Today we’d like to introduce you to Devon Hillary.
Hi Devon, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As I grew up, my grandma used to always ask me while it was just her and I alone, “what you thinking about,” and me, as a young kid, would always reply, saying nothing or just looking around. After that response, my grandma would ask me more questions until I actually told her what was on my mind. Once I was older, I realized she was trying to get me to express my thoughts and sometimes, after expressing myself, it made me feel like 1000 pounds was lifted from my shoulders. My grandma passed away in 2019, and I took her passing very hard and was honestly depressed.
I entered my freshman year of college in the same year, so not only was I trying to adjust to a new environment, I was also trying to adjust to a world without one of the most important people in my life. I started to get into the Bible more and learn more about how to deal with the dark cloud that I felt followed me around everywhere and that is where I found Demetrius Harmon’s “You Matter” hoodies. These hoodies are amazing and deliver such a good message I had to figure out how to get my hands on one. Fast forward to now and I have three of his hoodies and every time I wear them I always have strangers telling me they wish they could get them but they are so limited and a bit on the pricey side. After having so many of the same conversations, I decided I would make a clothing brand based around Mental Health and I hoped that it would allow more people to feel the same way they feel about the “you matter” hoodies and with more people able to afford it, more people are able to see that they aren’t alone in their mental health journey. As another way for me to support, I donate $20 for every $100 of product I sell.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have not been too many obstacles, I would say that my biggest obstacle has been myself. I was extremely nervous that people would not care about Mental Health as much as I do and I that I was not a good enough designer and nobody would buy my stuff. After my first launch, I received so much support and positive feedback, which made me very motivated for my next release and I was able to donate more than I was initially expecting. It is kind of difficult running my business along with being in school, but the team at Another ExQuisite Creation has made the process fairly easy and they help me so much with all that they do for me. I also have to say my girlfriend is always willing to help me out when I run into bumps or whenever I need to take time and deal with my own mental health, she always knows how to make me feel better.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m currently a sophomore Graphic Design/Advertisement major at Abilene Christian University. I think if you were to ask anyone in my department or any of my professors, they would all tell you I am very much so into fashion and attempting to look my best everyday. I also have my own freelance design business, where I create logos or posters that anyone needs. Recently I was hired as a social media/brand manager for “Rich Skin by Khadijah” and I can not express how much of a blessing this job has been, and I have been able to apply all of the knowledge I learn at school on different projects for Khadijah (owner of Rich Skin). Without this experience, starting my clothing brand would not have even been a possibility this soon in life. I think something that has always set me apart from other people is my passion and how deeply I think about everything I do before I do it. Anytime I start a project in class or for Rich Skin, I treat it like it will be something one day seen by the world and so I try and do my very best that I can. A quote that I have always lived by is “Good, better, best, never let it rest, until your good is better, and your better is best.” Im not sure who originally said that but I was taught it by my grandad.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I am not a really big book fan if I’m being honest, but I am really into music. I love to just get milkshakes and drive around town with my girlfriend and just jam out together in an attempt to clear our minds from our everyday hustle and grind. Some artists I love to listen to is Rod Wave, Lukas Graham, Major Nine, Yung Bleu, and many, many more.
Pricing:
- T-shirt $25
- Sweat shirt $28
- Hoodies $35-40
- Sweater $30
Contact Info:
- Email: devonhillarry@gmail.com
- Website: dapperdevclothing.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dapperdev_/
