Check Out Ian Childress’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ian Childress

Hi Ian, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started my brand in 2019 with my last $500. I was on my grandmothers porch just thinking about all the brands that have come & gone but most of them don’t have any correlation to my community so I decided to make that change. I began selling tees at my job just to see if people would support me & it went way better than I thought. From there I sourced vendors, spent a little more money, & made designs that truly resonated with me & my core values. That same drive I had on the porch has gotten me to where I am today working on my 8th or 9th collection for my brand.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The journey is always longer & rougher when you’re doing it honest. Support isnt mandatory from anyone & that includes family & friends so some of the struggles that I have run into were having enough sales to get bulk, running campaigns to get more customer, & running a business full time while juggling family life & my 9-5. None of these things are super detrimental to my brand individually but sometimes they can mesh together & become a problem for me. Never the less I trust in myself & in God to carry me thru all things put in my way because without Faith you are destined to fail.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a clothing brand owner/ clothing designer, I specialize in streetwear pieces & having grand rollouts. I think the collection that made me more known in the city is the “The Motion Never Stops” hoodie. That sweatsuit sold out in less than a month of dropping it & I still see some of the hoodies out & about in my city from time to time. I’m most proud of the growth of my brand from how it began just sitting on my Queenmothers porch to it having a complete new life of its own. One of the things that sets me apart from the rest of the designers in my area is that my pieces are a reflection of my emotions, situations, & tribulations. I use my clothing to show what I feel in my life at that time & just hope that people resonate with me & find ways to express their own feelings whilst wearing the pieces.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up was rough yet it was some of the best times I’ve had in all my days. We struggled alot more often than not but that gave me the drive & the grit to be who I am today. I wasn’t always as confident as I am now, being a kid in a house full of older boys & my twin sister made me realized that my emotions were just 1 of many emotions that had to be tended to so we were forced to resolve issues we had amongst each other with each other. I loved everything about it tho because my family supports my endeavors 110% & that’s all a man could ask for. Before having this interest for fashion & design I used to want to be a mechanical engineer & even went to an Aviation academy for the first few years of high-school. Shortly after that my passion to create & wear custom pieces started to flourish when I saw how there was a lack of black men & women in the fashion industry & the lack of representation for people who came from a background like mine.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thenbhdplug.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenbhdplug?igsh=MWN6cmw0ZDkzd3JwNA==

Image Credits
Jayden Williams: @shotbybans
Jonathan Faulkner: @machiaswrld
A’Daria Moffett