Marvin Leveille has taken the word “starving” to a whole new level.
A third-year economic student with a minor in business administration, Leveille took his campaign theme and started a movement.
Leveille describes himself as a quiet leader, someone who follows first and takes over when needed. But when it comes to his brand, he is the leader of the pack.
During freshman year, Leveille ran for a senate position in FAMU’s SGA. He needed to find a catchy theme and “Starvin’ Marvin” was the first thing to come to mind. This theme helped him win a seat in the Student Senate.
From that point on, Leveille was no longer just Marvin.
“Everyone on campus would stop me and say, ‘Are you starvin’?’ And I would say, ‘Yes.’Then my birthday came around and I needed something to wear. I thought, I may as well put my new name on a shirt. I wore it and then my close friends asked for a shirt or two and then others started coming and asking me for shirts as well,” Leveille said.
This was the firs step in Leveille’s journey to entrepreneurship. He started to branch off from just t-shirts to hoodies, beanies, hats, crewnecks and sweaters.
This small idea went from being a silly nickname to a movement. On campus, you can see students repping their Starvin’ hoodies. This has become a point of networking for Leveille and his customers.
“I am able to meet and network with students that I probably wouldn’t get a chance to meet if they didn’t purchase my apparel. It’s been a great way to make friends,” he said.
Although this is a secondary source of income for Leveille, he makes it clear that he’s serious about his business.
“Starvin’ is more than a brand, it’s a lifestyle. I’m starvin’ to be a better person, a better friend, a better student and a better businessman,” he said.
Third year business administration student Israel Chipman has supported his friend since the beginning.
“I feel like the Starvin’ brand that Marvin created was something that he did for fun, but then turned into a true passion he had for helping others. I feel like it was an excellent idea and everyone on campus loves it,” he said.
Although Leveille is working hard to serve the campus through his business, his biggest struggle has been finding a vendor. This would lower his costs and increase the profit. His ultimate goal is to cut his costs as much as possible and ultimately learn how to make the apparel himself.
The West Palm Beach native says that this is all worth the struggles.
“I love that people can identify me as Starvin’ and I push everyone to live by what Starvin’ means to me — to strive for better,” Leveille said.
Leveille encourages all student entrepreneurs to put school first and to keep up a good academic standing regardless of the money that comes in.
“I personally spend at least 3-4 hours in the library to keep up my GPA. I’m above a 3.0 but I’d love to earn a 4.0. I can’t do that if I spend all my time working on my side hustle,”.
Starvin’ sweatshirts can be purchased through Leveille’s instagram, @_maarvin.