Meet Quinton Miles of Miles High Design Clothing Company in Mobile

Today we’d like to introduce you to Quinton Miles.

Quinton, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always been a creative person so doing anything that challenges/expands my creative possibilities is my passion. I love creating art and doing activities with my hands. When I was younger, I was inspired by Dragon Ball Z. My first drawing was a character from the show, Krillin. From there, I would draw different characters all the time. One day, my cousin showed me how to use photo editing tools on the computer. I learned the basics and somehow decided to put one of my character drawings on a shirt with the cheap, iron on, paper. This was some time during middle school. I was the only kid with a custom shirt like that, everyone loved it, and it made me feel good about what I had created. But it didn’t hit me that I wanted to get into creating clothes as a career until my time at Auburn University. I initially went to school for Veterinary Medicine in 2009, because I also have a huge interest in animals and the environment and they were giving me a full scholarship. It was also “a job that can make you a lot of money”, and that was what I thought I needed to do at the time; make money.

Over the course of a semester, I learned that this wasn’t for me. My grades started declining, and I eventually lost my scholarships. Soon I changed my major to Environmental Science trying to stay in the animal and environment category. Again, wasn’t for me. After reevaluating my life, I learned that money isn’t what I need to be chasing. At this point, I’m over school and ready to get out as quickly as possible so I start looking for ways to use my creativity. I got into the pre-graphic design classes, but couldn’t get into the actual major because my grades were so low my first couple years that my GPA was too low to get into the school of graphic design. By this time, I had started designing for myself and was thinking of ways to display my art. Shirts were at the top of the list. It was a way for me to express my thoughts to the world. I soon created my brand MHD Clothing Company in 2011, bought my first pieces of equipment, and set up in a small apartment bedroom. I still needed to find a way to get out of college, so I chose Apparel Merchandising which was a perfect fit at the time. I had access to free resources that I used to grow my business. There were a lot of connections that were made that I still benefit from today.

After finally graduating in 2014, I moved back to Mobile where I set up in a bedroom at my brother’s house. I learned that I would have to create a service for the public since I wasn’t really selling enough of my own designs to sustain any growth in business. I started offering my graphic design and screen printing services to the world which, in turn, significantly increased business. I continued to make connections and started to grow my business. This year, 2019, I moved into my first business location.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
NOPE!
I can’t speak for everyone, but starting/maintaining a business is a constant struggle. Some may be harder to deal with than others, but you’ll always be faced with a new challenge. I have designs that I think are going to be the spark that I need to get my business to the next level but end up not selling at all. It could be that it’s a bad design or that I’m not connected to my target market. You may know what market you’re looking to target, but finding them can become a problem. Some people may like the design itself but the message doesn’t really fit their lifestyle. I have to find creative ways to set myself apart from the growing number of brands being introduced to the industry and get into the faces of people that have similar values as your brand.

Having to handle every aspect of a business has been stressful. It’s sometimes hard for me to keep up with everything myself, and that is harmful for business. I’ve lost customers because I didn’t write down a reminder to call them back. I’ve lost customers because I didn’t remember to send them a quote that they needed. It’s easy to say all you have to do is focus on writing everything down, but sometimes I’m so overwhelmed with work that I’m just trying to finish the current project and things like that slip my mind. I’ve gotten a lot better with this but, honestly, the “business” aspect of a business isn’t my strong suit so it’s a constant struggle to keep up with.

Another obstacle that I come across often is funding for maintaining/growing my business. I have good months and bad months when it comes to revenue coming in, but bills still need to be paid EVERY month. I’m maintaining with this being my only job so finding ways to bring in a consistent income to support my growth is always a challenge.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Miles High Design Clothing Company – what should we know?
MHD Clothing Company offers an exclusive line of clothing from men and women t-shirts, hoodies, joggers, accessories, etc. We also offer custom cut and sew clothing like jerseys, leggings, dresses, Blazys™, and more.
Custom screen printing and design for other brands and organizations are the biggest portions of business activity.

I feel like my creativity fuels my business. I’m able to offer certain printing techniques that some companies may not know about or not as skilled at. Being able to create what nobody else can is what I love.

Miles High Design Clothing Company was created to encourage you to live your life doing what you love. Our slogan is “Live Life For What You Love • Live Life High™”. When you live life for what you love, you get a high that nobody can take from you. Accomplishing goals and always shooting for the next level high. MHD designs are all motivational in their own distinct way; hoping to spread love and a high to all walks of life.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
There are way too many people to name individually, and knowing me I’ll probably forget a few. So I’ll speak in general.

First of all, I thank God for the gifts that he has given me and always guiding my steps through this process.
I feel like a great support system is one of the most important parts of having a business. My family is always there if I need them, and knowing that has given me the confidence that I need to take chances. Over the years, I’ve come in contact with people that are willing to help without looking for anything in return. Whether it be loaning money to pay a bill, getting people to use my services, or just encouraging me to keep pushing; they’ve all played a big part in my success. You have to be careful who you allow to help you. Not all help will benefit you in the long run and could eventually be detrimental to your business. My friends are always supportive of my vision but also lets me know when they think something isn’t right or could be better. It’s important that the people you surround yourself with tell you the truth ALL THE TIME.

You all know who you are, and I thank you.

Contact Info:

• Address: 2517 Halls Mill Rd.
  Mobile, AL 36605
• Website: www.mileshighdesign.com
• Phone: 251-307-5111
• Email: q.miles@mileshighdesign.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/mhd_clothingco
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/MHDclothingcompany

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.