KJ Means/The Collegian
NINA BANKS
campus editor
nina.banks@my.tccd.edu
Bryan Iwuru and Abdul Lawal have a passion for fashion — more specifically, their fashion. The SE and South students respectively run their own clothing lines, and are navigating the world of fashion together.
The two have been close friends for years, but each have separate styles. Iwuru’s brand Youthful Bloom features a signature floral logo, as the name would suggest. Choosing ‘Bloom’ was an intentional choice, Iwuru said.
“It is more than just a brand,” Iwuru said while pointing to the flower on his windbreaker. “It is Youthful Bloom. The idea was just for the youths. It has ‘youth’ and ‘bloom,’ and bloom is kind of like a flower that is growing and I really want the youths to grow so that’s why.”
Youthful Bloom has been a success, already amassing 30,000 followers on Instagram. Iwuru has no plans of slowing down in both his brand, and personal ventures. He is currently working on a line for women called Bloom Girls. His ultimate goal however, has nothing to do with fashion.
“Also just outside the world of fashion, I want to start a charity so I can give back to kids and stuff like that,” Iwuru said. “So the idea is just from Youthful Bloom. We’re talking about the youths. At the same time some of the profit I get, I’m also going to create an organization in the future so I can give back either to my high school or even elementary school, and find gadgets for kids like that.”
Iwuru’s friends often help out modeling his clothes, including SE Jobe Ondijo. The two have been friends for about a year, allowing Ondijo to witness the growth of Youthful Bloom.
“I think it’s a really good clothing brand,” Ondijo said. “It has grown a lot from the time he started, and he’s getting really creative with the pieces he’s putting out now. It’s no longer just graphic tees and shorts and stuff like that. Now he’s doing actual cut and sewn items and putting time into design.”
Lawal’s brand Share the Melody is inspired by his love of music. Citing that music and fashion go hand in hand when discussing music artists that have influenced his style. His designs have music notes incorporated into them. Even the logo is reminiscent of a treble clef.
“When it comes to finding your niche, then you’d go with something you stick with,” Lawal said. “And I feel like music was really good sticking out to me. So, I went for more of a brand where I can share the positive vibes through music, so I make the products over music.”
So far, Lawal has launched a zip up hoodie, two beanies and a new hoodie into the works. His brand leans into streetwear embracing casual silhouettes with unique prints, but hopes to branch out of his comfort zone.
“I basically did a trial-and-error thing last year, so now I am trying to get more abstract and diverse pieces rather than the general pieces,” Lawal said. “The style is more like some laid-back fashion. Like people don’t want to wear too much and be too loud. It was meant to casually have.”
Lawal only began his interest in fashion sophomore year of high school. A smile came to his face when he recalled shopping excursions with his friends.
“Me and my friends would leave in the summer and go to stores, and just spend mad money every other week and take pictures and post them on Instagram. Like thinking that we were cool,” Lawal said with a chuckle. “But it’s not cool.”
Iwuru and Lawal feel fortunate to have a friend in the same industry to bounce ideas off of, and hope to be a source of support for one another for years to come.
“Bryan is very close to me,” Lawal said. “We were the main ones to start this kind of thing. And so when it comes to things we want to do, we just hit each other up and start thinking about different ideas. It’s good having a friend close to you doing it because sometimes it’s hard to be motivated by yourself.”
