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

Mark, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

I think the name of your company is one of the most important decisions you will make as a business owner. That said, I really took time to think about what I would tell people when they asked me the meaning of my brand’s name. The answer is fairly simple. I brainstormed various ways to convey the main purpose behind me starting a clothing company. My mission is to create luxury streetwear at a lesser price point than high-end designers who sell similar products. Falling somewhere in between high and low, i thought GREY AREA would be the perfect way to convey/describe that midpoint.

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?

GREY AREA Brand is a fashion label, founded in 2021 in Atlanta, GA by Mark Madden.

I was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. After graduating high school, I moved to Georgia in 2004 to attend Clark Atlanta University, where I received a B.S. in Business Administration/Finance. In 2008, I began my career in Financial Services. Unfulfilled with Corporate America, I became determined to pursue my entrepreneurial dreams. As someone who has always loved fashion and is known for having a great sense of style, a clothing line was most suitable as it aligns with my personal interests.

Despite having no formal fashion training, I established my own company. Drawing inspiration from my own personal qualms with the menswear market, I set out to make ‘mid-luxury’ my niche, which again serves as the main inspiration behind the brand’s name and mission.

The debut collection was a huge success with each style having to be restocked multiple times. Celebrity clients such as Monica, Toya Rushing, RL of Next, Reginae Carter, Michelle Williams, Zonnique Pullins, as well as various social media influencers have all aided in its continued success. I am most proud of accomplishing all this with a very small team. I work alongside Eric Stanley (Creative Designer) and Jeremy Haynes (Marketing Director) to create and promote each collection.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Just a few months after my online launch, I decided to have a big Pop Up Shop. I purchased tens of thousands worth of inventory specifically for the event. Three days prior, the print shop I was using at the time burned to the ground with about 60-70 percent of my inventory inside. I didn’t have business insurance, so it ended up being a complete loss. It was an extremely hard lesson, but I am glad that I did not let that stop my journey.

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

I built my online presence by having a genuine group of friends who have supported me since day one. They post and/or share my content, which has been my biggest help. I would tell anyone starting out to lean on your core circle first.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://greyareabrand.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forgreyarea/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068332316271&mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
Raphael Simien (@thecamkilla)