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

Talik, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

Once I figured out the name of my brand and what I wanted it to be about, ideas of what to create started flowing to me. I originally thought that I would pay a graphic designers to create designs for me but I then realized that I would need to develop this skill on my own. A lot of times we have ideas but not all are as great as you envisioned once they are brought to life. Instead of spending money on designs I might change my mind about I decided to be skilled enough to build designs on my own and cut cost form using a graphic designer all the time.

I spent the next month and a half doing tons of research, watching YouTube videos and working on the skills I would need to start my clothing brand. Everyday I would come home from work and make some sort of graphic image in photoshop and other platforms. It didn’t matter if it was ugly, random, big or small, I just wanted to get comfortable with the tools to make graphic designs and creating overall.

Doing this daily, I actually came up with a few designs that I was ready to test the market with. What I did and still currently do is make the clothing item for myself and wear it when I know I will be around groups of people and see if I get a response to it. If I get a compliment or someone asked me where did I get the item I know this is something I can sell. If I don’t get any interaction at all on an item, then more than likely I will keep the item for myself.

In my opinion, bringing an idea to life is all about just simply starting. It’s easy to get caught up in what you think you don’t have or to actually just get going but a lot of times you already have what you need, you just have to use what you have until you get where you’re going. Things don’t have to be perfect for you to succeed, perfect can be what you say it is in your own world. That’s really what the CRWNED brand is all about, being the best in your own right.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Creating a clothing brand has always been something I’ve wanted to do however in the past I was scared to fail so I never pursued it. I got my first taste of making and creating designs back in college at Tuskegee University. I was a campaign manager for my friend running for a SGA position at the school and I helped along with other friends create a campaign sweater hat was pretty popular. I also was over our Street Team organization at the school and made another T-shirt that also was popular. At this point I really wanted to make a clothing brand but I held myself back because at that time I didn’t believe I could really do it or where to even start.

Fast forward about 5 years later, I remember going to the mall looking for an outfit and nothing seemed to catch my eye. I found myself walking through the mall critiquing all of the items. I would say things like, I wish the shirt had longer sleeves, or this shirt would be better if it had this or that. On that day I left the mall disappointed and started making my own clothes and have not stopped since.

Starting my brand has allowed me to really get into my creative space and thrive on trying to find new ideas that you normally don’t see within clothing. The thing I am probably most proud of up to this point is simply that I have not quit and you can see the growth with my items, marketing and overall image over the years. The biggest problem that I had to overcome with the brand so far is staying consistent. Trying to balance a full time job, life and growing the brand can be hard to balance but by the grace of God I’ve been able to grow year by year.

When we started we were primarily just a graphic T-shirt streetwear brand and now we have everything from custom sweaters, sweatpants, hats, bandannas, hoodies, socks and a lot more coming. The one thing I want people to take away from the brand is that you can do whatever you want to do and your success should be determined by what you think is successful. Our slogan is “Take The World” and that basically means the world is yours and you can do anything if you believe and you go after it. That’s what it means to be CRWNED.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

So far the best source of new clients for me has been doing pop up shops and in person interactions. I love to talk to people about the brand and explain how certain pieces were made or how an idea came about. I feel that this leads people to stay engaged with the brand instead of a one time buy.

I also think that some of the details in our clothing really grabs people’s attention in person more than online. Sometimes it’s hard to capture some of the small but unique details of a item with just pictures or videos but it can really stick out in person.

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

Right now I think that our reputation in the market is being unique and creative with clothing. I also think that people like our consistency. Even though we are a small brand, we try our best to move as if we are one of the biggest brands in the world. Being consistent with creative designs in each season of the year is what I think makes people think of us in this way. We strive to make clothing that is relevant and in season with a 1 of 1 or no two are the same type of twist.

Contact Info:

• Website: crwned.com
• Instagram: @ur_crwned / @leak31
• Facebook: CRWNED Clothing
• Twitter: @ur_crwned
• Other: TikTok: @ur_crwned

Image Credits
Malik Gavin Delisser Deric Hoskins De’Anna Randle