Keeping the perfect balance of things is a hard thing to do nowadays. You know, being hired in a corporate job can lead any busy person to send his/her passion to the backburner. Yes, it may be difficult to do the things you NEED and WANT to do in perfect sync with each other, but it is doable and very much achievable if you keep the vision alive through your mindset and actions.
Project 7 to 1 is a brand that is a bit different from your usual tough guy or dark themed streetwear fare. The brand harps on dreamers and keeping a positive perspective. The one great thing that resonated with me about the brand is its non allegiance to any particular market making it a universal themed brand. As long as you got dreams and your hustle game is on point then Project 7 to 1 is a brand that will speak to you in volumes.
I recently caught up with them despite their busy schedule, picking their brains out and just getting a close perspective on what they are about. That being said, grab a cup of coffee, sit back, relax and enjoy the interview.
Project 7 to 1 has been churning out products that are functional as they are perfect for daily wear, was it a conscious decision from the start?
That was one of the inspirations, yes. Our goal is to make products that would support the hustle and compliment the wearer; merch that you’d want to use daily or “beaters” if you want to put it in sneaker terms, which are usually the stuff you get maximum value out of. And these products, they will know your story, because they were there with you during the difficult parts of your journey, your road to achieving your goals and dreams;
Basically, we want Project 7 to 1 to be a company that will accompany you while you hustle.
What propelled you guys to get the inspirational messages in? For a cluttered streetwear scene, positivity is very welcome.
Project 7 to 1 is all about building your dreams and careers, and these aren’t easy tasks. That’s why it’s always been our decision to create products that can not only help make your lives more efficient in terms of how you use them on your day to day lives, but products that can help you mentally as well. That’s one of my favorite things about the brand, it’s always going to energize you to strive for your dreams.
These inspirational messages can help motivate not only yourself, too, but when other people see what you are wearing, you can possibly help inspire other people as well. And we really need positive vibes, now more than ever.
Your Limitless collection, tell us about it. What drew you to come up with it?
It felt like the appropriate theme to go with, especially with so much going on in the world right now where it feels like there are so many “limitations”. Most of us are having a difficult time with this new normal and it can get really discouraging.
But I believe each individual is limitless, that no matter the adversity, no matter how many times they fail, they can rise again. And we wanted this season to be a reminder of that. This is indeed a tough battle, but there’s hope. Have faith, this is just temporary.
Your brand has such a strong following, do you have a speculation as to why? It’s very clean and different from the usual streetwear fare.
Oh, wow, that’s a flattering statement. But thank you.
Well, personally, I think it’s because Project 7 to 1 is more than your typical apparel store. It’s a movement with a huge following, which is a great movement to be a part of because it’s evidence that there are a lot of dreamers and hustlers out there not letting the world limit them on what they can do or how far they can go in life. The apparel is just pushing them, helping them turn that movement into a lifestyle as one of their daily routines.
In the new normal situation, what adjustments did you guys have to make for the brand?
A lot. I’m reminded of this phrase “change an airplane engine while in flight” because that’s exactly what we had to do since the company calendar that we spent months build got canceled, and to be honest we had a really difficult time adjusting just so we could continue because we were nowhere near prepared for the lockdown. And we didn’t have much experience since we literally started barely a month before the lockdown.
So since physical stores got closed down and obviously that meant we wouldn’t be able to have physical events, we had to move everything online. We had to do live streams, use social media a lot more for promotion, do “challenges” where you can win prizes, and, of course, webinars where our merch served as your ticket.
It wasn’t easy, we made a lot of mistakes, but we learned a lot as well, and it’s good that we’re growing, plus we know it’s not impossible to continue.
Does one need to pair your products with grail sneakers? Or does the brand go beyond that? I’d like to get your take on that.
If they have a grail pair, why not, right? If they want to buy a grail pair to match our products, go ahead, granted you’re not going to get in debt or go broke just to flex.
But we believe that’s not necessary. Just be yourself and wear who you are, honestly. No hype sneaker is worth more than being true to yourself.
Describe a person who rocks Project 7 to 1…
A person who has dreams and is willing to go through the challenge of having to take extra steps by side hustling just to achieve their dreams. Of course, without compromising your responsibilities.
Your message to our This Is Hype PH readers and friends?
To everyone, thank you for the overwhelming and unending support. We’re grateful to have such a great group of followers. We hope that you keep hustling, that you keep chasing your dreams despite all the problems we’re all facing right now. Continue being an inspiration to us and each other. Keep living that 7 to 1 life.
Oh yes, The new Limitless collection just went live today. Cop yours at www.7to1.co
