Keeping Creative During Quarantine w/ Leah McSweeney

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Trying to stay busy while the world is at a standstill isn’t easy. The Coronavirus pandemic shut down major parts of the world and many people are at home, trying to figure out next steps. For creatives like Leah McSweeney, staying motivated and active in her craft isn’t easy. McSweeney is the founder of Married to the Mob, a popular streetwear brand for women. MTTM has been around since 2004. Despite the current situation, McSweeney successfully relaunched the MTTM brand last month with new designs and products. Aside from being a mom, a designer, and a RHONY, she is a contributor in the Complex x Parsons Streetwear Essentials program. She sat down and gave us a few insider tips and some solid insight into owning and running a streetwear brand.

McSweeney recently sat down for a Live ZOOM conversation with the Yellowbrick team. She discussed everything from how she launched MTTM NYC to how she stays motivated, creative, and most importantly, SANE during the current pandemic situation. If you missed the live chat, drop your email below for the full replay link. 

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Now Open! The Noah Noodle Shop | Osaka, Japan

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In the midst of global chaos, great things are still happening. Many brands had no idea that by the end of Q1, the world would be at a pandemic standstill. While some projects came to a screeching halt, Noah kept pushing to make the magic happen. On Saturday, June 27th, The Noah Noodle Shop opened its doors, hoping to encourage its global community that with faith and perseverance, we can overcome anything.

The creative vision for The Noodle Shop was executed by an A1 team led by Noah’s own Estelle Bailey-Babenzien, who happens to be a course contributor in the Streetwear Essentials course. Her design skill for creating the perfect aesthetic for an epic customer experience is one of a kind. The tradition of the Noodle Shop building speaks for itself and the design beautifully reflects that. The Noodle Shop was a traditional family house that functioned as a family-owned and run noodle shop for over a century. And while serving food and selling clothes doesn’t seem ideal, Noah reserved the tradition and made it happen.

In the spirit of tradition, Noah Osaka used the image of the Kibori Kuma as a symbol of its opening. The Kibori Kuma is a wood-carved bear which is a representation of the “rural artisanal tradition” in Japan. Farmers used to make these bears during the winter months for income when their business was slower. Many Japanese families have Kibori Kuma in their homes as a symbol of “the balance in nature, and the responsibility each species has for one another”. Adding the imagery of the Kibori Kuma to the opening is another ode to the tradition being displayed here. Families of the team members who worked on this project have these sculptures in their home and immediately identify with its significance, which is very telling of the Noah brand.

Being a brand is more than selling clothes and running campaigns. Noah is deeply committed to its global community and prides itself on taking its own approach to creating quality products. Instead of following existing guidelines in the fashion/streetwear industry, Noah goes above and beyond to put tradition and human dignity first and foremost. Donating portions of profits to help causes that are important to the brand, speaking on issues they believe in, and helping to amplify the voices of people and organizations important to them are just a few of the ways that make them a “responsible” brand.

Michelle Lopez Talks “Making The Pivot” | Webinar Recap

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Exclusive Conversation: Making the Pivot w/ Michelle Lopez

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Streetwear Essentials student Michelle Lopez is not new to the industry. As co-founder of the children’s streetwear brand The Mini Classy, she has a good idea of how the industry works. Earlier this year, Michelle decided to take her business skills to the next level and apply to be a student in the Streetwear Essentials course. After getting accepted and enrolling, she was on the road to releasing new Mini Classy gear and making some moves. A few months later, the pandemic hit and Michelle was forced to make some changes. 

While she was trying to figure how she was going to pivot into her next thing, she came up with a pretty dope idea. She talks about what she did in the live webinar we hosted, Making the Pivot on 6/14. If you want to hear more about what she did, her experience with the streetwear course and what she’s going to do next, leave your email in the box above. Once you register, we will send you the full link to the talk. Until then, you can check out some of her stuff on both The Mini Classy and MaskOn MaskOff. 

