We were lucky to catch up with Clifton Wilson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Clifton , thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?
Having the confidence, and the knowledge of whatever topic that brought you into that room. When I first started my brand, I remembered being afraid to show my face at our first trade show event. We paid about $5,000 to be apart of this Trade Show in NYC. I knew it wasn’t going to be a lot of brands and designers who looked like me. Out of 200 plus brands at this convention, we were 1 of the 2 black owned brands that were doing neckwear, pocket squares, suspenders etc. So the fear that people wouldn’t accept me kicked in. I remember thinking should we hire someone to work our booth who may look like the rest. $5000 was a lot of money for us, so we just wanted to make it back. But eventually we prayed about it and said,we have to be confident with our designs and ourselves, because no one knows the products better than us.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I truly love what I do. I developed a passion for style when I was a teenager. I think, growing up, I did follow a lot of trends, but then started getting into my own style as time went on. Suits became my new passion. I took a job as a sales associate with Nordstrom in the suiting department. The suit department became my classroom for a few years, and it was then my understanding of quality and customer service developed. I learned everythingi could about my target market at Nordstrom. After years of styling and selling every brand to my clients, I wanted to start my own. I understood exactly what my customers were looking for. I attend Fashion Design school, but dropped out my 2nd year due to having a brand new baby at home. My daughter quickly became my top priority and fashion took a little backseat for a while, but I never forgotten it. I left Nordstrom and became a driver for fedex, for 11 years and it was then that I wanted to get back to my passion. That’s when I knew I needed to build my brand. Fast forward to today, my brand is sold in Nordstrom Department stores and online. I developed a beautiful partnership with another brand named Samuelsohn, I used to sell their suits to my clients years ago. My brand is named after myself, Clifton Wilson. I wanted a name that I could be proud of, and my kids could be proud of being a Wilson. I started with pocket squares, and now we have ties, cufflinks, suspenders, lapel pins, weekender leather bags, and more. Waking up everyday day to create with beautiful fabrics is my joy.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I truly believe that every job I had, I tried to take something from it to carry along for my journey! Nordstrom taught me about quality, and customer service! I was introduced to so many people, and learned why they loved a certain brand or product. Fedex taught me about shipping on time, and customer communication skills. I was in 100 different businesses everyday working for Fedex. I witnessed people starting their business in garages, and then moving into warehouses! I was on the same route for 11 years so I became inspired by seeing normal people build their businesses from scratch, and that inspired me to take my leap of faith. My advice to people just starting off is to love what you do! Don’t do it for the money, but do it for the passion. My first year in business I remember we sold 1 pocket square the entire year, but if it was for the money, I would have been gave up. Also learn your craft, I can honestly say I’m able to jump on my sewing machine and create whatever I want to sell on my website!
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
The number one obstacle I was facing is growth! Managing the growth of the brand became a huge obstacle for me. I had a previous brand before Covid and we decided to shut it down after years in business. During Covid I started creating face masks and they became very popular, because they were unique. At that time, I created another brand in the middle of Covid and named it Clifton Wilson. During that time I reunited with Nordstrom and that’s when things started to grow faster for me, but I was pretty much a solo company. Now the brand is growing and to help the growth, I traveled to Italy 🇮🇹 and met with a great friend who owns a manufacturing company. Now we’ll have a bigger manufacturer in Milan to help produce 90% of our items. That will free up my time so I can focus on other areas.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Cliftonwilson.net
- Instagram: CLIFTONWILSON_OFFICIAL
- Facebook: The Clifton Wilson brand
- Linkedin: Clifton Wilson
Image Credits
Dimetri Williams
