Today we’d like to introduce you to Lewis Campbell.
Lewis, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My partner Mub and I, were both freshmen at Morehouse in the fall of 2017 and actually stayed in the same dorm – Hubert for those who know. From there, we built a relationship that was like a real brotherhood. In becoming exposed to the city and culture of Atlanta, we evolved our personal styles in a way that was unique to us. We learned how to build a wardrobe, learned about a multitude of designers, and experienced the deep history of vintage clothes. The more exposed to fashion and his culture, we became, the more refined our tastes and styles became. This growth in fashion/style eventually led us to start our clothing brand, which has become a playground for our experiments and ideas. In the winter of 2018, Mub approached me with the concept of MYWAY (whose alias is MSTARW for those who did not know), a clothing brand that approaches fashion from our perspective with our ideas, but that remains true to making quality clothing and having fun while doing so. Needing a creative outlet at the moment, it was an offer I couldn’t refuse, especially being tired of the lack of creativity from most clothing brands I had seen. We began MYWAY but soon learned that consuming clothes were entirely different from creating them.
As a result, we took the entirety of 2019 to learn the different manufacturing processes that go into developing clothing items making a miscellany of one-of-one pieces. At the end of 2019, we released our first capsule collection, aptly named the “Black Collection”, which consisted of minimalistic pieces that showcased our interest in different manufacturing processes – a cut and sew shirt, reverse-dye sweatpants, graphic tees, and embroidered fitted caps. This was the foundation of the brand presented before you all today. A luxury lifestyle brand that uses technology and other innovative practices to make clothes inspired by real-life for real life. A brand that strives to consistently experiment to constantly innovate. A brand that hopes its style and approach to manufacturing will result in quality craftsmanship and special attention to detail, causing people to not only wear but experience the clothing.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I do not believe in smooth roads; even paved roads have potholes. However, in our case, I would say we are taking an overgrown, unpaved, and unlit path. We are operating with no real previous exposure to the industry, trying to toe the line between fashion and technology, producing every product ourselves, with no outside help or support – yet. Our first drop was in the winter of 2019; it was rather exclusive because we just wanted to establish the brand. We took a hiatus so we could both broaden our knowledge of fashion and returned to release in spring. The month of our drop, we sold four shirts out of 40. Afterward, we realized people (even our friends and family) were not interested because they did not know what MYWAY was and we knew we had to undergo a huge revival of our brand identity.
What we did not expect was that this was going to have to happen during a global pandemic. We had to figure out a way to grow and engage with our fans in the middle of a pandemic, so we went to building a real digital presence and community from scratch. This is something we even continue to struggle with; it is so easy to get consumed with the making and selling of clothes that you forget about the community you create. Honestly, beyond the clothes, the community we have been able to create is the most rewarding experience of having a clothing brand. There are tons of other “struggles” we have experienced as an independent black-owned (currently small) clothing brand, but I categorize most of those as learning curves or growing pains and deem them a part of the game.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Like so many of the other independent clothing brands out there, we make clothes. We pride ourselves in our dedication to innovation. Our unique backgrounds in technology/research and development have taught us to always push the realm of what is possible. We embody this philosophy in both our designs and manufacturing process. Luckily, approaching the industry with our background has eased the burden of this by allowing us to adapt technology, we have experience with fashion and design around said technology at times.
But we also pride ourselves in our expression. It is no mistake that the brand is named MYWAY. This brand is for all of the people who dare to challenge the status quo – much like a pair of engineers infiltrating the fashion industry. Our designs are bold but can easily be worked into a multitude of wardrobes. Our clothes do not speak for themselves; they only say what the wearer wants them to say, whether its fun, serious, sophisticated, or casual.
We hope that this blend of innovation and expression make our clothes more than just clothes but an experience for our customers. As a company, we feel accomplished when we see our customers integrate MYWAY not just into their wardrobes but into their lifestyle.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Nothing at all. If I could do it all again, I would change nothing.
Contact Info:
- Website: mstarw.com
- Phone: 202-413-5581
- Email: mstarwclothing@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mstarwclo
Image Credit:
@caydn_hudd (On my personal photo)
Suggest a story: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
