Beyond simple clothes and other accessories we put on our bodies, fashion is an art form. It is physical self-expression through the use of clothing, footwear, makeup, hairstyle, and other accessories. It is so integral to our lives that everyone participates in it, even those who have a distaste for fashion. In fact, everything we wear is in some way a “fashion statement.”
While fashion is an industry, there are many different strains and variations in fashion, and finding a specific niche is often highly lucrative. Thus, while entrepreneurs in other fields may struggle with addressing the customers’ needs, entrepreneurs in fashion can showcase their artistic sensibilities and still find an audience.
Thus, entrepreneurs in the fashion industry come in all shapes, sizes, and even ages. In this list, we will be looking at six of the youngest entrepreneurs who have made names for themselves in the fashion industry.
Taofeek Abijako
Company: Head of State+
Age: 20
While by far the oldest entrepreneur in fashion on this list, he’s also arguably the most successful. A Nigerian immigrant, Taofeek Abijako was only twenty years old when he landed on Forbes 30 Under 30 list for his fashion line, Head of State+.
After immigrating from Lagos, Nigeria, with his family, Taofeek didn’t spend the next two years being lazy. With a father as an independent fashion designer, fashion was always in Taofeek’s blood. Not allowed to touch any of his father’s machinery, he explored his father’s sketches extensively and found a creative outlet.
During his time at Albany High School, Taofeek began to harness his designing abilities. Finding solace in painting, he sold hand-painted Vans with unique designs for around two hundred dollars to raise funds. After catching the eye of actress Amadla Stenberg, the actress shared his designs on her social media.
With notoriety and money rolling in, Taofeek was soon noticed by United Arrows, a Japanese retailer. Not even out of high school, Taofeek started up his unique clothing brand, with each piece sharing a message of Nigerian history.
His story shows that entrepreneurs should be creative, persistent, and true to their roots.
Isabella Rose Taylor
Company: IsabellaRoseTaylor
Age: 12
If success is your destination, the road to get there might not be as straight as you think. Take Isabella Taylor as an example. She started painting at age three, and when she was eight, her works were being sold through a prestigious gallery in Dallas, Texas.
It was there that she learned how to market herself and decided to enter the world of fashion. She founded IsabellaRoseTaylor, a young women’s contemporary line. By the time she was twelve, Isabella was the youngest designer to sell her clothing at selected Nordstrom stores throughout the country.
For someone like Isabella, the road to success in fashion started with painting. Today, she combines her artistic sensibilities with her eye for fashion and has found success in both. She has been honored in Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business,” and “Latina Magazine’s “30 under 30.” Additionally, shehas earned the Entrepreneurial Rising Star from the Austin Chamber of Commerce. She also just recently turned eighteen.
Isabella’s story teaches all of us entrepreneurs that we should dream big and never fear failure.
Essynce Moore
Company: Essynce Couture
Age: 11
Everyone remembers doodling in their notebook when they were in school, but few made those doodles into business models. One person who did is Essynce Moore, who started designing clothes at the age of six. Soon afterward, Essynce put her designs into action and, at the age of eleven, turned her passion into a business in 2013.
With the motto “a child’s passion for fashion, Essynce Couture has expanded from clothes to a natural body product line and spas and boutiques. Meanwhile, Essynce herself has expanded her interests. At the age of fifteen, she had written three books. By sixteen, she became the first teen to have her books as mandatory reading in several schools’ curricula worldwide.
It just goes to show that ideas come from everywhere, including unexpected places like the doodles in our notebooks.
Kheris Rogers
Company: Flexin’ In My Complexion
Age: 11
On September 10, 2017, Kheris Rogers took the fashion world by storm when she unveiled her spring 2018 line at the Museum of the City of New York.
Her presentation took off during the Harlem Front Row, one of the most prestigious platforms for multicultural fashion designers. It featured Rodgers and two other models of varying skin tones wearing creatively artful and style pieces from Rodger’s line, Flexin’ In My Complexion. The most impressive thing, though, was that Kheris Rogers was only eleven years old.
It wasn’t always heaps of praise, however. Kheris had been bullied for the color of her skin since the first grade. In a particularly horrifying instance, Kheris recalls receiving a black crayon from a teacher when asked to draw herself instead of a brown one. Even after she was transferred to a more inclusive school, Kheris was still picked on for her skin color.
However, once her sister, Taylor Pollard, posted a video of Kheris participating in a fashion show, the bullying turned to praise. Then Kheris started Flexin’ In My Complexion and took the fashion world by storm.
With Taylor’s help, Kheris started work on a line of t-shirts and tank tops. Today she has a celebrity following, most notably Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o.It just goes to show that what people hate you for can also be your greatest asset.
Moziah Bridges
Company: Mo’s Bows
Age: 9
If you want a bow tie, you’d better pick up one of the most stylish bow ties you’ve ever seen out of Memphis, Tennessee.
Inside this growing company is a small but talented team that designs and handcrafts each unique bowtie as well as other fashion accessories, from bow ties to neckties, from squares to ties. These products are perfect for the modern wardrobe.
It might surprise you that the founder, Moziah Bridges, didn’t spend decades honing his craft. In fact, the entrepreneur behind the bow tie is none other than a nine-year-old. Currently, he has a net gain of about $165,000 designing and selling these bow ties.
However, he didn’t get there alone. Not only does his mother sew and sell, but she’s also the company’s chief executive and salesperson. It just goes to show that everybody needs some help every once in a while, and entrepreneurs are no exception.
Sebastian Martinez
Company: Are You Kidding
Age: 5
Finishing out this list is one of the youngest entrepreneurs in the world, Sebastian Martinez. Passionate for collecting bright and zany socks, Sebastian took his mother’s suggestion to heart when she told him to start designing his own.
At only five years old, he founded Are You Kidding, a company dedicated to selling his specialty socks. With the help of his older brother Brandon, the company has managed to make over $15,000.
Always virtuous, as everyone (including entrepreneurs!) should be, Sebastian and his company have donated to those in need. In 2014, they teamed up with organizations like the American Cancer Society and the Live Like Bella Foundation. They raised more than $3,000 for cancer awareness.
In April 2015, the company partnered with The Hue Studio and donated 25 percent of all proceeds from its “Eye See You” sock sales to Discovery Arts. This charitable organization brings art programs to children with serious illnesses.
From Taofeek to Robert, it just goes to show that anyone can be an entrepreneur with just a little gusto, knowledge, and passion.
Sources
Photo by Graphe Tween on Unsplash
Image of Taofeek Abijako
Image of Isabella Rose Taylor
Image of Essynce Moore
Image of Kheris Rogers
Image of Moziah Bridges
Image of Sebastian Martinez