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

Hi Langston, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Life really do be Lifing!! That’s how this thing truly started. We all have those moments in life where we know that our life has more purpose, but you can’t figure out what that purpose is. For me, it was in December 2017 that I had my moment of clarity. It was a cold day in Atlanta, Ga (where I resided at the time). I was watching “All Eyes on Me” , the story of Tupac Shakur. At the end of the credits, they play an old interview of him, and he says, “I’m not saying i’m gonna change the world, but i will spark the brain that will change the world!” It was at that moment that my purpose was revealed to me.

I’ve always loved the idea of having a street named after me, but I knew I’d have to do something legendary, something big, something iconic to really get that. The word iconic stuck with me. However, I feel like in order to be iconic, you must have vision. So, I changed the beginning of the word to EYE, because I truly wanted it to catch people’s attention. Truthfully, the main areas I wanted to focus on were nurturing & empowering communities and people across the globe. After some deep conversations with God, I came up with the name “Eyeconik Brand.”

I wanted this brand to add substance & value to the world. Eyeconik Brand is all about F.A.M.I.L.Y. (Fashion – Academics – Mentorship – Inspiration – Leadership – You). When you break down each component, these are truly the foundations of the brand. I intentionally wanted to start off with Fashion, because I wanted our merchandise to be aspirational, bold and a walking billboard. The message “I Am Eyeconik!” You must believe in your dreams, no matter how big or small it may be. You must trust that your dreams have a purpose. With Eyeconik Brand, I wanted to be that spark that Tupac spoke about.

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?

I’m the youngest of three and I am the only boy. So, my family tends to say I’m spoiled. That’s their fault though, not mine lol. I’m from Lafayette, La. I love to tell outsiders that there are other cities in Louisiana besides New Orleans. Lafayette is no different from any other city in our country. You have the good side of town & the so-called bad part of town. I grew up in the hood and I’m proud to say that. The Northside of Lafayette truly has prepared me and humbled me. I saw drug transactions and prostitution on the regular. I know what it is to boil water on the stove because the bathroom water did not get hot enough. What’s crazy is that back then, it seemed so normal. Nowadays, people would make fun of the way myself or most kids in my neighborhood lived. What really caught my attention was that the kids from the so-called good side of town always wanted to come to the hood. I never understood why until I got older.

I have a master’s in management and leadership, so leadership has always been in my DNA. I played basketball throughout my whole childhood. I played the point guard position, which meant I was the leader on the court. Sports have always been a huge part of my life. It still is today, as I coach High School Basketball at Lafayette Renaissance Charter High (Shout out to all the Tiger scholars, educators and administration).

Education has been very consequential in my life. I have over 10+ years of Higher Ed experience. Those years truly reinforced my desire to be the change I needed as a kid. I got the opportunity to mentor and be mentored by some amazing individuals along my journey.

When I look back over my life, I see a shy kid who has taken what he’s learned and grew into a diamond. Diamonds shine brightly, but sometimes get a little dull and need to be reshined. That’s life. It won’t always be great. Sometimes you have to rest, take a step back and recharge and go out and shine again. To anyone reading this, always be the light. You never know when someone who is in their dull season needs your light, your love, your peace, your words, or your presence just to feel like themselves again. Because remember, your dull season will come, and you’ll need others to shine a little of their light on you.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Authenticity. Through trial and error I figured out who my core audience was, and I started to create content that would tug at their heart. This is how I built my audience on social media. I wanted the Brand to resonate with the average person. The person who’s still dreaming, the person who does not have it all. The person who lacks confidence. The person who society thinks has it all, but behind closed doors, their struggle is like many of us. Therefore, my content is thought provoking, organic, fun, empowering and Godly. I say Godly, because God is my Lord & Savior, without him, this vision would not be possible. I’m not perfect and I don’t strive to be.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think my personality has helped. I’m goofy, yet serious. I’m shy, yet a talker. I figured out that I needed to have balance in my life. One of my mantras is “I’m not this or that. I’m this and that. People will try to box you in. Therefore, my reputation as someone who is trustworthy, always helping in the community and being vulnerable really has helped build my reputation.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.eyeconikbrand.com
• Instagram: eyeconikbrand

Image Credits
James Wilson Photgraphy