Meet Rachel Norton | Fashion Designer/Entrepreneur

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

Hi Rachel, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Zenith Nadir was started at the very beginning of 2021. I didn’t have a name for the brand or even a solid concept behind it. I just knew that I wanted to bring some positivity to our community. We needed hope, or maybe I should say that I needed hope. Myself and the people around me were constantly debating the question of “what now”. What do we do to uplift one another and bring a sense of empowerment back into each other’s lives? Fashion is how we speak, it’s one of our main forms of expression so I wanted to create something that we could wear with pride that also represented the positive aspects of our culture.

“Through the highs and lows we stand together because our strength knows no bounds. Through our darkest days of struggle, we’ve persevered.”can be seen on all of our signature graphic tees. It’s a motto that I developed to showcase our resilience and remind one another of the impact we can have when we stand together.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
Having a brand that stands for something is what I feel has been the driving factor behind my brand’s success. It’s one thing to create a clothing brand with cool imagery and catchy phrases but it’s another to do that while presenting empowering messaging as well. In today’s society, our community is often struggling to find something to believe in that provides encouragement for us.

Having a brand like Zenith Nadir is our reminder. The social impact the brand has on the community is brining awareness to the many positive aspects we all too often quickly forget about our society. Zenith Nadir is a brand that preaches the importance of standing together through the highs and lows of whatever we may face. It’s in our name and who we are. That impact is what I believe has brought us so much success.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Atlanta is such a huge city with so many hidden gems. One of my favorites, for those who love to shop and support small black businesses, would be the The Village Retail at Ponce City Market. For food, Sweet Auburn Seafood, Rock Steady and Poor Calvins. I’m a foodie and each place has served some of the best meals I’ve had. They’re also a vibe! As far as anything else goes, I stay indoors to often to provide a quality itinerary so my best friend and I would both be exploring together.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family for supporting me continuously no matter what wild ventures I pursued and my friends for pushing me and going along on this journey of entrepreneurship with me. We’ve been able to learn so much from each other and our unique experiences that it’s helped make business successful for all of us.

Website: https://thezenithnadir.com/

Instagram: @thezenithnadir

Twitter: @thezenithnadir

Facebook: @thezenithnadir