Meet Rasheka Lue Foung | Business Owner & Graduate Student (UAlbany)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rasheka Lue Foung and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rasheka, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Growing up I never had a community of entrepreneurs, or business owners around me. However, I was surrounded by hustlers, people who needed to make ends meet by any means necessary to provide for their family. My mother herself would do hair right in our small Bronx apartment, aside from her many other jobs. My father was a barber, and would cut hair almost everyday of the week, and many times wouldn’t come home until very late at night. I’ve witnessed the dark underbelly of hustle culture, and many don’t see the long-term effects of working 24/7 with little to no leisure time. Many family’s don’t have the resources or knowledge of financial literacy, or what it takes to build wealth instead of living paycheck to paycheck.

Fast forward to my freshman year of college, and I see students doing hair, nails, eye-lashes, makeup, photography etc. as side hustles to put extra money in their pockets. I knew I needed something for myself, something that I could create that would eventually allow me to provide a life of more leisure time for myself and my hardworking parents. So while laying in my tiny dorm room twin bed on night, staring at the ceiling, I decided I was going to start my own clothing brand. The more success I saw and the harder I worked I realized this business was bigger than just me or my family, I wanted to pass on the lessons I learned, valuable knowledge, and opportunities to young black men and women like myself to help build financial knowledge, and wealth within their own families as well.

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?
Coming up as a business has been a challenge for me personally, it really taught me the art of selling myself, being comfortable in front of a camera, and being able to market what we offer. Something we pride ourselves on is inclusivity, in the clothing industry men/women of shapes and sizes deemed undesirable by the industry lacks representation. We always try our best to provide gender neutral clothing, that caters to all shapes and sizes. We want everyone to feel stylish, and comfortable in our apparel. I am most excited about our continued growth and exposure! Anyone who shops with us immediately falls in love with our brand, our designs, and the high quality of our clothing for such an affordable price compared to other brands.

My biggest challenge was content creations and marketing my business through social media platforms. As a very shy introvert, I always felt awkward or uncomfortable in front of a camera. For the sake of my business, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and began to brainstorm different types of content and took hundreds of takes in front of the camera until I became comfortable and satisfied enough to post it. Tik-Tok and Twitter have helped me expose my brand to people all over the world, and is the source of most of my sales.

What I would like the world to know about my brand is that we are dedicated to growth, self-love, and charity. Not only do we promote inclusivity, but growth and love within our own communities as well. We are on the road to a future of community projects, that aid children, homeless individuals, and even local businesses as well. We are more than just clothing, we are manifesting change.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
As anyone knows theres a multitude of things to do in NYC,

I would start with lunch at Spudz with some of the best fried chicken, shrimp, and fries.
Then take a trip a little outside the city, to Thrillz trampoline park for adults, can’t go wrong with drinks followed by rides/attractions that get the adrenaline pumping.
Then to dinner at the crabshack for all you can eat fresh and well-seasoned seafood with R&B and Hip-Hop music playing in the background.

NYC has a lot of hidden treasures aside from all the tourist attractions.
From an evening of painting and drinking wine to using our wits to solve an escape room to smashing old TVs and plates at a rage room. The possibilities are endless.

We can even take a trip to videogame-like simulation “Beat the Bomb”, grab brunch at the ‘Mean Fiddler’ or some classic soul food in Brooklyn at the ‘Black Nile’.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout is to my parents. It was my experiences growing up that showed me I want more than the hand I was dealt in life, and that I want to create something that my family can benefit from for generations to come. I watched my mother and father work themselves to the bone to be able to provide for us. My mother always encourages us to get a solid education so that we may live a life that she was unable to provide for us as children. We came to America with barely anything to our name, and since then my mother was able to become a nurse, purchase a home, and live the life she always dreamed for herself. She is my greatest motivation.

Website: www.abyssthebrand.com

Instagram: abyssthebrand

Twitter: abyssthebrand

Facebook: abyssthebrand

Other: Tiktok: Abyssthebrand

Image Credits
Photographer: @Prod_KM Models: @blueizthecolor @_.naohmi @Prepossessinggg @theimanisimone @jmanutawiah