Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Katrice “Zion” Smith-Hampton. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Katrice “Zion” thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

It’s because of her…that we’ve got our folding chair out ready to have a seat at the table. Our brand name is inspired by Shirley Chisholm’s mantra “Unbossed and Unbought”. Shirley Chisholm was the 1st black woman elected to Congress and the first woman and African American to seek the nomination for president of the United States. UnBossed Apparel is a very personal brand to me. It was important to me that the name of my business truly be a reflection of myself and what I represent. Shirley Chisholm was an independent, outspoken, advocate for marginalized groups and liberal causes. I have brought those same attributes to life in the form of a t-shirt brand.

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

I’ve been in the industry for over 11 years. My 1st apparel brand has done well but it’s really restrictive and isn’t truly a relflect of me personally. As satisfying as it has been to see Zion’s Greek Boutique blossom, I harbored ambitions to do something more personal. In 2017 I was blessed with the opportunity for UnBossed Apparel to be featured on a local news morning show and I took that opputrunity to offically launched UnBossed Apparel as a separate brand. My brand mission is to empower, educate, and provide a channel for your voice to be heard loud and clear through unfiltered tshirt messages. We’re not your average tshirt company. Most people advise against tackling offensive, controversial, and political issues. We are shirt brand that is unafraid to speak on things that affect the black community and under represented groups whether it be good or controversial its important for people to have a voice and we want to help create that voice.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

When you have a brand that doesn’t shy away from controversial issues and features strong messages it opens the door for a lot of conversations. Several of our designs have gone viral and that has significantly impacted how we’ve built our audience. My advice would be to just really be in tune with who your audience is and consistently post things that are relatable to them.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The world of marketing in business is ever-changing. As an introvert, I’ve had to learn how to unlearn the methods I’ve used to promote my business. To be frank I’m a behind-the-scenes person so I’ve had to really put myself out there a little more so that my audience can learn more about the face behind the brand.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.unbossedaparel.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/unbossedapparel
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unbossedapparelbrand
• Twitter: twitter.com/unbossedapparel
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@unbossedapparel

Image Credits
Photographer: Stephanie Eley / @eley_photo EJ Glenn Photography