We were lucky to catch up with Nick Sampler recently and have shared our conversation below.
Nick, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I found my purpose at a young age, I might’ve been in maybe fifth or sixth grade when I started telling people I wanted to be a fashion designer and getting into clothes without really even knowing what it was I just knew I loved fashion. I lost that spark though as I started to get older and real life started to happen, so I strayed away from what I was originally passionate about, to occupations that was just going to make me money. It took plenty of wasted time for me to have that “AHA” moment and get back to what I really wanted to do. If I could do what I do now for free I one hundred percent would, that’s how much i love what I’m doing. 2023 is when I found my purpose and ever since then, I’ve never looked back.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My name is Nick Sampler, I’m 22 years old with a clothing brand out of Atlanta, Georgia by the name of Moda Vivencia, on Instagram moda_vivencia, which means “Fashion Experience.” I started my brand just over a year ago back in February 2023 but I started getting into clothes and fashion at the early age of 12-13. All throughout middle and high school, I was always different when it came to what I wore and people consistently had something to say which in my mind was a good thing. Then as I got older, I started to find my style and became more comfortable/confident with what I was wearing. I turned 21 and I thought “man let me go ahead and start making clothes myself.” I jumped right into it everything without knowing a thing about the fashion industry. I spent that entire 2023 year trying to learn, coming up with the brand name, logos, designs, website, trademarking, getting an LLC, EIN, everything you need to create a business. Hands down one of the most stressful yet enlightening years of my life and I loved every second of it. Again, going into it with 0 knowledge of how everything worked, is what makes this whole process so special. Even weeks before my first drop in December, I was still having issues with some things that delayed my original drop date. There’s just a certain love that I have for making my ideas come to life that makes the stress worth it and again, if I could do this for free there’s no doubt in my mind that I would. Moda Vivencia is about a new experience not just with fashion but with yourself. This world is full of followers, leaches, people who can’t think for themselves, so my brand is to push people to be more comfortable and open with themselves. Moda Vivencia is for people to stick to who they are, what they want, and be true to their own mind. I personally make clothes that I would wear with some input from consumers but at the end of the day, I’m going to make what I want. That’s what Moda is, doing what you want regardless of the noise. I’m extremely grateful for the support I have had since this journey has began and I am nothing short of thankful for everyone that has been involved in this process. With that being said, I do have some new pieces being put together as we speak and I can’t wait to show everyone what I’ve been working on for the past couple of weeks. Thank You.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Some of my main skills are being patient, staying consistent, and staying true to myself and what works best for me. Patience is virtue especially when it comes to the fashion industry because everyone thinks this is a get rich quick scheme when in reality it’s just like every other occupation you get into. It will take nothing but patience and consistency when it comes to fashion because it is such a saturated business due to the fact that every one thinks they’ll blow. That is the only advice that I’d give to any upcoming or start up brands is to take your time, learn the game, and keep going if you truly want it because there will be days where you see nothing at all and days where you’ll see everything you ever thought of. Stay at it and stay persistent.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
One of my biggest areas of growth recently has been me putting myself out there and doubting myself. When it comes to the industry there are a lot of moving parts that comes before the final product that everyone sees. When I say doubting myself I mean in terms of me having the right idea or the right thought then overthinking it and I end up doing the complete opposite which in the end turns out to have been the wrong decision. As time has went on in these past 12 months I have learned to go with my first instinct instead of trying to think of alternatives at the start. I’m not so much harder on myself if I fail my first instinct then when I overthink and fail my second or third option. Along with that putting myself out there more in terms of social media and marketing was definitely a struggle for me when I first started which I still have trouble with till this day but now I’m more willing and open to actually post/market on social media without feeling like I’m being judged.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ModaVivencia.com
- Instagram: Moda_vivencia
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