We were lucky to catch up with Jaron Jones recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Jaron thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

I started my business to be the first person in my family to build generational wealth. Showing my family that we can gain independence by doing things that we love is very important to me. Changing the stereotype that has surrounded our community for so long is the goal. Building others up and developing jobs for my community. I have many reasons why I started my business that stand behind just being a positive influence for others and my community. As long as I stay true to that, I believe my legacy will speak for itself. I don’t really think beyond that about my legacy. I just want to be a great influence for the people around me.

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

who am I? I ask myself that everyday because it’s so many layers to a human. I’m a husband, I’m a father, family man, designer, creator, thinker…haha over time I maybe none of those things who really knows. I would like to be defined as a person that just wants to help create dope moments. The world is really our canvas to create whatever we want so I try to stay in that pocket as much as I can. I would like to think I’ve created some dope moments for my brand Wild Thing$. Wild Thing$ gave me a place to creatively express whatever I feel in the moment. I love clothes, for me they are a way of life. I knew what industry I wanted to be in once I understood the importance of how clothes made me feel. I think a lot of people can relate to that first day of school fit that kept you up at night, those moments never stopped for me it was an everyday feeling. I couldn’t wait to get up to get dressed, the fit didn’t have to be new you just had to find different ways to style the garment with different pieces. That process was the best feeling to me outside of hoops.

I could go one forever about that but anyways .haha yeah Wild Thing$ is my brand, we’ve been running since 2016. We’ve had a couple dope moments with features in XXL Magazine, Complex, 60+ retailers nationwide, and some vibes over in Japan. For me i’m super grateful for those accomplishments but I’m far from satisfied…thats all i’m going to say about that because show em and you’ll never have to say anything, your work will talk.

Two other brands that I’m currently working with, a creative agency called control the flight and another clothing brand called noble policy. Very dope projects.

Work ethic can definitely create space, how much is a person willingly going to work and are they going to do whatever it takes to express themselves on how they view the world. because thats the only factor that matters when it comes to setting yourself apart from the others. I’ve been in that zone for awhile now, understanding myself and my ability to get better. I want to be one of the best, so I’m going to work towards that and have a crazy drive for that goal. I want to master the art of growth, growth in every way possible when it comes to building a product/process.

My next collection is my favorite collection to date, its just what I want and what i’ve grown into as an artist. I can alway go back to my archives to find things that speak to me, thats the ill part about being an artist you can grab from your past because some moments are a head of its time.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

The story of a kid that grew up in an environment that made you grow early. The resilience came from my mother and brother. They helped shaped my resilience, they are the reason I have the drive that I have, they always told me as a kid I could be whatever I wanted to be but they could never see me at a 9 to 5. Not saying that a 9 to 5 is bad thing because people make great money at 9 to 5s. I think they just wanted to push me to do whatever my heart desired and they could see the creativeness within me. But anyways, you have to have resilience to push towards your dream, that within itself is what illustrates resilience because running your own brand is not easy.

The Journey is very rewarding tho.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn everything because when you’re teaching yourself how to do everything with no help. There are definitely things you have to unlearn to improve in business and your overall artistry. I have to unlearn designs all the time because they are just not working for me. That process can be tough because you can spend so many hours/days and it still not work but thats a part of the process, I want to stay away from putting out things that don’t really talk to me. I want to feel what I felt as a kid getting ready for the first day of school because I know others will feel that too!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wildthingsbrand.com
• Instagram: @wildthingsbrand
• Facebook: @wildthingsbrand
• Linkedin: @wildthingsbrand
• Twitter: @WTSBRAND
• Youtube: @wildthingsbrand

Image Credits
Photographer @shotbyddot Photographer @Toyadams