I don’t care what you say. As a matter of fact, I really don’t care if you cannot paint like Picasso, play like Tchaikovsky, or elocute your words like Maya Angelou. Too often, we dismiss such artists as God-like individuals with an innate gift to create. But aren’t we all human beings? Don’t we all have an innately unique perspective of the world. All of you sitting here today are artists whose voice needs to be heard. For once, there is a clothing company that allows that very voice to be heard: R. Youell Fashion.
We realize that not everyone wants to dress the same EVERY day. Hell, I sometimes change clothing in between classes (which some of you can unequivocally attest to). But why? Some might label it as a byproduct of materialism, selfishness, and even vanity. Far from it my friends. Simply put, our environment, mood, and goals are constantly changing… and so should your style.
Feeling introspective, philosophical, and mysterious? Check out our chrome collection. Trying to feel confident, comfortable, and sophisticated? Try wearing our brand-new midnight blue blazer. At R. Youell Fashion, we believe that identity should be displayed through self-expression… and there is no greater medium to demonstrate such self expression than one’s clothing and fashion choices.
Although the branches of this brand are constantly fluctuating, growing, and changing direction in accordance to your growth as a human and creative being, its roots are nonetheless consistent and stable. Specifically, there are five pillars that R. Youell Fashion is built upon: SLIDE CHANGE 1.) Seasonal Colors 2.) Organic idioms 3.) Made in Virginia 4.) Playing creatively with textures and fabrics, and 5.) Sophisticated simplicity. With this interweaving juxtaposition of fluctuating improvisation with concrete stability, R. Youell Fashion is both foreign and familiar, modern and classic, rugged and formal. Simply put, R. Youell Fashion is—and will always be—about being sophisticated. Being you.
Now, I know what you are saying. Why start your own fashion line? Why not… Say, finish college, get a stable job, and live happily ever after? First and foremost, I have a PASSION for clothing. This is not passion in lowercase letters, but PASSION in all caps that forces your heart to skip a beat. That forces you to stay awake until the wee hours of the night with utter excitement. And yes, this is the same passion that—sorry mom and dad—occasionally forces you to skip class for more “important” and “pressing” matters. I believe in the future of this company because my passion for fashion will NEVER wane.
Second and even more importantly, I am partaking in this journey because I believe in the power of fashion. Certainly, fashion will forever transform the body. However, fashion also has the potential to turn the powerless into the powerful. The pessimist into the optimist. The weak into the strong. R. Youell Fashion will give you the confidence required to transform mind, body, heart, AND spirit.
Third and most significantly, I am trekking my own path within the realm of fashion because I love to give. As a global development studies major here at UVA, we are taught that “making the world a better place” is much more difficult than one can ever fathom or imagine. Indeed, variables such as cultural stereotypes, racial biases, and even longstanding patterns of societal hegemony greatly inhibit our ability to “help” those less fortunate than ourselves. Realizing this, I have decided to make a difference through another medium: fashion. In particular, it is my inherent belief that the garments made and released at R. Youell Fashion will increase one’s self-confidence, subconsciously give respect to the surrounding environment, and provide an affordable yet quality-driven product to an incredibly diverse demographic of individuals. These are beliefs that I will always have, and beliefs in which all of you are soon to experience firsthand.
As I have slowly but surely found out, achieving these maxims is quite a feat. In fact, without the burning desire that I have for fashion, I undoubtedly believe that I would have given up by now. Therefore, before deciding to embark upon your own fashion line, ask yourself one question: Do I have an undying passion for clothing and fashion? If your answer is yes, be prepared for weekly—if not daily—ideas and revisions for your brand.
As a concrete example, R. Youell Fashion has evolved tremendously over the past two years. In fact, my first instinct was not creating clothing; rather, it was to write about it. Therein started my first project: a blog dedicated to “coalescing” young men’s fashion and music. Although I still write on this blog and garner a decent amount of traffic, I nonetheless yearned for more artistic control and creativity… not to mention some form of monetary gain.
Therefore, I decided to shift from writing to designing. To capitalize on this new shift of strategy, I began with an idea and plan of attack that was overtly simplistic and elementary: sell a t-shirt—made from an outsourcer but designed by me, bundle it with a poster of my very own photograph, and sell it for $20. Sounds like a good idea, right? Not so much. You see, instead of producing these t-shirts and posters as they were purchased by interested consumers, I instead chose to bulk-purchase these products in order to save on the per-price cost of each item. Oh how naive I was. In this particular example, I harshly learned that a like on Instagram is NEVER the same as purchasing a product with your own money. It therefore comes as no surprise that I STILL have a surplus amount of shirts and posters that have yet to be sold.