Keeping Creative With Alife’s Rob Cristofaro

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Exclusive Conversation: Keeping Creative During Quarantine w/ Rob Cristofaro

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When the world was first introduced to the concept of a “stay-at-home” quarantine order, we had no idea what to expect. We were given a potential timeline to the end but that has changed many times. In the interim, creatives like Alife co-founder Rob Cristofaro are navigating the calm through the storm. Keeping creative and motivated during these times is a major key because his business is dependent on creativity.

We recently sat down with Rob on a Zoom chat to discuss a few things including how he stays creative and what he suggests others do to stay creative during these uncertain times. Rob is also an Industry Expert in the Streetwear Essentials course, which gives students an inside look at what it’s like to have a career in the streetwear industry. He talks about the importance of learning from other people’s experiences and how it can help craft a path for your journey in the streetwear industry. If you missed the full length conversation, no worries. You can drop your email in the “Register Now” box above and get the link.

“So I Could…” | Billy Petts

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Name: Billy Petts
Course: Streetwear Essentials
IG Handle: @InspirationClothing

I enrolled in this program so I could..
Learn from the best and obtain knowledge from an Industry standpoint not just the underground knowledge I’ve obtained the past decade.

Why did you think the course was right for you when you enrolled?
I felt like there could always be more to learn and that even with years of experience, I could learn other methods and processes to start and finish clothing projects. Learning from like minded creators is always a blessing.

What is your biggest takeaway from this program?
To treat my business as Culture and Storytelling. Not Product and Profits. It’s much more than “business.” It’s Passion and the drive to make a difference in our communities.

Has your experience in Streetwear Essentials impacted your career at all yet, and if so, how?
Yes, my whole outlook on fashion has changed yet again. I feel as if I still have a long journey ahead, learning about mood boards, tech packs, and manufacturing in this course took my brand to new endeavors yet to unfold. Following all the creators and influencers from this course on Instagram has increased my learning as well. Seeing how they post, and market after hearing them speak makes sense why they excel in streetwear today.

How did the course prepare you for working in the streetwear industry?
In a good way. The course forces you really to make the building blocks of a clothing brand. Right down to business plan, target market, potential store layouts, pop up shops, you name it. At the end of this course I found myself with an actually written business plan which I never thought I would have or needed. Now I have something professional to continuously build off.

What would you say to a friend about Streetwear Essentials?
Sign up if you wanna save 10 years of learning on your own.

Yellowbrick Highlights Student Entrepreneurs for Black Business Month

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Whether it’s designers or entrepreneurs, the Yellowbrick student community is a great place to find budding talent. A lot of our students are already in the game but are taking our courses to level up their skill. They are looking to learn from the teachers and experts featured in Yellowbrick programs to elevate their existing brands and sharpen their skillset. Since August is Black Business Month, we created a place to highlight some of the black-owned businesses that were founded by students in our courses. 

The landing page for these brands can be found here and when you click on the select squares, you can visit the pages and shop. These businesses offer everything from t-shirts to hoodies to coffee to skin care products. This landing page was created  to amplify these black-owned businesses and services to our Yellowbrick community. Please take the time to visit the page and take a look at what some of these brands have to offer. We will be adding to this list as the year progresses so be sure to check back in from time to time. 

Yellowbrick Highlights Student Entrepreneurs for Hispanic Heritage Month

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The Yellowbrick student community is a great place to find budding talent. Our diverse community is a solid blend of students looking to find their place in a career that they love and others who are looking to grow their skillset. Yellowbrick programs are designed to give students the foundation they need to start building towards a career they are passionate about.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we are highlighting the websites and businesses of our Latinx student community. We’ve created a space to highlight some of the businesses that were founded by students in our courses. The landing page for these brands can be found here and when you click on the select squares, you can visit the pages and engage in their services. These businesses offer everything from t-shirts to hoodies to recording studios to makeup. This landing page was created to amplify the Hispanic/Lainx businesses and services in our Yellowbrick community.
Please take the time to visit the page and take a look at what some of these brands have to offer. There is also a main student businesses page and we will be adding to that list as the year progresses. Be sure to check back in from time to time.

