Today we’d like to introduce you to Tahir Murray.
Tahir, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Growing up around my family’s business, Tradition and traveling with my dad to various trade shows, at a young age I observed a lot within the fashion business, and realized how the collegiate atmosphere; specifically, the HBCU market impacts our Culture.
Upon my enrollment as a freshman at Howard University, I began to understand even more the relevance of our HBCUs and what our Brand meant to the culture. This allowed me to gain insight and make an impact by contributing to the company while elevating the Brand to new heights.
My role in the company has changed significantly in the past three years, as my parents have stepped back and have given me “the keys to the car”, as my father would say. The last 4 years Social Media has allow the brand to become visible to those truly seeking our style.
My goal is to widen our customer base and heighten the awareness of Tradition. My team and I are currently working on a fresh rebranding look with a soft launch this Fall/ Homecoming season. The full launch will be Early 2020.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a black-owned business in itself is a challenge, yet our greatest asset is our HBCU customer base. Often times, as a small black-owned company we are undervalued and overlooked. Inasmuch, we share a common thread with the HBCU community because they most often treated in the same light.
In relative in the college licensing arena we are relatively new in comparison to our competitors. However, we are in a class by ourselves; where evolution meets continuity. We are in the business of building substance and authenticity into every garment we make. We are committed to building upon the Legacy of our schools, sharing the History of our ancestors and becoming the Pride of our culture.
Our goal is to continue finding ways to share our story and our purpose so that we can continue designing and developing the highest quality apparel while giving back to our HBCU community.
Please tell us about Tradition Ever Since.
Tradition is a collegiate lifestyle brand that designs and develops apparel for several colleges and universities with a heavy emphasis on HBCUs. Not only do we develop and sell apparel; we are committed to implementing tools to help raise funds for scholarships and various other fundraising opportunities in support of our HBCU’s. What started as an better styled product offering has blossumed into the only brand the impacts the Culture, unlike any other Collegiate has.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I grew a passion for fashion and business from being around my grandfather’s sneaker/clothing store in NY. My grandfather and my dad secured the first black-owned Nike and built our family’s first brand School Of Hard Knocks. I grew up seeing how they conducted business and saw how much they gave back to their community. Nothing is easy, and nothing was given – we have “earned our stripes”. Growing up in and around the business showed me how fashion and Hip Hop, help drive and impact a global culture. My family taught me the beauty of social responsibility, passion, sacrifice, and many other valuable lessons through not only their words but also their actions.
We believe in each on, each one and its my turn to educate & elevate others.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.traditioneversince.com
- Phone: 7708708969
- Email: tm.tradition@gmail.com
- Instagram: @mr.tradition
- Twitter: @tahirmurr
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