Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Holder.
Hi Joseph, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
To tell my story, I would have to start with my parents. They had me in Queens, New York spring of 1999. I like to attribute my initial sense of style and interest in fashion to them. They helped me learn to express myself through what I wore and helped kindle the love for getting dressed. A skill which evolved from a personal interest to something I could use to express ideas to the external world. Around 2012-13, my family moved to Texas, which shifted my perspective in a major way. Coming from such a family-oriented environment, as well as a fast-paced city, Texas was a major change. But going back to New York every summer helped me gain a unique perspective because I would do all of my back-to-school shopping out there and see all the trends that wouldn’t make it to the south for some time. Of course, with the growth of social media, that began to change, but in my developmental years, it truly helped me understand the power of clothes. This experience also helped me develop discern on what trends were timeless or classics and ones that would just fade away, which heavily informs my design language today.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t think anyone has a smooth road to be blunt. Some paths are easier than others, but we all have our own set of personal struggles. In my case, I would say I have always had struggle present, but my parents always instilled a certain level of self-confidence and esteem, as well as determination. With that outlook, things were hard but always transient and never impossible to overcome. I took every struggle in my life as a lesson.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Beloved is a future-centric digital lifestyle brand that creates innovative clothing and interesting textures.
Drawing inspiration from the natural world around us. We stress sustainability and our impact on the planet and its people. With that being said, right now we are focusing on accessories and small goods, but we are actually working on our debut collection, aiming to present it towards the end of this year. We focus on moving into the future with intention to find truly progressive and sustainable ways to produce textiles. Looking back to our ancestors to try and bring pieces of their knowledge into the future, working in harmony with our planet instead of against it. I feel as if that is what sets us apart, but also, we are not the only ones who think this way, so in a way, we hope to connect with more like-minded brands and communities.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
In the next few years, I see fashion and, quite frankly, every industry as we know it shifting majorly in the direction of a heavy reliance on technological aid. That’s pretty inevitable, seeing the direction most industries are going in now. Although I do believe that with this comes a longing for an analog or tangible means of producing things. While I do not shun technology, I do think there are responsible and irresponsible ways to use it, and I hope that moving into the future, we will collectively gain the discretion to be more responsible with the ways in which we use and produce new technologies.
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