Being an entrepreneur has no age limit or age minimum. Twenty-year-old Elijah Audre, a native of Atlanta, has single-handedly created and grown his own successful clothing brand, HowHigh2Fly. Audre’s goal is to symbolically show messages through designs to tell stories through clothing. The origin of the name is a mystery and only the creator knows the true meaning.
Creativity and fashion have always been something that came easy to the young entrepreneur. Audre has always had an interest in fashion, but this is the first time he went all out with it. Learning how to utilize his knowledge and bringing it to the brand was one of the most important milestones that helped the business.
Seeing your designs come to life is the fun part, but starting a business is always a challenge. You have to be patient when starting a business from the ground up.
“You just have to keep pushing and eventually you’ll be where you want to be,” Audre said. “I just kept going and I don’t plan on stopping.”
The HowHigh2Fly creator explains that the hardest part is creating the designs because you have to take into account not only the designer’s opinion, but you have to consider the audience as well.
“The hoodies from ‘Episode 002 Your Pastels’ were welcomed by my supporters and I am trying to make something similar to that for upcoming releases,” Audre said.
Unlike a lot of other business owners, Audre is not in the fashion industry just for the profit. You can tell that he is passionate and that he puts his heart and soul into the final product.
“Elijah has a lot to say and does it through his clothing and that’s what makes the brand so personal,” Orlia Edwards, a student at FAMU, said.
An optimistic mindset is also important when creating a brand. Never get too comfortable. Audre plans to release so many designs that a runway showcase is part of Fashion Week. His goal is to collaborate with multiple famous artists to wear his brand.
“HowHigh2Fly is amazing. After the first year, I’ve seen so much growth. The clothes would get more and more complex and I started seeing more and more people wearing it,” Ajani Bowie, a supporter from the Bronx, New York, said.
Audre has launched a successful business, but he says he has far more to go before he feels complete.
“Advice I would give to an upcoming entrepreneur is to learn how to do business. Do not let anyone try to get a discount out of you, and keep going because you can be where you want with hard work,” Audre said.