Yellowbrick Highlights Student Entrepreneurs for National LGBT Month

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The Yellowbrick student community is a great place to find budding talent. Our diverse community is a solid blend of students looking to find their place in a career that they love and others who are looking to grow their skillset. Yellowbrick programs are designed to give students the foundation they need to start building towards a career they are passionate about.

In honor of LGBT History Month, we are highlighting the websites and businesses of our LGBTQ student community. We’ve created a space to highlight some of the businesses that were founded by students in our courses. The landing page for these brands can be found here and when you click on the select squares, you can visit the pages and engage in their services. These businesses offer everything from t-shirts to hoodies to recording studios to makeup. This landing page was created to amplify the businesses and services in our Yellowbrick community.

Please take the time to visit the page and take a look at what some of these brands have to offer. There is also a main student businesses page and we will be adding to that list as the year progresses. Be sure to check back in from time to time.

Get A Free Mini-Course On Streetwear Branding

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Starter Kit: Branding For Streetwear

How you brand is one of the most important things to get right when creating a streetwear brand. Branding is about communicating to your customers what you are about (visually and tangibly through your collection/product), the story you want to tell, and the vibe or aesthetic you want to convey. Moreover, it’s an invitation to participate or buy into what you’re creating. Branding can impact your logo, the narrative of a collection, the design of your social media assets, etc., and usually is the first step towards establishing your brand apart in the streetwear industry.

The streetwear industry is one of the most lucrative industries in the world. But the amount of competition can be challenging. However, the right branding helps your brand stand out and make a statement.

Take first steps toward conceptualizing your streetwear brand with this starter kit filled with topical videos and leading insights. Branding For Streetwear highlights pieces of the Streetwear Essentials program, featuring Parsons and Complex. You’ll be exposed to the streetwear industry, career paths like a Graphic Designer, Creative Director, Apparel Designer, as well as the basics of visual branding via streetwear. Expect insights from Jeff Staple, Mike Cherman, Heron Preston, Don C, plus more in this digestible, mini-video series.

Once you sign up, you’ll receive a daily email for four days to understand the basics of creating a narrative, brand aesthetics to consider, the four pillars of branding, and how to turn inspiration into a design.

In this mini-course, you’ll find the following information:

  • Creative the Narrative
  • Establishing Brand Aesthetics and Identity
  • Visual Brand Identity
  • How To Turn Inspiration into Design

Streetwear Essentials contributors who teach this mini-course:

  • Jeff Staple, founder of Staple Design
  • Mike Cherman, founder of Market
  • Heron Preston, creative director and designer of Heron Preston, and co-founder of Been Trill
  • Don C, founder of Just Don, co-owner of RSVP Gallery

Want to understand the business of streetwear and what it takes to launch your streetwear brand? Check out this streetwear course.

Vicky Hoppe’s Journey To Nike

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Vicky Hoppe graduated from Yellowbrick’s Sneakers Essentials online course. Because of the knowledge she gained and its practical assignments, she applied her learnings to her passion and found her calling at Nike. Most recently, she started working as a full-time associate at Nike Miami, where she specializes in women’s running and training. She also has had the opportunity to logistically organize their sneaker launches. Recently, Vicky hosted a webinar that talks through her experience with the streetwear course, the impact Yellowbrick has made, woman empowerment in the sneaker space, and her journey to date. She also answered over 20+ questions from a hundred students who were curious about her streetwear journey thus far. Watch the video to listen to her as she answers questions like:

  • How did the experience of taking the Sneaker Essentials course change you, especially as a woman in a male-dominated industry?
  • What are the roadblocks or frustrations you’ve faced? How were you able to overcome them?
  • As a woman in streetwear, have you seen a lot of growth with inclusivity? How about with the sneaker market for women?
  • How would you advise somebody trying to make a career change from corporate sales to the fashion industry?
  • What is your favorite part of the sneaker industry?
  • How do you know that sneakers were what you wanted to do for a career?
  • How do you combat feeling like needing to catch up on the knowledge of other sneakerheads?
  • What aspects can sneaker culture be improved?
  • What are your favorite woman-owned boutiques and brands?
  • How can someone give back to the community using their status or platform?

