Fashion With Kearney Demus

Who Is Kearney Demus?

I would like to consider myself as somewhat of a visionary, a fashion forward person, and a trendsetter. Someone who people look at as a guy that set goals for himself, and attained them. Didn’t let the thoughts of others slow him down or side track him from what he set, just took life head on and dared anyone to stop him from achieving what he wanted.

When did you realize you wanted to start Angel Lifer Clothing?

Honestly fashion had always been a big part of my life and it was something I always had an interest in. My cousin and I always threw the idea of doing something like that around when we were in high school but we were broke kids chasing basketball dreams so it was always just an idea. Once my senior year of college came around and I realized basketball was not going to be my means of income I immediately started to make my way into something that might have been my first love which was fashion.

Where do you get your inspiration today?

A majority of my inspiration is just life in general. I feel like I try to incorporate pieces of me into everything that I produce. I take the things I see in life, hear about, live through, have interest in, and just anything around me and try to put it into a concept of a shirt. From time to time I do like to look at blogs occasionally and check out patterns and styles that are trending just to be able to produce a product that people will want, but I try not to do that as too often just because I want my product to reflect me.

Who were some of your major influences in the beginning of your dream?

My biggest influences would have to be my parents. As a child they always taught me that with hard work and dedication you can be whatever you want to be in this world. As cliché as it sounds I find it being true. They always stood behind any decisions that I made in life so when I came to them and let them know this is what I wanted out of life they were behind me 100%. That support alone is motivation to keep me going. Aside from that I have a little brother and a little sister, I’m big brother so I have to show them that the things that our parents taught us as children is true. They may not want to be in the fashion industry but my little sister might want to be a CEO of another major company or a doctor or a lawyer and I just want to be an example for her and my little brother that anything you put you mind to and work hard at, you can achieve.

What does fashion mean to you?

To me, fashion is everything. If I didn’t have my own line I would still be heavy into the fashion world. I’m into everything from you sneakers, up to your hat, down to the accessories you wear. It’s a way for us to express ourselves and differentiate from the next person. My friends usually get mad at me on the weekends because I take so long getting ready for stuff but I always want to look well planned. I don’t care if I’m just running to Wal-mart and I just threw some clothes on, I want to look like a stylish mess if that even makes sense. You just never know who you’re going to run into and especially with me having my own line, I never want to be seen out looking bummy. With that being said its something that I take very seriously, you only get one chance to make a first impression.

What are some of your accomplishments with your apparel?

As far as just building up a brand and making a name for myself I would have to say that my greatest accomplishment would be just being able to connect with and inspire the younger generation. In no way am I saying I’m a great roll model because I’m not perfect by any means but as far as being a person who kids can look up to as a person who chased his dream and made them into a reality despite being from Kentucky, a place not looked at for its fashion sense is major to me. I’m a firm believer in leading by example so me showing someone I’m not afraid to chase my dreams could potentially give someone else the courage to go on and do something great all because they were inspired by me not being afraid to chase my dream. That’s bigger than any award to me.

What is the best perk of being a designer?

I think the best perk of being a designer is being able to watch a design go from being inside your head, to a screen, to a shirt, to then seeing a person wearing it and really enjoying the product you’ve brought out. Sometimes I’ll be scrolling through Instagram or something and see a person out enjoying their life and wearing my brand and get goose bumps because I realize its a blessing and not everyone is able to get that feeling. So I honestly think the best perk is to just get your product out in the streets and have people honestly enjoy and love the product that you’re making.

Can your fans be expecting you to team up with another brand to create an additional collection sometime in the near future?

At the time no, I’m more of less just focusing on myself and my brand trying to expand and develop but I am no opposed to working with other brands. I’m always down to collaborate and work with other people if they’re down to do the same. So if anyone reading this is interested lets talk and lets work. There is a brand here in Lexington though called Housefire Collective, I like there work and wouldn’t mind teaming up in the future. How would you describe your cities fashion? I would describe it as diverse. You might see someone out in chino’s with the plaid polo button downs with Sperry’s. On that same night you might see the guy out in skinny sweats, Jordan’s, and a flannel over a hoody. Crazy thing is, they might be in the same spot. If I had to pick two categories to put people in, generally speaking I’d say a majority of the city is either very hipster/rocker or preppy college attire. Just depends on where you hang out at.

