Today we’d like to introduce you to T. Omi Pennick.
T. Omi, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I don’t think I ever thought I would be an entrepreneur. I found my strength to branch out on my own in 2009, a year after my mother passed away. I was depressed and miserable. I felt alone and isolated. Getting up and going to work every day seemed useless and I did not want to do it anymore.
So one day, I went into work and just decided that I would be better use to the world if I did not work for another person. I knew that I would die if I kept working for someone else and I wanted to live. So I sat at my desk and wrote my resignation letter in about 20 minutes. I didn’t even re-read it. I just sent it to my boss and gave my two-week notice.
That company ended up being my first contract with my first business Developing Solutions Consulting Agency. For almost ten years, I served non-profit organizations and small businesses and helped them to develop their messages and programming. It was by no means easy; however, it gave me the freedom to be the mother and woman that I wanted to be. I made a lot of mistakes and learned even more lessons.
In 2011, I became more clear about my path in life, and by 2013 I knew that I wanted to use more of my creativity in my work. I was tired of just using a few of my skills. I wanted to bring all of me to my businesses, and I wanted to have a global impact. Eventually, that year Inspiring Women’s Apparel (IWA) was developed. As the concept grew and the team developed, we understood that IWA was more of a lifestyle brand. The brand finally officially launched in January 2017.
Has it been a smooth road?
The road has been anything but smooth.
After being in business for myself for nine years, I really thought it would be much easier to get IWA off the ground. It took me almost five years to launch! And even after the launch, there were still so many moving parts to the larger vision that I would often get overwhelmed by it all. I had to learn to eat the elephant one bite at a time.
I had to learn that building a brand of any kind takes time and consistency. I had to be patient. And I am still learning this lesson. When I opened my first business, it was a consulting firm and was service based. There were no products involved. No production costs or time. No need for a team even because I did so much of the work myself.
IWA Lifestyle REQUIRED that I have a team. A team requires communication. It requires team building. It requires better time management. It requires another level of leadership.
I had to get up a lot of learning curves.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the IWA Lifestyle story. Tell us more about the business.
IWA Lifesytle™ is an international lifestyle brand created in 2013 as a homage and celebration of the beauty, culture, and style of black people living throughout the African Diaspora. Inspiration for the brand can be found in the rich textiles of Africa, the vibrant colors of the Caribbean, and the natural wonders of South America. IWA is dedicated to celebrating the character of our community through positive self-image.
There are five pillars of the IWA brand, which include:
• Alignment of the Spiritual, Physical, Mental and Emotional bodies
• Authenticity of Self
• Awareness of self and surroundings
• Accountability to Self and Others, and
• Achievement of one’s highest potential
The goal of IWA Lifestyle is to build an international network of people who are inspired to start and continue to live their best lives and achieve their greatness. Through various avenues such as clothing, media, and education, the company seeks to create a sustainable international platform for women and men throughout the diaspora to celebrate themselves and promote a worldwide culture of inspiration.
As a testament to this commitment, all IWA clothing, accessories, and products are 100% made by people of color living throughout the African Diaspora.
What set’s us apart from others? We are unapologetic about our message and unwavering about our audience. Our message is for Black people who live throughout the diaspora. It is one of unity and communal focus. The word IWA is actually a Yoruba word that translate’s to character. We want to have unadulterated conversations about the character of our women, our men, our families, and our communities.
We want to uplift the notion that our culture and our heritage is paramount to our understanding of who we are, where we have been and where we are going. We want to celebrate our achievements and hold ourselves accountable in the spaces and places that need development.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We are in the digital age. Everything we do is digitally driven, and media focused. In building the brand and wanting it to live internationally, we are now focusing our efforts on ensuring that we can keep up with the technological advancements across the industry.
For instance, our clothing brand is custom designed for our customer’s body type. We are currently working on technology that will allow us to easily be able to take peoples measurements online so that they can receive their custom clothing easily.
In addition, we are expanding our media use so that we can ensure that the companies messaging is seen more. We are really excited about the future of the company and getting our message to others.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1237 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd SW
Atlanta, Georgia 30310 - Website: www.iwalifestyle.com
- Email: info@iwalifestyle.com
- Instagram: @IWAthebrand
- Facebook: @IWALifestyle
Image Credit:
Cherise Richards Photography, Wavawoman Photography
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