Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Lee.
Hi Eric, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Just over a year ago, myself and my family had just endured a great tragedy. The loss of Malik Samir Werts (22) a son, brother, bestfriend and creative visionary. He and I at the time were just servers and bartenders at a Country Club. Working almost 13 hour shifts and not really gaining anything towards our personal interest. Both of us being talented individuals in the arts and business industry we only felt that our lives and the lives of our families would better benefit if we pursued something we were passionate about. Something i would always say during our times of hardship is it only gets better if we choose to make it better.
Before we could even get our idea off the ground that we had spent so much time preparing for, Malik was killed in an home invasion. Living and being one of the closest people to Malik, I felt that everything we dreamed of doing had been destroyed. Sitting in my room thinking and praying on a direction, The one thought that came to my mind was “falling is to fail and I refuse to fail so I must stand for something.” That same week of his passing I registered our business and had began building what is now PWRD BY Unboxed. Living my truth, facing my pain and persevering pushed me to following a greater purpose. In a year the brand had grown tremendously, going from in-state merchandise sales to national.
From clothing to creating content and concepts with other local talents and more. The thing about it was it had nothing to do with wanting to make money or creating clout for myself. It was the fact that I felt that being a representation of hope and direction, that other creatives could gravitate around and become self motivated for the things they love most.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
This journey has not been an easy one. Dealing with self inflicted emotions, loss of a kindred spirit, and the beginning of covid it had been a lot. There were times in the start of my grieving where i felt like I couldn’t do this without Malik. The feeling of being two individuals was overwhelming. I wouldn’t often feel like I wasn’t nearly as creative as he was or the stylist he was, but in the end he was my guide.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My specialty is being a creative engineer and designer. It is something i enjoy and take great pride in. I say this because going from my kid era of legos, crayons, and sketchbooks, to my adulthood. I see how much more life is like those times as kid, but bigger. Things i once thought or dreamed of I was now creating with my own hands. Creating, clothes, planning events, executing strategies, building different creative things was always something I loved, but were skills I taught and learned on my own through experiences I wanted to be a part of and things I was exposed to coming up.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
My most important characteristic is my will to do the things I speak of. Within my own reach I was able to complete create clothes I wanted to wear which now many wear. I even took it further, hosting my first big pop-up event with live concert performances, and small retail businesses from across Atlanta.
Contact Info:
- Email: Pwrdbyunboxed@gmail.com
- Website: www.Pwrdbyunboxed.Com
- Instagram: Pwrdbyunboxed
Image Credits
@imperial.low
@hvvydashooter
@infinite.prana
@abdouu.404
