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Todd Askins is a partner in Tactical Distributors which sells various high-end tactical gear. He is also the founder of Shmack with is a Virginia based streetwear brand.  Todd explains how he came up in the game and used his Streetwear strategies to make a transition into a new market.  Todd’s streetwear approach to product development, marketing, and sales have proven to be a major catalyst for his companies growth. This is an interview for those that want to understand the transition and using all the tools in front of you.

Kevin Chao went from getting a degree in city planning to becoming a self-taught fashion design to currently becoming the retail planner for the Whitaker Group.  The Whitaker Group houses the various multi-chain stores under the names; A Ma Maniére, Social Status, APB and the stand-alone store Prosper.  This is an interview that takes a pragmatic look into brand development and what is needed to have staying power in this ever-evolving industry.

Stephanie Ogé is the founder and creative director of Sogé studio.  She literally brings color to some of the biggest brands on the market. Her company develops textile prints for various international companies such as Nike, Karl by Karl Lagerfeld, Ralph Lauren, and many more.  She found herself transitioning for fashion design to doing patterns and prints out of necessity that now is her business.  This interview talks about how to color outside the lines of your initial career path and make your passion your purpose.  

Mike Cherman is the Founder and Creative Director for Chinatown Market and also founded of ICNY.  His creative accolades are only surpassed by his unrelenting tenacity to keep pushing forward.

Gerard Murray is the founder of the School of Hard Knocks clothing brand and Tradition which is a collegiate license brand sold on various campuses across the country.  His father started a shoe repair store that later grew into the first Black Nike account in the country which became the headquarters for Gerard’s first brand.  Gerard’s son then started his own collegiate brand following in his family's footsteps. There are many jewels in here about building a future business while leveraging the past. This is a story about legacy, trust, and passing the torch from one generation to the next.

Peter Koytroulis is an apparel design director for Jordan Brand at Nike.  He has also been a footwear designer and has even owned his won brands and retail store.  There are not many designers that have a toolbox like him and have the ability to do graphics, footwear, apparel, go through production and understand the wholesale and direct to consumer market landscape from a retail perspective.  This is definitely a conversation for those looking to understand a multifaceted designer.

Antonio Gray is the VP and Divisional Merchandising Manager of Apparel for Down Town Locker Room aka DTLR , an over 250 store retail chain in 19 states.  Antonio talks about starting out in the stock room all the way up to becoming a VP and how looking back at his humble beginnings still helps him to navigate effectively to this day.  Antonio's knowledge of the industry allows for a great analysis of it and some of the commonalities in some of the great brands over the years.  This is definitely an interview for all those looking to understanding the large retail chain mindset, operations, entry, and maintaining a brand at that level.

Not enough can be said about Alan Ket who is not only legendary graffiti writer, publisher, marketing maverick, and co-founder fo the Museum of Graffiti in Miami.  Which is the only museum in the world dedicated exclusively to the art of graffiti.  In this interview, he explains how he has made his passion his purpose.  Ket has taken on his own destiny into his own hands ranging from starting Stress magazine when he was a teen all the way to his foray into the gaming community, to marketing for clothing brands and helping to launch Complex Magazine upon many other things. 

I am personally never surprised by what Ket is doing as he is a great mind incapsulated in a beautiful person.  I have learned much over there years by working with him in two different companies and just having his tutelage along my life’s journey. I hope that you learn something from this as well and see how Ket is helping to change the landscapes of how we consume art through his Museum of Graffiti.

B.J. breaks down how he built his marketing agency through varied skillsets he picked up through his globetrotting career path. He also talks about how personal hustle garnered his entry into interning at #Complex Magazine to managing major marketing and advertising campaigns for Microsoft, Red Stripe, Jordan, Puma, and more. Plus the importance of chasing personal goals vs chasing industry accolades.

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