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

Taylor, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you take vacations? How do you keep things going – any advice for entrepreneurs who feel like they can’t step away from their business for a short vacation?

I think taking time off/taking vacations away from whatever anyone is doing is vital for overall growth. Things become stagnant. Especially for creatives. New experiences are everything. And I think it’s easy for me, personally, to get burnt out. I have experienced that so much in the last year. So much I have really taken a step back to process what my next move will be. I don’t know where Flavors Creative Group will go from here, but I have appreciated the time I have had off to clear my mind and figure It out.

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

Over the last 6 years I have worked as the Creative Director and Lead Designer for sustainable streetwear company Flavors Creative Group. FCG embodies the idea of limited edition, inclusive streetwear; utilizing second hand materials and organic cottons to create full collections. Each piece is viewed as a one-of-a-kind, wearable work of art, rather than another unit in a series of 50-500 like most traditional streetwear brands offer. The idea with Flavors was to take the world of sustainable/conscious design, and apply it to the world of counter culture fashion. With this idea, we also thought that more of a female inclusive, unisex approach for FCG was appropriate given the male dominated industry of streetwear needs a revamp.
All in all, Flavors has allowed me to travel to Europe, attend and perform in several fashion shows and collaborate with some of the coolest people I have ever met. FCG has also given me the opportunity to work with several local Austin brands and organizations (Psychic Outlaw, Brown State of Mind, Dylan Wylde), television celebrities (Pete Davidson, Lamorne Morris), and several non profits (Rock The Vote Atx, Austin Drug and Alcohol Abuse Program).

Have you ever had to pivot?

I think a lot of brands can relate to having to pivot, in some sense, during the pandemic. For Flavors, it was like, “well the world is falling apart, idk if anyone needs more clothes right now.” So we started making masks. We hand made over 2000 face masks, and they took off fairly quickly. We were able to pivot the brand, and keep revenue flowing by utilizing second hand materials being donated to us. It was really cool to help the community, and see the feedback was so positive on our business choice. That involvement helped facilitate an easy comeback for the garments once we decided it was safe to release collections again. I think that experience is something I am super proud of, and was a direct reflection of my ability to change for the best.

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

The reputation of Flavors Creative Group has been built off two primary ideas; 1)Make quality stuff that people will enjoy keeping for years and years.
2) Stay true to what I am doing and designing.

I feel like a lot of companies go out of their way to keep up with trends and make items that only expand the demographic of their businesses, rather than making items that reflect their core customers. I think running with our personal ideals and visions of streetwear helped us maintain a cult like following because they can see we already know the trends; we create the trends. And while Flavors is smaller manufacturer than a lot of companies in our realm, our fans are loyal and I couldn’t be more thankful for that.

Contact Info:

• Website: flavorscreative.com
• Instagram: @flavorscreativegroup
• Facebook: Flavors Creative Group
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylordaineh/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwDNCaWyxV-hOrCz1hmR_rQ

Image Credits
Samantha Weaver, Jackie Lee Young