We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Javonte Durr-Cannon a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Javonte, thanks for joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

For the longest I was in a phase of preparing to launch my business. I was working on sketches for designs, trying to figure out the right name for my brand and honestly thinking about where to start with manufacturing my first item. I did a lot of research on my own and created an LLC to put my brand under. I would say the key thing in that phase was for me to be confident in myself about learning more information as I continue in the business, appreciation of lessons when making mistakes and jumping head first while trusting my process.

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 back background and context?

Growing up as an older sibling in a single parent household, I have worked plenty of jobs since I was 15 years old, starting with doing lawn care work during hot summers. I have always been drawn to earning money for myself so that I could buy what I need or what I want without having to ask for help from anyone. Seeing my independent mother doing everything to keep the household balanced pushed me to become who I am now. I think I realized before the COVID pandemic that I didn’t want to be an employee for much longer. I knew that I wanted to control my income and build for a brighter future so I looked inwards and began to develop a plan. I always loved to draw and paint as a kid, so I began brainstorming and sketching designs that could have meaning behind them. I wanted to broadcast a message to people who might have been, or still is, in the same position and strive to better themselves.

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

“Practice Makes Perfect”. That is one lesson/phrase that I’ve heard so many times that I began to understand the flaws within it. Nobody can ever be perfect, but we can work hard everyday to be the best version of ourselves. Being an artist or a business owner is bringing your vision to life as best as possible. There will be flaws and setbacks, but that only creates improvements for the next steps to come.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I believe creating new relationships with people and customers helped in a huge way. I like to focus on the image of my brand on social media and my website, but having discussions with anyone and explaining the concept of my brand whether I am working at an event or doing anything throughout my day like going to the mall or grocery store is what keeps elevating my reputation in a positive manner.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rebornapparel.squarespace.com/
• Instagram: _rebornapparel
• Facebook: Rebornapparel25

Image Credits
Tessa Burris