What was the first thing you created?

The first thing I ever created was a sample crewneck. I still have it in my closet to this day, I rarely even wear it now but I think soon I’m going to frame it and hang it up on my wall like people do with their jersey when they’re done with sports. But as far as in bulk the first thing I did was a tee shirt and it was white with the red and black logo. I might have to get one of those framed too looking back that one means a lot to me as well.

Who are some of you favorite clothing designers?

Some of my favorite designer would have to be Jeremy Scott and Nigo. They both have built very successful brands as well as names for themselves in the fashion industry. They both make clothes that people would consider “different” or out of the norm, but they don’t care. That’s something I look up too, you have to always be yourself make what reflects you and not be afraid to be an outcast, I see that in both of their many brands.

What do you wish people would understand about branding yourself in the fashion industry?

My biggest thing that I wish people would understand is that just because you can put something on a shirt doesn’t mean you can sell it. Branding is all about promoting a lifestyle and getting people to see that through your brand, some people have the idea that you can just put something “cool” on a shirt and now you have a brand, and I’m here to tell them now it’s not that simple. It takes building a name, building a crowd, building respect from others in your craft, it’s a lot to it. Not just putting a nice logo on a shirt. I won’t even speak on the business side of it and how business savvy you need to be as well. It’s just like playing sports, we all can do it but we all can’t go to the NBA and do it.

What one piece of advice would you give to someone wanting to start an apparel line?

Believe in yourself and don’t let anyone stop you from achieving what you set out to achieve. People never accept anything new, its human nature to want to reject something that is new. You have to stay persistent and keep putting out quality material to make people realize you’re here and you’re here to stay. As long as you stay confident in your self as well as believe in your product and the product you’re selling have some type of appeal to it you’ll be fine, eventually what you’re doing will catch on. Make people believers.

What trends do you see being big next season?

The fashion world is so up and down now right now you never know. I do feel like we’re going to see more and more of a merge between high fashion and street fashion though. Oddly enough the two are starting become one in the same as rappers and other urban icons start to deal more with these people and more upscale brands. I think the media often times tries to make the hip hop/rap scene out to be this bad thing yet every year it seems that the urban culture is becoming more and more dominant in our society. But as far as fashion and trends go I just think we’ll start seeing more fitted and extended shirts as well as brighter colors used in this upcoming season. Everyone is looking to have the “Next Thing.”

Is there anything that you would like our readers to know?

That believe it or not, Kentucky is more then horses, farms, grass, and basketball. We do wear shoes (Very nice ones at that) and we don’t ride horses and wear overalls. I’m here to show the world that we actually do have some taste in fashion and as a whole we’re growing, and growing fast, come visit us.

Last but not least, HYPE wants to know…What’s your CRAZIEST “Where they do that at?!” moment…

My craziest where they do that at moment would have to be one night when I was out in Tennessee this random dude came up to me and told me that the object of the night was to find the drunkest girl in the club and try to leave with her. I paid dude no attention thinking it was just a drunk guy in my ear talking trying to be friendly and make conversation. So I end up leaving the bar and going to meet back up with my friends. A little later in the night I witnessed a girl throwing up and like two of her friends rushing her to the bathroom which was once again odd to me because I felt like they should have been leading her to the door and taking her home. Anyways I got back to minding my own business and by nights end on my way out the door I actually saw the guy who had made the statement to me earlier tongue kissing the girl. I was completely grossed out by this and immediately thought back to what he said to me. I don’t know if he actually ended up taking her home but what I do know is I witnessed her throwing up and I’m almost sure she didn’t have a toothbrush handy … Dude was just sick. At the end of the night he had me thinking “where they do that at!?”

Website: www.shopAngelLifer.Com
Twitter/Insta: @AngelLifer or @ItWasKearn

Interview By: Daja Marie

www.thehypemagazine.com

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Tags: Fashion, Hype Magazine, Hype Style, Kearney Demus, Real Daja Marie, The Hype, The Hype Magazine