Meet Ebony Wheaton and Shannon Teranishi | Co-Creators of Saint The Brand

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ebony Wheaton and Shannon Teranishi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ebony Wheaton and Shannon Teranishi, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The idea to launch Saint The Brand came to us during one of our “build sessions” – a time that we set aside weekly to hear from God about what we ought to build with our gifts, talents, and resources. God dropped the word “Saint” in our spirits, which inspired exploration and study of the word’s true meaning.

We discovered that “Saint”, as used in the scriptures, stems from the Greek word “hagiazo.” To our surprise, the translation of the word Saint has little to do with being perfect, pious, or pure, as the world would have us think. Rather, to be a Saint is to live a life drive by a divine, God-given purpose; a life that serves a cause beyond self, material wealth, or status. We believe that many are called to be Saints, but that not everyone answers the call.

So, we launched Saint The Brand in hopes that we might inspire others to be Saints – to pursue purpose-filled lives – and we give all credit to the God that gave us the idea to build it.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are Saint The Brand, a carefully-curated collection of women’s and men’s luxury streetwear and apparel. But we’re more than just a fashion brand. As shared previously, the name “Saint The Brand” originates from our discovery of the true meaning of the word “Saint.” A “Saint” is one who lives a life driven by a divine, God-given purpose; a life that serves a cause beyond self, material wealth, or status. That said, our mission is to inspire others to pursue purpose-driven lives; to be Saints.

What most separates us from other brands is the fact that when we make a sale, it is the beginning of a relationship with our customers; not the end. Through the sales of our products, we invite customers to join a community of socially, culturally, and spiritually conscious Saints. We invite our customers, more specifically, to learn about and get involved in the work of our tandem non-profit, Saint The Movement, a national network of churches, community organizations, and everyday ordinary people who organize around human rights, social justice, and the dynamic needs of local communities. Ultimately, we hope to create opportunities for our customers to discover and step into their divine purpose.

We – Ebony Wheaton and Shannon Teranishi – are the Co-Creators of Saint The Brand. Ebony is an education law and public policy consultant with over 10 years of work experience in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. She holds a Bachelor of Business Degree with a major in Business Management and Organization from the University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL), as well as a Juris Doctorate Degree from Howard University School of Law (Washington, D.C.). Shannon is a business, leadership and project management expert with over 15 years of work experience in the for-profit sector. She holds a Bachelor of Business Degree as well as a Marketing Management Technical Diploma with a focus on Entrepreneurship from the British Columbia Institute of Technology (British Columbia, Canada), a Certificate of Project Management from UC Berkeley Extension (Berkeley, CA) and a Certificate of Professional Coaching from Wainwright Global, Inc. Institute of Professional Coaching (Las Vegas, NV).

Needless to say, neither of us has a background in fashion, nor do we have connections to the fashion industry. But what we do have is a shared mission to pursue purpose-driven lives and to teach others how to do it as well. So, in June 2021, we took a leap of faith and left our respective careers to launch Saint The Brand. Launching Saint certainly was not an easy feat because we had so much to learn, from fabrics and design, to fashion suppliers and vendors, to website build-out and tech supports. But we overcame the learning curve by sharing the load and devoting ourselves to diligent research and study. But of all the things we’ve learned along the way, the most important lesson is the value of partnership in entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship can certainly be accomplished alone, but the journey is way more colorful when you have someone to enjoy it with.

What we want the world to know about Saint The Brand is that we aren’t just a fashion brand. Saint is a lifestyle, a calling, and a movement to live life with purpose.

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.
Saint The Brand is based in Southern California, the home of sunny skies, endless beach coast, and beautiful mountainscapes. Not to brag, but it’s lit! If a best friend was visiting the area, there would be no shortage of things to do, but here are a few:

* A tour of the local Black and Japanese neighborhoods and businesses. Ebony and Shannon are Black and Japanese respectively. We love our culture and we believe in supporting businesses run by people who look like us. For Black LA, we’d take a best friend to Leimert Park, Mid-City LA, and Pasadena. To find Japanese culture, we’d take a friend to Little Tokyo in Downtown LA.

* A drive up and down the Pacific Coast Highway, which is where you’ll find California’s most beautiful beaches. Santa Monica Beach is a must see for newcomers. But if you want to experience our beaches the way Californians do, you’ll probably go to El Matador Beach, Laguna Beach, or Manhattan Beach.

* A visit to some of our favorite restaurants: Bossa Nova for Brazilian; Versailles for Cuban; Nobu for Japanese; Stevie’s for soul food/cajun creole; and New Orleans Snoballs for dessert.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shout out to God! As mentioned in our response to the panel question, the idea to launch Saint The Brand was divinely inspired. So we give God all the credit!

Website: www.saintthebrand.com

Instagram: @saintthebrand

Youtube: Saint The Brand