“True discovery begins where your comfort zone ends.”- LaDarius Campbell
COSIGN Style: La Vie Brand
Brand Spotlight
Meet Co-Founders LaDarius Campbell and Harun Hersi. LaDarius is a Dallas native and Harun is a Houston native. Both attended the University of Texas at Austin where they met and developed a business partnership that would become La Vie Brand.
LaDarius: La Vie means “The Life” in French. Our symbol is “La Vie” breaking out of a square which symbolizes living outside of the box.
Harun: With the branding itself, we wanted to give each person that’s wearing it a sense of uniqueness. It adds a touch elegance to your everyday modern wear to help you reach your full potential.
LD: What sets us apart is the ideology. Our motto is “True Discovery begins where your comfort zone ends.” I feel that a lot of people want better for their lives, but people do not want to live outside the box and be uncomfortable. They try to strive for better things and work toward those goals, but they hit that uncomfortable space and they stop. It is important for us to promote that it is okay to experience that discomfort. That discomfort signifies growth.
I’ve noticed that a significant motif in the style choice are the floral patterns and reds/whites. Is this intentional?
LD: It is very intentional. It adds a bit extra to urban wear. Floral makes it all pop. You’ll see a lot more of that with us playing with these patterns down the pipeline.
HH: You also want to make sure that it’s simple. Less is more. You can add your own style to it.
If I’m trying to start my own brand what advice would you have for me? Also where do you see your brand in 5 years?
HH: Within the next 5 years, we want everyone in Texas to have La Vie on their mind and have an article of clothing that exemplifies the living outside your comfort zone mindset. One thing that I’ve learned is the preparation piece. The 5 P’s: Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. That’s both in your day-to-day life and professionally. Having that mindset and vision is one thing but making that vision reality is another. That’s where a lot of people fall short.
LD: Perseverance. Never let outside distractions and influence deter your dreams. Be protective over the end goal. Don’t underestimate your resources especially in this age of technology. In 5 years I would like for us to have a storefront and to cultivate our website even further. I also would like to see us have a presence outside of the United States because I’m a huge traveler
Who are your fashion inspirations?
LD: I would say Miguel. He’s not only my favorite artist but his style is edgy and risky. When it comes to fashion I feel that he is personable. He dresses for expression and that’s what I do. Next is ASAP Rocky. He puts things together very well. He knows what works for him. And lastly, Jidenna for the classic man in me.
If you could describe your brand in 3 words what would it be?
LD: One that comes to mind immediately is revolutionary. I think what we have is going to change the whole game. The second word is motivating.
HH: The third one for me would be unique. We did a lot of research and looked at the numbers going into the partnership that we have. There is a large percentage of clothing lines that fail within the first year, and seeing that we’ve been pushing through for more than a year we’ve been able to break that statistic because we’ve been unique.
Who Do You #COSIGN?
HH: I would definitely like to give a shoutout to the Flourish Brand (their brand is incredibly eye-catching) and the Be Great Movement. I really like what Brandon is doing by consistently uplifting the community.
LD: Definitely want to shout out Brandon Mills (a really good friend of mine) and the accountability movement because he helps keep me in the gym. I want to give a shout out to Dallas, Tx because there are so many resources for black entrepreneurs. Then wanted to give a huge shoutout to Meshach Cisero. He’s doing his thing out there in D.C. He has his own restaurant called The Caged Bird. If you live out there, our find yourself in D.C. show him some love. He’s a 100% entrepreneur. Quit his full time job to pursue his dream and he’s life goals when it comes to my entrepreneurship Also, give a Shout out to Sydney Chandler and the Baddie Brunch movement. I love what she is doing with empowering black women. I had gone to school with her as well and I modeled for her when she started an organization called Hip-Hip Couture. That played an integral part in why I’m in fashion today.
