit, Make the impossible possible<

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

I foster my new and returning customers by offering discount, direct contact to me, up to date news, lead way on new products before the release date. By giving them exclusive insight and information no one else have.

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

The best source for me is face to face interaction. I can always tell how a person feels about what I’m talking about or explaining. A face to face source is the #1 source for me because it’s intimate and personal. And if you have social media. Social media is a big platform where you can get your information and business out to people you can’t talk to face to face. Advertising is a big key in growing your business

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Elyiottshakurshoes

Image Credits
Jamaal Clinton Elyiott Shakur Christian John casalduc