0 for 1. Back to the drawing board. Keep in mind that as I was tossing and turning over what to do next, I was slowly but surely building up an impressive photography portfolio that was constantly updated via social media—more specifically, through Facebook and Instagram. Therefore, although clothing was not necessarily in the forefront at this moment and time, I was nonetheless showing others that my creativity and passion for design was never-ending. As I continued to think and brainstorm about what to do next, school and classes always seemed to inhibit my free time. Finally, around the same time as spring break this past year, I was fortunate enough to have a lull in my academic rigors… and, as a result, able to create my own full-fledged website, ryouellfashion.com. Created through shopify, I have since used this website to release new and exciting products, while simultaneously increasing the diversity of my brand. Instead of one basic “Sophisticated” tee, there were now graphic tees, crewnecks, tank tops, and even photography prints created and sold by yours truly. The highest-priced product was a mere $40, while the lowest was only $15.
In comparison to my previous endeavor, the website layout of R. Youell Fashion has greatly increased sales. Indeed, although sales were never “booming,” there has always a steady stream of interested buyers.
With that being said, there were two immediate drawbacks to this particular strategy. First and foremost, I was limited creatively. Although the products were my own creation, my outsourcer—uberprints.com—forced me to use preexisting templates, design patterns, and products. In addition to this, my net income per product was extraordinarily low. As I have already mentioned, having ONE product made per order is economically ineffective. Specifically, upon selling a $40 crewneck sweatshirt, I was lucky if I would see more than $5 of profit.
Although many of you here today might scoff at such a low profit margin, keep in mind that my intention has never been to solely sell t-shirts, crewnecks, and tanks. Rather, the creation of R. Youell Fashion and its affiliate products was—from the beginning—created to demonstrate to others that I was fine-tuning my craft and constantly in the midst of producing tangible products. Not only that, but these products also achieved the goal of being cost-effective for both buyer and seller.
Regardless, 0 for 2. Back to the drawing board once more. Unlike my first endeavor, however, ryouellfashion.com has demonstrated that individuals find my products stylish and chic. Certainly, they are not buying R. Youell Fashion merchandise in bulk, but the positive reactions have provided me with a consistent wave of self-confidence and belief in my skill as a designer and trend-setter. Inklings of success were on the imminent horizon—I just needed to revise my approach.
Before delving into this third approach, I must interject and say that my current ideas and business propositions have greatly been influenced by work experience. First and foremost, my time as a sales associate at Brooks Brothers provided me with a groundwork of what quality-driven products and services look like. It is my expectation that future R. Youell Fashion stores and services will (similar to Brooks Brothers) treat everyone—regardless of physical appearance, demographic, or age—with the utmost of respect, sincerity, and humanity. Just as the future of R. Youell Fashion is driven towards creating the best consumer experience possible, so too will it be obsessed with garment quality. Every detail, garment texture, and button placement will be carefully observed and taken into account. However, unlike luxury-brand stores such as Brooks Brothers, R. Youell Fashion will combine economic affordability with garment and stylistic quality.
Moving past the lessons learned at Brooks Brothers, my time in New York City as a fashion advertising intern for Avant Collective this past summer greatly increased my awareness and appreciation of social media, artistic creativity, and high fashion. Now, I must be frank and say that the time spent at my internship was predominately spent pouring over Excel spreadsheets and sending out press releases via email… also keep in mind that this intership was UNPAID… and as we all know, living in New York is neither cheap nor FREE. Nonetheless, I was fortunate enough to create an entire social media platform presentation for infant accessory company Pemberley Rose. Immediately, it became clear in my research that social media was a vital tool for drumming up excitement and buzz. In particular, the most successful companies and competitors to Pemberley Rose posted content on a weekly—if not daily—basis. Therefore, since returning from New York City, I constantly post relevant photos, sketches, and news pertinent to R. Youell Fashion. As a direct result, the excitement towards the company has exponentially increased, while my readership and followers have more than doubled on Instagram and Facebook.
