Blair Caffey is the CEO and founder of the trending new apparel line, Honor Roll Clothing. At the core, Caffey is a man who desires to do God’s will and to follow Christ as much as possible. Caffey’s dedication is exemplified in how he does business with people as well as the motivation behind the Honor Roll Clothing brand and designs.
The Honor Roll Clothing brand name is a tongue-in-cheek reference to Caffey’s academic record since he never achieved honor roll status in school. The brand concept coupled with brainstorming with a friend and now business partner Darnell “Shep” Shepherd, led to the birth of the business.
Caffey continued his higher learning pursuits at Albany State University where he earned an undergraduate degree in marketing and later attended Mercer University to earn a M.Div.
Rolling out caught up with Blair Caffey to talk about the success of the brand and where it is heading.
What is the vision of Honor Roll Clothing?
I’ve always been enamored with storytelling. And so I just want to tell meaningful stories. I think it was the summer of 2008 [when I was] doing an internship at ESPN Radio [that] I became disenchanted with the idea of corporate America. I just remember asking God, “What can I do on a daily basis that I can provide for my family and create a living for other people. I could tell great stories. It was like, immediately I got started getting T-shirt ideas in my head.
So, how is the Honor Roll Story unfolding now?
People are probably seeing billboards in Atlanta about this brand called Honor Roll. What sits behind this is 11 years of investing in ourselves and being committed to the process. … Right now it is the story of progress and how excellence is something that is constantly changing every step of the way.
How does God’s inspiration develop into the final design?
I always try to keep my eyes and ears open to the things that God is bringing in front of me. Color palettes in nature, walking down the street and seeing stuff are gems that God has graciously given to us. Let me be mindful of those things. Let me be present with just the grace that’s being shown to me.
What do you love about the Atlanta business community?
Atlanta is a place that has a lot of opportunities. Since the ’90s I’ve been able to see a transformation of the city. One of the things, we are is probably one of the largest exporters of culture for the rest of the country [in terms of] black entertainment and black music. One of the areas that we still haven’t quite gotten is respect for fashion. There are some amazing, talented African American designers here in Atlanta, that are really making great products, that should be sitting in places from Foot Locker to Nordstrom.
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