ALMA MATER
The side project that turned into a dream come true.
THE BRAND
Started in 2020, Alma Mater (Alma) is a self funded personal brand that I have started with my business partners. Alma is a brand based in Richmond, VA. Our main goal is to highlight the lifestyle of those who have grown up through the eras of street culture, while delivering quality product that embodies the experiences from these environments.
MY WHY
As an innovator, I love being able to find new ways to express myself and my ideas. With that, I wanted to take things into my own hands, and develop a community through storytelling. Alma is rooted in the memories that made me, so I constantly try to find ways to explore where apparel can be a medium for my creations.
UNCONVENTIONAL STORYTELLING
As we explored the vast unknown that was running a clothing brand, we learned to leverage our technical skills and access to technology to elevate our design process. From intro sketches to 3D software, we were able to execute ideas all in house start to finish. Our best example of this can be see with our collaboration with our long time peers at Studio. Studio is an industrial design group that specializes in 3D design, and we saw it as the perfect opportunity to express our passion for furniture and interior design. In this collaboration, we leveraged Gravity Sketch as the main program for executing our designs.
HOW I’VE GROWN
After three years of building my label, I have learned what it means to be a storyteller. From start to finish, I have successfully held multiple sold-out releases, pop-up events, and built a customer following that expands internationally. Although there have been many challenges, it has proved to me the importance of starting something, and finding a way to finish. Throughout the process, I have gained experience in building a marketing strategy plan, developed marketing material for both social media and e-commerce, and been able to experience first hand the industry I know and love.