Today we’d like to introduce you to Drew Howard and Kevin Masaro.
Drew and Kevin, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
We started this clothing brand based off of the philosophy and lifestyle of our brother. He was a rapper, musician, singer and songwriter who went by the stage name Always True. Unfortunately, he passed away eight years ago in 2012. His actual name is Brandon K. Howard. He was such a huge inspiration for us. He was a figure that was constantly pushing us to stay true to who we are and what our passion is. That mindset laid down the foundation for this brand and concept to be built upon. Every piece of clothing we create, every painting we paint, almost everything we do holds the memory of our brother and what he stood for. We started this brand “Always True Co” in 2015 and haven’t stopped since. We create what is relevant and important to us in the times we are in. We want this life to be as effortless as it could be so that’s what we do / that’s what we are building. We are doing this all out of a basement in Gainesville, FL. We started five years ago and we are still in the same place. We know what it takes and we are willing to be there for it all. We love the process. We’ll be pedaling this brand until we die.
Has it been a smooth road?
The main struggles that we have throughout building this brand is staying consistent and just bringing in constant cash flow. Selling something brand new in the market place is a hard task, but we are in for it. The struggle is what makes it worth it and fun. Can’t have the good without the bad.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Always True story. Tell us more about the business.
Our business/company is created to inspire people to stay true to themselves. At this stage in the company, our hands are in everything. From sewing the garments to painting the paintings, to finances, to design, we are in it all. We specialize in one of a kind clothing. I am proud that we were able to take it this far and we still have so much to grow. We didn’t know shit five years ago and now we know a little more shit. Its all a growth process. The learning curve is fat for starting a business and being consistent with it. You got to have the tenacity. We just want people to feel good. The idea is to push people to realize their own potential and for them to come to peace within themselves.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Virtual. I see stores becoming completely virtual. This means you’ll be able to plug into your oculus or whatever and be able to walk in our store/ garage without having to be there physically. You can try on everything from VR and check out virtually too.
Pricing:
- T-shirts range from $15-50
- Hoodies range from $45-80
- Jackets range from $60-$500
Contact Info:
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Address: Address below is to our HQ/ Basement/ Garage/ Studio. Hit us up before hand if you want to come through and shop.
124 SW 23rd St. Gainesville, FL 32607 - Website: www.alwaystrue.co
- Phone: 9543305750
- Email: alwaystruelifestyleco@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alwaystrueco/
- Facebook: facebook.com/alwaystrueco
- Twitter: twitter.com/alwaystrueco
Here is the link to the full article at VoyageMIA
http://voyagemia.com/interview/meet-drew-howard-kevin-masaro-always-true-gainesville-fl-weston-fl/
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