Today we’d like to introduce you to Aisha Taylor.
Aisha, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Our company’s creation wasn’t intentional honestly. It began as an emotional response to the death of Trayvon Martin. The murder of this 17 years old child shook me to my core. To talk about it in depth still swells my eyes with tears when I think about how his life was taken from him. Well, a few years after Trayvon’s murder, I was on vacation in Florida and was scrolling through Facebook and I roll up on a video of Alton Sterling being held down by police officers and being shot at point black range. He was selling CDs. CDs. While other unwarranted deaths of black men, women, and children happened between these two, the site of this video put me into action. I started looking for a shirt that could scream for me; that could encompass all of my emotions. I couldn’t find one so I created my own. FREEDOM. People responded and they responded positively. One design after another, Element and Vibe was born.
Has it been a smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been easy. What people see are end results of a lot of long, sleepless nights and super early mornings. There are times when I ask myself, “what have you gotten yourself into Aisha?!” There’s a lot of sacrifice and struggle that comes with being a business owner. There are more fast-food nights than there are home cooked meals which sucks because being so conscious about food and how it can either be a benefit or a detriment at times really makes me feel guilty that I’ve started this venture because I’m not always available to be in full-throttle “mommy” mode. But my kids understand. And honestly, I’ve never really been a home-cooked meal, every night type of mom so it’s really my own mind putting me in that space.
We do A LOT of events and we’ve been rained out where all of our tees were soiled, we’ve had people steal our original designs and sell them as their own and at the time, weren’t legally prepared to handle it, we’ve been in a place where it’s been so much to do that we didn’t have enough time or hands to get it done. Our fix to it all though is just to keep going. We’ll figure it out along the way. The most challenging thing I think is finding balance. With two children, they need me so I have to pull myself away even when my list of things to do is never ending. My husband is the muscle behind the madness but jumps in whenever he can. There has to be balance across the board in order to stay emotionally fueled to run any business. This also includes unplugging for yourself. Balance is key.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Element and Vibe story. Tell us more about the business.
The heartbeat of our organization is Equality and Justice. This is where we start with everything we create. Being grounded in confidence and boldness is so important in making a difference in your life and in the lives of others. If you start here, you are unapologetic in your stance. Element and Vibe is a t-shirt company on a mission to awaken the world one garment at a time. We intend to do this by creating spaces where our messages almost force thought. They create empowerment, inquiries, difficult conversation. This is what we need. This is where we are. Our society is racially-charged right now but honestly and more importantly, it always is, just subconsciously and much more subdued. People are angry and people are tired, it needs to be addressed. I think our company is different because we are not, for a lack of better words, on trend, this is our energy 365 days a year. We are intentional about our connections and about listening to the countless face to face stories that are shared with us. We share laughter and tears. Our customers are family.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Well I think there is a shift happening in what people are wearing. While people still like to get dressed up and may miss doing that right now, with the pandemic and staying at home more, others are comfortably transitioning into a more relaxed dress code. At least for now. And with such racial unrest and people becoming more vocal with their opinions, I really don’t think this is just a moment in time but a movement that I personally hopes changes the world. The industry is reacting to a powerful movement and rightfully so.
Pricing:
- Tanks: $24.95
- Tees: $28.95
- Long-sleeved tees: $32.95
- Sweatshirts: $39.95
- Hoodies: $46.95
Contact Info:
- Website: www.elementandvibe.com
- Phone: 8882526565
- Email: contact@elementandvibe.com
- Instagram: @elementandvibe
- Facebook: ELEMENT AND VIBE
Image Credit:
Tamica Banks
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