More Than Just Clothes: Fashion Designer Houston White’s Approach To Cultural Entrepreneurship

From as far back as he can remember, Houston White has always been able to make money from his creativity. He started out as a kid from North Minneapolis selling t-shirts and cutting hair for cash. Fast forward to today, White has created a successful fashion line and owns a barbershop of his own along with several other businesses in his hometown. For most creatives, monetizing their passions can prove difficult. But to White, it’s second nature.

“I grew up going to church,” White told The Quintessential Gentleman in an interview. “So I always had to be fresh because it was demanded of me. I didn't really have a choice about how I dress. So that started young. My business mind came from the fact most of my family own various businesses. When I saw my cousin be able to make money directly from washing cars on Saturday I was like, ‘I want to do that, whatever he just did.’ I wanted to be able to get my money too.”

"Most of my friends had to ask their parents for money. I didn't like that. So I started cutting hair and making a lot of money from it. So now I’m able to buy my own clothes and be fresh. Fresher than everybody else. I was about 14-15, when it really started to click for me,” White added.

To White, good fashion design is more than simply creating good-looking clothing. When he sits down to create new pieces for his brand, he considers what’s already out there and what he can do to stand out. That’s what he means when he talks about being “fresh.” It's one thing to wear the latest fashion trends, but creating a unique look that no one else has thought of takes your style to an entirely new level.

“I don't follow trends, I try to shake it up. If it's already out, you missed it. That’d be like me or you trying to design an iPad right now. It's too late. So for me being fresh means being first. I did a flight suit out the gate in my first Target collection and nobody had a flight suit at the time. And then two months later, I see other big retailers with flight suits. We were the first in that space and that's always the goal. We do need to have things for the mass consumer base, but we also got to have things that are a little bit edgy and different.”

The pure creativity White displays through his designs cannot be understated. But if you can’t support yourself doing what you love, your creative outlet is more of a hobby than anything else. It’s here where White’s business mind comes into play. With it, he’s managed to build his reputation in the corporate world, and even strike a deal with Target to get the Houston White brand on their shelves. Good business isn’t simply about making money though. According to White, it’s also a tool to make sure that your ideas and your culture are secured.

“You can't build something that you can't protect. Before you drive the car off the lot, you've got to do what? Get proof of insurance. For me, business is like insurance. A lot of people claim neighborhoods that they don't own. Like, ‘This is my hood! This is my block!’ But you don’t have the deeds or titles. Business is the protection of culture. I own my IP. I own my trademarks and everything like that. In order to really build culture, the first thing you have to do is to be able to protect it. And so that's where the business comes in."

This blend of business and creativity is part of a concept White calls “culture making”. It’s an idea that he’s spoken and written about at length. Too many creative minds, particularly Black ones, have had their work taken from them simply because of their corporate naivety. Nowadays, it’s essential for anyone looking to live off their ideas to be able to negotiate on their own behalf.

Still, many creatives struggle to grasp the business side of "culture making," yet they aspire to start their own brands and companies, just as White has done. Or great business minds who know how to sell an idea but have trouble coming up with the right one. For those who find themselves struggling to grasp the entirety of "culture making," White offers one piece of humbling advice.

“Go work for somebody else. Humility is the price of entrance to greatness. I think that's a hard thing to accept sometimes because it feels like failure when it's really just humility. Most fashion designers you know of worked underneath somebody. Like Michael Jackson was with Stevie Wonder when he was writing and producing. Jay Z used to carry crates for Big Daddy Kane. Tupac danced for Digital Underground. I would say it's a lot cheaper to learn on somebody else's dime. You always can launch and do your own thing later, but you have to be willing to go slow. First, you’ve got to own your street, then your block, then your city, then your state, and then the world.”

Photo Credit: Houston White