Jay With A JetPack: A Look Inside: Nerdy

4/6/11

A Look Inside: Nerdy

I know I've been slacking due to some technical difficulties, but heres the newest A Look Inside: featuring the Nerdy brand which has a very dope purpose. “Nerdy brand is a style platform that serves to reverse the set definitions in culture. First with the way intellectuals are defined and treated, then with how we define the quality of our lives. Ultimately, Nerdy is a push against anti-intellectualism. Think of ‘Nerdy’ as cultural combat on behalf of those that may not fit into the finely cut mold of the commonly expected and accepted.” Nerdy is a brand that celebrates the diversity and the differences that makes each and every one of us unique. With their dope concepts and outlooks I must say that Nerdy is a brand after my own heart.
Awhile back I was able to connect with Desmond Owusu from Nerdy and he was very helpful in helping me gain an insider's perspective of the brand. Here's A Look Inside: Nerdy

"Nerdy was formed in the summer of 2008, on Chicago’s north side, by young street fashion connoisseurs and viral do-gooders. Think Ralph Lauren interns meets Peace Corps volunteers, who just happen to be filled to the brim with commercial ambition and guerilla marketing savvy. Still, at the heart of the Nerdy vision is stylistic innovation and an appreciation of the finer details of cool, including the elements of life that continue to reveal themselves, ready to be appreciated. All this now manifests in the creation of a lifestyle brand that sits in the front of the class, as a true instrument of expression."

Q&A's

Could you introduce the Nerdy team and what everyone does?

Nerdy consists of three individuals: Andre Wagner (Artistic Director), Edward Oppong (Marketing Director), and Desmond Owusu (Director of Finance/Designer). Also, much love to our brother and team member, Nana Arkorful. Nana is an original member of the brand and played a significant role in developing a brand cachet for us.

How did you find and connect your team?

Eddie and Des grew up together in Chicago. The two meet as youngsters in church. Des and Dre are college buddies. The two met in 2006 while attending Buena Vista University (Storm Lake, IA).

How Did you come up with the Idea for Nerdy?

The idea of nerdy started with Eddie. He wanted to create a fashion brand that pushed the norms of urban culture while encompassing the similarities in differences. The guy is a genius if you ask us.

How does your brand differ from other brands?

Our motives may be a little different from other brands. In our eyes, we’re in a battle against Monster Mainstream. It’s not about the money, fame, cars, clothes, or queens.

Do you have a creative process?

We use the world as the motive to create. All three of us are extremely creative individuals; it’s just a matter of getting in tune with our creative selves. We try to maintain an artistic integrity by exploring all forms of art from literature to paintings to music to dance to life in general.

Do you try to send out a message or theme in your clothes?

Indeed, everything has a meaning, even when you don’t intentionally include messages or themes. But yes, we conceptualize

What demographic are you aiming to reach?

As of now much of our support is in the high school and college demographics

Where do you get inspiration for your unique designs?

Hmmmm, we’re all pretty creative. We use what’s around us with a little bit of imagination to create designs.

What inspired you to get into fashion?

We always wanted to be fresh kids growing up. The sneaker culture had a big influence on our upbringing as well. The older we got the more our love for fashion expanded.

Are there any brands or designers that you look up to?

Some notable brands are BAPE, Leaders 1354, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent (YSL), NIKE, Ralph Lauren, Adidas, Billionaire Boys Club, and Dior to name a few

How do you keep yourself motivated?

As artists, there is a feeling that you have to create. Whether you’re born with this feeling…we don’t know. But this feeling to create is a tool we use to unite and inspire people. The world is so separated on too many levels so we create art to bring people together. Maybe it’s love for the art and people that motivates us to keep going.

What kind of support have you been receiving from the public?

The support has been unbelievable! We never knew so many people actually considered themselves to be nerdy. It’s incredible to see the amount of support we get from our friends, family, as well as people we have never met in our lives. It’s refreshing to say the least, guess we have to be doing something right.

Where do you see the brand in the next 10 years?

It’s really hard to predict the future, although we wish really could fortune tell. But then again, what fun would life be if we could tell the future? There would be no element of surprise. We just hope in 10 years that we’re doing better than the year before and continuing to spread inspiration and love.

What does Nerdy have in store for their next release?

We have some pretty cool things stirring in the pot. Hopefully, our appreciatives/consumers are ready *evil laugh*

Is Nerdy looking into any other ventures outside of fashion?

Most definitely. Fashion is one medium we use to connect to the world, but we’re working on a few different projects at the moment, some you’ll see soon. Others you’ll see later.

What are your views on fashion?

Fashion is about the person. We’d like to live in a world where people are 110% comfortable in their skin. One way to make that possible is through fashion. However, people have to be careful not to get lost in the swag of it all and maintain some form of substance.

Is there anything you want people to know about Nerdy?

We want people, especially those individuals who think they’re alone in the way they think to understand that they have a voice. Nerdy is for the youth, we want to save and motivate the youth and whoever else will listen.

What are your work hours like?
Honestly, we never stop working. Even if we’re in classes or at a party, we’re always working.

How would you tell somebody starting in the business to go about it?

Don’t let anyone tell you how paint your art. Research. Research. Research. Research and create.

Founders: