Here, on North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University fashion is everything. That is, if one steps out of his or her dorm/apartment one appearance has to be up-to-par.
As CoCo Chanel once said, “A woman should always be classy and fabulous”. With men, it’s more of dressing as if you’re handling some business, legally. No, that doesn’t mean splurging on the nonsense on what you cannot afford, or boastful bragging to a comrade that you’ve always dressed according to the latest trends, but as college students say, “Be Yourself, do you.”
In a moral sense, people need to dress like they have sense. Instead of contemplating on buying those new Jordans, foams, camoflauge shorts over paying rent, find a solution to do both.
People shop at thrift stores, or swap out clothes, but the only problem is, you’re not making money, but there are three students that are doing just that.
Darren Freeman, A&T juniot, Preston Spivey, junior marketing major at Winston-Salem State University, and Cameron Philyaw, junior at St. Augustine have taken matters into their own hands branding their clothing.
P.O.L.A. R. was established by the three young men out of Bertie County, N.C. in July of 2011.
“We all have been good friends, tight like brothers since the day we meet on the track team back in high school,” said Freeman. I chortle a little, because I remembered the rugrats plotting on their next move. The name is not to freeze up anyone, but to elevate and enhance our adult minds. P.O.L.A.R. is an acronym meaning Positive OutLook About Reality. The” O” symbolizes a clock with no hands meaning our fashion has endless time, explained Freeman.
Many of you may wonder why a penguin is incased inside of a triangle. Well, I’m glad you asked. It is said that the triangle is the strongest structure known to nature symbolizing what the three called a strong foundation. The “R” is made out of a lightning bolt, which is their way of shocking the world. And the penguin?
Unlike many logos, the penguin is just a flightless bird trying to be fly, and let’s be honest what’s cooler than a penguin?
Freeman, the unflappable one of the group, further explained their reason for P.O.L.A.R. “We decided to create a clothing line because we became frustrated with today’s clothing industry selections. We all enjoyed fashion to a great extent with a keen sense, and we simply just did not feel satisfied with the clothing the retailers had to offer.”
Preston imagined it even deeper. “Before we even go shopping we would have the image of the outfit we wanted to bring to life in our heads, and the malls and retailers just (weren’t) contributing to our visions.
“Basically I’m the cool comedic one in the group but when it’s time to get serious I do whatever the team needs from me. I like to think of myself as a stylish and unique individual. I try to stay ahead of the current fashion in the world.”
He plans on moving to New York City to work with Nike’s Marketing Department or in a fashion company’s marketing department, said Spivey.
Business is booming, the three have clients all over North Carolina and out of state as well. Their platform reads: Vision transformed into reality. Inspirational clothing engineered by optimism. Polar Clothing reaches out to over 2,000 fans every week.
Not to mention, the overcapacity of shout-outs they receive in just one day. The multi-talented entrepreneurs best selling items are: “The Go Gold Tee”, The Penguins Tank, The Penguins Tee, and the Swavy Tee all for $25.00. The young men explain that this is not a game, it is a movement.
We know what our customers want; therefore we provide their needs and more. If our customers are not happy, we’re not happy.“ As a team, Darren, Cameron, and Preston reinvest in their clothing, and someday wish to make charitable donations to an organization. They are young African-American male entrepreneurs.
P.O.L.A.R clothing can be purchased Polar Clothing online at polarclothing.bigcartel.com.
They can also be contacted at facebook.com/polarclothingbrand or on twitter @PolarClothing.
Just to kick in some spice, Polar Clothing plans to drop their new Fall Line at St. Augustine as well as during A&T’s homecoming fashion shows.
As a hint to what is to come, not only are there new t-shirt designs but also accessories. In the words of Darren Freeman, “Polar Clothing will be a household name, designing every article of clothing you wear.”
The group is giving a snippet of their vision, so sit back and watch as they transform their dreams into reality.
These young men are all about their business. So, whose next in the game?
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- Chanel Tucker, Staff Writer