Today we’d like to introduce you to Travis Ray. Them and their team share their story with us below:
The inspiration behind Dapper Bowtique® stemmed from a dream that Travis had where his ancestors appeared to him and dropped African print bow ties and fabrics onto his head and in his lap. This dream inspired him to research the origins of his ancestry.
With extensive research on his family tree, which goes back to the mid-1800’s and taking three separate DNA tests, Travis discovered that he is a descendant of the Tikar Village of Cameroon (Maternal) and a descendant of the Ateke Village of Gabon (Paternal). Another DNA test concluded that 97% of his DNA comes from West Africa, including strong ties to Cameroon and Nigeria.
To honor the ancestral inspiration behind creating his brand, Mr. Ray gives back to his local community by mainly volunteering with Visible Men Academy where he tutors them in reading, math, the arts, entrepreneurship and life skills. Since Mr. Ray learned to sew in 7th grade, he hopes to teach that skill set in the near future to these young men.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Starting Dapper Bowtique has not been a smooth road as I incorporated my company on January 1, 2020. When I started my company, we were all affected by the pandemic worldwide.
So, I had to pivot from doing 1-3 trade shows in person to only relying on online sales. I went from creating bow ties, pocket squares, scarves, etc. to only making fabric masks to protect my community from COVID and support my business. So no smooth road for Dapper Bowtique!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
One of the things about me is that I started my life as a professional theatre artist (actor, dancer, director, stage manager) and college professor. So, I work full-time in theatre while I started my own handcrafted bow tie and accessories business.
Theatre has been my passion for over 20 years. However, my creative passion has started to shift into running my own business as an entrepreneur. I am 100% an artist at heart. I wear my love of life and creativity within my whole being. I am destined to be great. I am proud that I decided to manifest my own business and have followed through on forming and expanding what I offer to my customers.
What sets me apart from others is that I honor my ancestors, I honor my dreams, I customize for my customers. I am known for working with color print, and the use of my textures are always topnotch and I give back to my community always.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I am now fearless enough to say that I will be running my handcrafted business full-time before the next five years! I see my industry shifting and selling fabrics and possibility managing a sewing factory. The big shift will start with me, my mindset, and where I see my company going and by honoring my vision. The trend is focused on me trendsetting the online retail industry and I can’t wait until the time is right for me to launch my business.
Pricing:
- Bow ties for kids start at $15.00
- Adult bow ties start at $30.00
- Custom orders start at $40.00
- Headwraps/scarves start at $25.00
- Sock sets of three are $15.00
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dapperbowtique.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dapperbowtique/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dapperbowtique/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/travis-ray-mfa-b0a5a655#search
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dapperbowtique2696/featured
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@dapperbowtique
Image Credits
Professional photos of the men, credit: Sorcha Augustin Other photos, credit: Dapper Bowtique, LLC
