As 12-year-old Edluckens Augusme studied his reflection, his older brother’s oversized clothes draped loosely around him, but he saw not just hand-me-downs, but the seeds for his growing passion. In these moments, borrowing from his sibling’s closet, Augusme laid the foundation for the clothing brand he would one day build.

“My fashion role model is my brother,” visual senior Edluckens Augusme said. “I started very early, so he was the one that let me use his clothes when I didn’t have money to get some of the things I wanted. We didn’t wear the same size at one point, so I would be walking around with bigger shoes on.”

In August of last year, Augusme started his clothing brand “Rockout Studios” where he sells t-shirts with his designs that feature characters and symbols. Along with the fashion inspiration he gained from his brother, his childhood friend, Ethan Jeune, or EJ, also encouraged him to pursue creating an official business for his clothing.

Having known each other for years, Augusme and Jeune shared an interest in fashion. Jeune, who had been reselling shoes, thought it would be beneficial for both him and Augusme to start brands selling their own clothes. 

“Me and Eddie always looked out for each other, and it’s always been like that ever since (childhood),” Jeune said. “Even before I started my clothing brand, I was telling Eddie we should start something together to step up what we’re doing.”

The first step Augusme took was workshopping clothing designs. As a visual major, he drew upon techniques he learned in class on color and composition to create color branding with red, blue, and yellow. The rest of the skills, Augusme says, are “mostly self-taught.”

“Color theory plays a big role in what you do and what you make because if you choose (non-complimentary) colors or colors that don’t go together on the wheel, then you’re going to  end up with wacky pieces,” Augusme said. “You’ve got to be able to apply your previous skills from visual (arts) into your clothes.” 

Augusme faced setbacks when finding an adequate manufacturer to produce his clothing while still aligning with his sales and budget plans. However, the issues he encountered didn’t hinder his efforts to make his ideas a reality. 

“It was definitely a lot of trial and error,” Augusme said. “I started off with a very bad manufacturer. He messed up the prints and my bulk order, and that was $1,000 down the drain. It really hurt me. I had to figure out how to bounce back from that. So I worked, I got a job, and found a new manufacturer. I was able to work my way up from there to where I am now.”

From that point on, Augusme learned how to price clothing, understand profit margins, and promote his work from Jeune and the owner of Vamp Camp clothing, to ensure he could reach as many people as possible.

“I promote through TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook,” Augusme said. “There’s something called paid promotion, and I put money into that, and it puts it (my clothing) on random people’s Explore pages who are interested in fashion and streetwear. My brother’s an artist, so I had him model my shirts, and he posted on his Instagram account (as well).”

Because of his schedule as a student and a part-time employee, Augusme sets aside time to cultivate his business during his time out of school. During these periods, he studies accounts, posts, and hashtags to stay updated with fashion trends and prepares pre-orders. 

“I start making pieces during breaks, like winter break, Thanksgiving break, spring break, summer, that’s the downtime I’m able to release clothing because those are the holidays where most consumers would be able to buy clothes,” Augusme said. “I have a Shopify app which tracks everyone’s orders and puts money into my account. Then I send that information to my manufacturers.”

Augusme’s business has received a multitude of orders from a variety of people, spanning from family to co-workers, strangers, and students at the school, such as digital media senior Tyson Jimerson. 

“You go to the link on the Instagram, and it’s an easy process placing the order,” Jimerson said. “It makes me really happy to see people buying his stuff and I’m proud of him. When I bought the shirt I texted him to tell him to keep going and chasing his dreams.”

Reflecting on how far he has come, Augusme plans to continue his clothing business and content creation, building upon his experiences to grow not only his brand but himself as an entrepreneur.