Meet ABG Rocky | Clothing Brand Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with ABG Rocky and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi ABG, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Prior to me starting my clothing brand, I had no intentions or plans on creating a company or business. Being a stand up comedian, an idea was pitched to me about merchandise such as shirts and hoodies with my name or slogan on them. I looked up a few custom clothing companies online and thought about ordering some clothing from them. Instead, I thought of a way to cut the prices in half and the time it would take for me to receive my order. I learned how to make my merchandise myself. I had a ton of support from people who were fans of my music and comedy. The reason I turned Rockystyle Apparel into a business is because as a month went by, I looked at how much money I was profiting from it and wanted to focus on it.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I created Rockystyle Apparel in 2019. It expanded so fast because when I announced that I was selling women’s underwear, I got laughed at but that is normal where I’m from. My first 3 underwear sales came from a lady in Arizona, and the other 2 were from Toronto. When they received their underwear, they took pictures in them and posted on their Instagram pages and the rest is history. The difference between me and other clothing brands is I used my name in 90% of my clothing such as XXXRAYTED (xxxrated), HEARTBRAYKE (heartbreak), and UNDERRAYTED (underrated). I’m excited that I am currently in year four of business operations because I never dreamed of nor had a passion for clothing. Staying dedicated, focussed, working through all the long days and nights, sacrificing time, taking L’s and losing friends are the most difficult challenges. Those challenges are also the reason my business is where it’s at today. Sometimes in the first few years, I wanted to give up but I didn’t want to show any weakness but I learned that it is all worth it. I’ve learned a lot of lessons, people teach me everyday. The biggest lesson I learned is people will take advantage of any and every black owned business. Would you go to McDonalds and ask them for free food or a sample? Would you go to Pink or Victoria’s Secret and ask for a discount? Don’t expect me to give you anything for free or discounted because we’re from the same city or state, cause you’re black, cause you have over a hundred thousand followers on Instagram. If you are going to support me, that’s a blessing but don’t support me if you are looking for a handout or something free. That’s a lesson I learn. It’s not just certain types of black owned businesses, it’s all black owned businesses that receive this type of activity. It took almost 4 years from the day I created Rockystyle Apparel LLC sell clothing in all 50 states. Even though where I’m from, I am the first and currently the only clothing company to achieve this, I still feel like I want more. I want to go global now.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Some of my favorite spots in Little Rock, Arkansas during the day would be Pinnacle Mountain, Big Dam Bridge, Brunch at Red Door, the mall on University and the Nike Outlets. At night is a different story cause I’ll be downtown at any bar depending on whatever is jumping but my favorite current spot is Cannibal & Craft. There not much here to do or see, I’ll rather go to Memphis, Tennessee.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First and foremost, I would love to thank God. Without him, nothing is possible. I want to thank my daughter Samya for giving me a million reasons to keep going further in life. Shout out to Biggie, Suge, Booby, my ABG family, my BME labelmates, it’s a lot of people to name but they know who they are.

Website: https://instagram.com/rockystyleapparel?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Instagram: https://instagram.com/abg.rocky?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/realabgrocky

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rayrashadmusic

Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC3QwsTFV785Jv3G06oKtqAQ