The killing of Michael Brown, an African-American teenager, by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, not only started a wave of peaceful protests and socially-conscious groups, but it is also what Nyara Williams, a senior at Southeast Missouri State University, said inspired her clothing line, Black.Clothing.
“I Iive in St. Louis, so with that being St. Louis it was like I wanted to have my hand in the movement and everything, but I didn’t know exactly how I could go about it,” Williams said. “I wasn’t a protester type, like my mom definitely didn’t want me out there with them. So I was like, ‘How can I contribute?’ And this is my way of contributing to the black community.”
According to Williams, Black.Clothing is an extension of her brand BLACK, which is simply just the word “black” with a peace sign emoji in place of the a.
“Black is here for individuals of color to express themselves and bring awareness by educating the importance of self-realization, empowerment and overall unity for the greater good,” Williams said.
While some clothing lines may be similar to Williams’ in regards to its content, Williams said what makes her clothing stand out above the rest is the message behind it.
“Not just that they’re buying a T-shirt, they’re supporting the message behind it and trying to get people to be more aware of self-confidence and self-love, spreading positivity — that’s all what I’m about and what my brand is about,” Williams said.
Although Williams’ target audience for her clothing is African-American, she said that’s not to exclude anyone, it’s simply just to uplift those belonging to that demographic.
“It’s kind of like along the lines of FUBU, you know ‘For Us By Us’ kind of thing,” Williams said. “It’s something specifically for us that we can appreciate altogether and get us to unify first before it branches out to anybody else.”
For most businesses, entrepreneurs have goals they would like to accomplish in the future, and for Williams the same sentiment reigns.
“Eventually, I want to be able to travel and speak to youth; that’s what my main thing is. I believe you should start young and start teaching kids young ’cause a lot of people don’t know maybe what’s going on in the world or feel confident about themselves,” Williams said.
Having a storefront some day in St. Louis is a potential goal Williams has for her clothing line.
“I do want a storefront and the first place I think I want it in is in St. Louis, ’cause that’s where it all started,” Williams said. “And I think that’s where it should definitely take place first and then maybe eventually branch out and have stores in other cities.”
Williams, who leads a busy life not only as a business owner, but as a full-time college student and a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., said she is open to hearing ideas from others for her clothing line.
“I take any suggestions or anything that I can because I’m a humble being. So if anybody wants to help, I’m not opposed to it at all,” She said.
Currently, Williams has a team of friends who help her.
College students alike can agree price range is something that is important to examine when looking for clothes, which is why Williams said she tries to keep her prices as reasonable as possible.
“I’m trying to get it as cheap as possible, but I know especially with college students we need a little leeway, a discount or something,” Williams.
Williams said the price for her clothing ranges from $20 to $35.
On Oct. 14, Williams released two new pieces called Negus and Nigist.
Negus translates to "king" and Nigist translates to "queen" in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia.
Arguably, the N-word is a controversial word that has a lot of negative connotation behind it. Williams herself said she isn’t too fond of using the word, which is what inspired the new pieces.
“So I was like, ‘What kind of way can I get people to get away from that word (the N-word)?’ So I came across negus and nigist and kind of looked it up, and I actually saw that it was an antonym for the N-word,” Williams said.
To buy the Negus and Nigist shirts or any of Williams’ other products, visit http://nyarawilliams.wixsite.com/blackclothing/collection. Williams’ clothing also can be found at @black.clothing on Instagram.
