Fashion trends have a way of coming and going. Still, Morehouse College alum Anthony Moultry wanted to ensure he stuck with the HBCU. After seeing the lack of cardigans in the Morehouse bookstore 12 years ago, Moultry took it upon himself to change that, creating the fashion brand Chicer Collegiate, representing his love for fashion and other HBCUs.
Moultry spoke with rolling out about building a fashion brand.
What’s the first thing fashion brands must do to make a lasting imprint on their product?
You definitely need to have a business plan, which is not easy to do. Some people might find it easy, but it was a challenge for me. It’s very important to have a business plan. First, you have to have the vision and get feedback from friends and maybe people who aren’t friends, because people who aren’t friends are going to be more honest with you. Your friends want you to succeed, and they’re going to sugarcoat certain things. Get feedback from strangers, associates, or people who are in the same field who would be more honest with you. You don’t necessarily have to take every criticism or piece of advice to heart, but it’s good to just have a full gamut of opinions that would help formulate how to move forward, what you might need to change, and what you need to strengthen. You have to really dig in and do the work and just be committed and stay steadfast. Believe in yourself. There are going to be periods where you might doubt what you’re doing, especially in the very beginning, because things happen at a snail’s pace. Things might happen overnight, but that’s very rare. [On average,] things are going to take longer. You’re in your mind; you think it’s taken forever, but it’s going right. Everything’s moving right on time. Just be patient, grind, hustle, and stay committed.
What should distribution look like for your consumers when starting out in the fashion business?
I’ve made that mistake. When I first started, I wanted to do everything like hats, pants, sweatpants, T-shirts, and hoodies, and if I had to start over, I would start with something small. Maybe four pieces, maybe even three really good pieces, focus on building that and then grow slowly unless you’re financially able to take that risk. I would say keep it not necessarily small because that sounds like you’re diminishing your creativity, but keep it as close as possible and then grow and expand slowly. Eventually, you’ll get to the point where you can if you choose to produce 15 items for one line or still keep it small and only produce four things that are definitely going to sell because the point, after all, is to make money. Even though I do enjoy expressing my creativity and I love creating and being artistic, the goal is to put food on the table.