Beyond the realm of social media, New York City gave me an appreciation of high fashion. When not slaving away on a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, I was usually perusing the streets of Manhattan and—in particular—5th Avenue. Now, it is one thing to see high fashion products on a tv screen, but quite another to feel, touch, and experience high quality garments firsthand. More than once, I frequented the likes of Bergdorf Goodman’s, Saks 5th Avenue, and Saint Laurent Paris. And… More than once, store employees stopped me in my tracks and asked if they could help… not because I looked interested in buying anything, but because I was LITERALLY spending hours touching every single garment in the store, writing down notes in my journal, and taking pictures of garments on my iPhone. Only now do I realize how CRAZY that must have looked to anyone without the name “Ross Youell.” Regardless of how absolutely insane my careful observations appeared to outsiders, time spent in these stores gave me an undying appreciation of garment textures, fabrics, and materials… one in which I hope to mimic in the near future.
Third and lastly, the most quintessential lesson New York City taught me was this: there are a lot of people. With a lot of money. With very few creative and revolutionary ideas. In other words, dream big and don’t mistake wealth for artistry.
With these lessons in mind—coupled with the readings of Steve Jobs’ biography and “The Men’s Fashion Reader”—the next stage of R. Youell Fashion is already in the works. In particular, I am currently in the stages of releasing two handmade garments: The midnight blue blazer and Kangaroo Pouch Rain Jacket (SHOW THEM). As both garments are sketched by myself, there is no longer a creative limitation to my products. Rather, the only limitation is my imagination. Specifically, the midnight blue blazer—made from a midnight blue canvas material and featuring a modern cut— stems its inspiration from Asian military wear. Meanwhile, the Kangaroo Pouch Rain Jacket includes a polyester suede pouch, a green goretex exterior, and a flannel interior, while stemming its own inspiration from high fashion men’s urbanwear. After these two products are made, I will then embark upon the most ambitious project to date: a full-fledged fashion show. With the help of curating director Jeffrey Allgood, my dedicated seamstresses from Song’s Fabric Shop in Staunton Virginia, and various other individuals who are too numerous to name, R. Youell Fashion is scheduled to release its Fall 2016 Collection during an April Fashion Show at Eunoia Student Center here on Grounds. This 20 piece collection is varied in both garments and styles. Ranging from crewnecks, to suits and blazers, and even mao collar button-downs, the collection emboldens the notion of the modern man as complex, constantly evolving, and one who cannot be tied down to a particular clothing style. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the show’s selected theme is “Identity through self-expression.” In addition to the 20 piece collection, there will be a live DJ, a photography exhibit, and even a blank canvas wall for audience art. In effect, this is not a fashion show, but an all-inclusive artistic event that you surely do not want to miss.
Now, I would like to think that this ambitious project will run smoothly and without any bumps along the way. However, logistical issues and difficulties have already arisen. In particular, I am in need of pattern makers, an increasing number of seamstresses, and some degree of financial support. However, I am confident—scratch that—I am certain… that my team and I will transform this mere idea into a reality.
In conclusion, I hope that you found this talk helpful and beneficial in your own entrepreneurial journey. To summarize this talk, I have selected five particularly salient pieces of advice that are necessary in achieving a successful and groundbreaking vision within the realm of fashion:
- Never settle. In other words, if you have a dream, go for it. I wear this wristband—because I said I would—as a daily reminder that actions are indeed louder than words. If you say you want to do something, don’t just think about it… act upon that idea and DO IT.
- Find your passion. My passion is making and designing quality clothing for the modern male. If this is not your calling, no need to worry—find what you love and go after that passion with an undying vigor.
- Use social media to your advantage. Specifically, use INSTAGRAM. It is perhaps the one social media app with the greatest traffic and ability to become recognized. If you are artistic, post your drawings and sketches—you never who is looking.
- Do not let your major DEFINE you. I am a GDS major who should be going within the nonprofit sector of employment. With that being said, my passions and extracurricular activities have steered me in another direction… and that is more than okay. This is combined with the fact that my educational pursuits have actually emboldened my own creativity journey. Indeed, I constantly find myself using an anthropological perspective on clothing… a perspective which makes my own designs, ambitions, and vision unique to my competitors.
- Do not worry about failure. Start your journey. Make something. Sell it. If individuals do not think fondly of your product, that is OKAY… you will eventually get better if you keep persevering. Moreover, in the words of Steve Jobs “People do not know what they want until you show them.” You have your own unique perspective. Therefore, share it with the world.
Thank you so much to FIFA, the crowd in front of me, and everyone that has aided and supported me along the way. I hope my words have helped your creative and entrepreneurial vision in some connotation, and please do not hesitate to contact me—either directly after this event or via email—with any comments or questions. This is only the beginning of R. Youell Fashion, and I cannot wait to see what the future has in store.
Coalescence Magazine 