Five Four Clothing

Five Four Clothing was started by then 21 year old entrepreneurs Andres Izquieta and Dee Murthy, initially started in December 2001 out of a dorm room at USC. It officially debut at the MAGIC Show in August 2002. When Andres and Dee were seniors at USC, they wanted to start a clothing line that symbolized their lifestyle and interests. Both were first generation children from immigrant parents. Both being raised in Los Angeles, one definitely has a unique upbringing in such a diverse city. They always pursued the life of success with ambition and passion. Thus Five Four was created to personify their lifestyle, one of a multicultural upbringing in a modern world pursuing the life of success.The name Five Four started off of a saying "one" which means "one love". Hence, five minus four equals one. Five Four's underlying meaning symbolizes unity and the multicultural world we live in today.

Wise words on starting a clothing brand from the people that have done it

First, have a plan of some sort. You don't have to know specifics, but basic things such as financing, organization and your product. When Five Four started, Andres and Dee really knew nothing about the business but they had the vision of where they wanted to be and some basic knowledge of what it would take to get there. There are a lot of aspects to most businesses such as financing, manufacturing, distribution and design that are very difficult to figure out when going into a new field. Make sure that you do some research of some sort before jumping into everything. At the same time, don't be afraid to get started and just do it. Everything must be calculated.

Second, believe in your product and yourself. Without this, you won't really go anywhere. There are many ups and downs, being positive and having determination is key. Creating a product that is unique and identifiable in the market place is very difficult these days, but this is the key to ultimate success.

Third, there is never a no. This statement is so true. Don't let anybody tell you that you can't do something. Have no fear of failure or rejection, when you are starting off you have nothing to lose.

From Aut 06 it will be found on The Urban Shop