Ahmeer Holt is the founder and CEO of the Legendary Is Forever clothing brand. Holt talked about the story behind the brand, the Black experience, mental health, having Los Angeles roots, and his journey as an entrepreneur.
What inspired you to create Legendary Is Forever?
It was really about superseding our life on earth. When I’m gone, I don’t want to be forgotten, and I don’t you want to be. I want to be eternal. I want to be forever. Usually, that happens to celebrities, but I feel like [it can happen for] everyday people as well. I’m saying that we are forever, and we mean a lot to the people that are around us. We show love to our people, we love the people that are around us, and we love the people that are on those stages as well. Everybody’s a superstar in their own right, especially in the Black community. I feel like we’re all legends in our own right, but everybody has to believe that for themselves.
Why did you choose fashion to tell your story?
Somebody was telling me we’re a walking billboard. So when you wearing a Legendary Is Forever shirt, and it says “Living Legend,” “Show Love to Yo People,” or “Black Women Are My Inspiration,” I wouldn’t wear that if it wasn’t true to me. I want to make sure it’s true to the people that are wearing a shirt at all times. These are things that you believe in, and that I believe in. These are things that I feel like people should also believe in even if they need a reminder. If I don’t do certain things, I’m not going to promote that on my chest. Even though you may not buy my clothing, once you see it you’ll feel it.
How important is it to be relatable to other people when you’re creating clothing?
It’s challenging. Of course, I can make up a shirt that’s catchy and doesn’t relate, and I can be a way bigger brand, but my message and purpose are bigger than any random thing that I can do. I can only do things that I feel connected to. If I did have a bigger brand, my creativity [would be] stopped because I [wouldn’t be] connected to it. There would be no reason for me to get up every day and do the things that I do. When I’m pushing a message, I’m saying these are things that I want to carry on as a tradition, and I’m saying that there are certain messages that need to be said. It’s important for our community to tap into what some of the shirts say, even if you don’t feel like it’s important to you or if you don’t buy the shirt. None of that matters to me. But you might see the message on the shirt one day and it might change the trajectory of somebody’s week.