About Vicky

My name is Vicky Hoppe. I am 25 years old, based here in beautiful Miami, Florida. I want to talk to you guys today about my journey with Yellowbrick, which led me to my journey with Nike. And I want to talk to you guys today about the things that I’ve found that have made me successful in this industry.

To start you guys off with my journey, I went to college in Mississippi at the University of Southern Mississippi. I graduated with a BS in Hospitality and Tourism Management. My career history goes from being a production assistant for tours and music festivals throughout college until 2020 when we didn’t have a lot of events going on. So I found myself in the media and marketing world right out of college.

My first job was working for a company that did social influencer marketing and brand marketing. Then, I worked for Miami’s Best Graffiti Guide as the Media Marketing Director. I was able to help them with all of their marketing regarding all of the tours, which is something I love doing. I’d say, in October of 2020, when I was working in a social media marketing job, I discovered Yellowbrick’s Sneaker Essentials. When I saw this course, they talked about how I’d be able to learn things such as the history, the manufacturing, the design of the retail, and the marketing of sneakers.

And so, you know, I thought to myself, well, is this something I want to do? I love sneakers so much I had been looking to pivot my career at the time to do something that I loved. And this felt like a starting point for me. So I took the dive, and it truly was the beginning step for me to understand sneaker culture and give myself that foundation. I needed to be confident to have the career I’m now on today.

You can start from anywhere and get to where you want to be.

I began the Sneaker Essentials online course in October 2020. And a couple of months in, I felt like I understood what was going on. I loved what I was learning, and I really took the time to learn it. So I started stalking Nike’s career website for like two months. I mean, every single week, I’d go on there. And I’d see if there are any local job openings. And it was pretty hard to get a job in Nike, Miami. They didn’t have a lot of positions open. But I kept looking. And then one day, I saw that there was a seasonal position available, and I was like, “Oh my gosh, this is it.”

I had an internal battle with myself; I asked myself, “Well, you know, I’m a college graduate, do I want to go work essentially, in retail?” But then, I thought to myself, “That’s a very limiting mentality to have, right? There’s no wrong place to start.” So I did research, and I found that with these large brands, they really love it when people start on the ground there within the retail store and work their way up. And there really are many opportunities to grow and be promoted to wherever it is that you want to be. So I really want to clarify that you can start from anywhere and get to where you want to be — with that passion you have.

On Nike Miami

And so, you know, they did hire me, and here I am two years later, I work as a full-time associate with Nike, Miami. I specialize in women’s running and training as well as footwear. And I also have the really wonderful opportunity to work with their sneaker launches. We are the only inline store, which means we have in-season products. We’re the only one besides Atlanta, Georgia, right now. We have some of the heaviest traffic in the country with the locals and tourists and that we have. It’s a big two stories store with a very large staff. That is the absolute core as to why is such a successful store staff is truly amazing.

Nike has recently started releasing shoes that you might find on the SNKRS app in the inline stores through sneaker passes. So it’s similar to SNKRS, except it’s a reservation system. That reservation system allows our local customers to get their hands on sneakers that they may be taking an “L” on. And so, I have had the great opportunity to work on the rollout over the past year.

When you’re pursuing your career, it’s important for you to take that step and show that you want that opportunity. People aren’t going to approach you and go, “Hey, Vicky, do you want to do this?” You have to say, “This is something I care about.” So I approached our store about creating specialized training for launches. They gave me that opportunity to do that. I produced the training for all of our stuff that comes through this store regarding our sneaker launches. We’re fortunate enough to have been given by the brand.

Watch the full video to hear about Vicky Hoppe’s full journey and answers to questions. If you’re interested in learning more about how you can create a career from sneakers, download The Ultimate Sneaker Career Guide. And if you’re ready to take your career to the next level, check out the Sneaker Essentials course.