We caught up with the brilliant and insightful TUFF DIOR a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, TUFF thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?

Getting my first order was one of the most exciting moments of my life. It was right after my birthday. I asked my good friend Billy if he could make me a custom shirt with my logo on it and he did. When I received my shirt my logo started glowing in the dark. I was so excited to see my shirt glow that I went straight to social media to show it off and everyone loved it!. I called Billy to tell him thank you and how much everyone loves the glow feature. He then proceeded to let me know that he never meant for it to glow in the dark and that it was indeed an accident. With the response I was receiving online I just knew that this was a sign. I decided to make the glow in the dark shirts my niche and I received my first order that same day.

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

Hello world my name is TUFFDIOR. I am a full time entrepreneur and owner of the streetwear clothing line TUFF: The Unknown Fade Fast. I sell shirts, shorts, hats, sweatpants, sweatsuits and more. I also do quite a bit of other things as well. I am a creative director, photographer, a published model and lead PR for BIGBREAKMAGAZINE in Atlanta.

I decided to get into the industry I am in because I really love creating. I’ve always wanted to be my own boss as well. In 2020 I made the decision to leave my job and start my own business. Once I made my first few pieces of merch I utilizing social media to advertise, started vending and networking my butt off. Even though I was completely broke I still had faith in my vission and stuck to my goal.

When it comes to creative directing I’ve always been into building aesthetics so that was something I started doing naturally. Becoming a photographer and brand owner was basically hand and hand. When I decided to push TUFF I had no money to pay a photographer so I decided right away that photography was going to be a necessary skill to learn for my business to grow.

I am very proud of all of my accomplishments but when it comes to Modeling and becoming a PR I really am proud of how far I’ve come. At the beginning of my modeling and PR journey I was very nervous and honestly insecure. Coco Luvs the owner of BIGBREAKMAGAZINE and Agent Mathews the owner of Black Hollywood definitely pushed me to come out of my shell. Within the time of pushing myself past my limits I’ve become way more confident and less socially awkward.

I think what sets me and my brand apart from others is my unique style and grunge flair. TUFF is a gender neutral brand with style inspiration from my favorite eras, anime and fashion icons. My supporters love that I can give them trendy merchandise with different cool effects like glow in the dark and holographic logos. Not only is my brand a trendsetter but it is also a meaningful movement. The Unknown Fade Fast is a movement to push everyone to stand out and being okay with standing on their beliefs. I want to encourage people all around the world to think of themselves as TUFF by being genuinely themselves and proud.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Networking and promoting on social media was the best two ways for me to grow my clientele. Going to networking events wearing my brand helps me to stand out. I believe anyone with a brand should be a walking billboard. Social media is also another great way to gain more attraction. Consistency and using ads are the keys to success when building clientele online.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Working as a vendor at pop ups, different networking events and Instagram have all been my best sources for new clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: Theunknownfadefast.com
• Instagram: @TUFFDIOR @theunknownfadefast

Image Credits
@tuffdior @teddiiestones @mvlan_ @timeless_vision_ @_syriakaylaaa @bobbyrager_ @theunknownfadefast