Today we’d like to introduce you to Rodney Jackson Jr.
Rodney, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Rare Clothing was brought to life my junior year of college when I and my brother Randall Grier (Business Partner) came up with the idea. I and a few more of my football teammates were just all talking about how we could make our on money by starting our own business. That’s when Rare came up and we decided to make it into a clothing line. Why? Because growing up in the environment, I and my brother Randall grew up in, it was very rare that you make it out the hood in any kind of way. It was so easy for us to take that street life route which we have experienced but wanted different. That’s where the meaning of Tare came from, RARE stands for Real Always Respect Everyone, if you’re a real one, then the respect came and it will be mutual no matter where you’re from. Real respect real. Playing football in high school saved us from a lot and was both blessed to end up getting a football scholarship to shorter university after high school which was big for both of us. That’s very rare. That’s how we came up with the name Rare Clothing because it basically describes us and we relate it to our day to day life. You have to be rare in anything you do! What’s going to separate you from others with whatever you are doing? Whether it’s sports or a job. Being basic is undefined and that’s what we go by. Being rare is a lifestyle. So, we brought it to life through fashion.
How we got to where we are today was just constant hard work and dedication into the Clothing line. Constant networking and telling people about Rare Clothing and what it stands for. Most people can relate to our story and which is why some want to support us. We are constantly trying to expand our clothing and our description of us.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Nothing in life is going to come easy, so I would definitely say no. We started up back in 2017. We were already popular at our college and a lot of people knew who we were. So, the support was there when we first started. Plus, we always knew how to make money. The struggle for us was really expanding outside of our college and hometowns. We were new to it, so we didn’t have any guidance at all from anyone with more knowledge than us. Everything we know now we learned from past experiences and failures. It was kind of hard playing football and worrying about getting people their orders out on time. So that was a big struggle for us and kind is a distraction while playing. So, we had to stop taking orders for like three months and start back up.
Rare Clothing – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Rare Clothing is a unique brand with a great and powerful meaning to it. It’s not just a clothing line, it’s a lifestyle through fashion. It describes who we are. We are mainly known for all types of shirts, hoodies, hats, bags, etc. We will continue to add more to our collection as we move forward. I am proud of the support that we get from our customers and the feedback that they give us. Without them, then this would all be a waste because our goal is to touch others through our clothing line. I can’t really say what sets us apart from others because I don’t know how they run their business. I can only speak for rare clothing. We take pride in what we do and want the best for our customers.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I would personally define success by writing down every goal you want to set for your business. Make it visible and see it every day so that you will be determined to reach every goal you actually set. You got to pace yourself and be patient with it though and everything will fall into place. Go hard each and every day to make sure those goals are met. Tough times will come throughout those goals but you have to look at it as motivation so that you won’t lose focus. Once each goal is set, then there should be even more goals after that. To me, that’s beings successful with your business but never get too comfortable and never satisfied. Always find ways to be better.
Pricing:
- Shirts range from $20-$30 depending on sizes
- Hoodies are $35
- Sweaters $25
Contact Info:
- Website: www.clothingrare.com
- Email: rareclothing352@yahoo.com
- Instagram: @Clothing_rare
- Facebook: Rare Clothing
Image Credit:
Rodney Jackson (Rare Clothing Founder)
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
