Meet SEYDOU MAIGA: Fashion Designer, Entertainer, & Entrepreneur

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

Hi SEYDOU, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk-taking is everything when you choose a career out of society’s understandings. The usual is to get a degree and find a job to work for, for the rest of your life. I decided at a young age that I wanted change to be a constant thing in my life. I see my clothing brand as a start to that change. Creating a business is very risky and adventurous, and you have to have the drive to never let failures determine if you’re good enough or not. When I started the brand, there were ups and downs just like any other career, but you get past them in order to get to the good days. From my perspective, life without risk is a life lived sitting on the bench instead of on the court playing with the big guys. When is the last time you saw your role model not take a risk on dreams they intended to pursue? Never. Like my clothing brand’s pursuit, dreams only happen when an idea is drawn out and created to form the risks needed for those dreams to become a reality. Many people, even the people you love the most, will question your ability to do anything when it is out of reach of their own hands. Blocking out the noise is the most significant risk needed to achieve those far-fetched dreams. If you want to be different, and you want to succeed, you need risk to be a priority in your life. Risk will allow you to fail, which will enable you to learn from those failures and be a better dream chaser. The brand is made to show people that being different than the rest is great, and things are possible when you have the right intentions and a driven mindset.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The brand has opened many doors from the beginning till now. The message that leads for the brand is, the real version of yourself lasts longer than the fake one. I came up with this by really looking into society and getting a closer look into what people view themselves as. I want my brand to be a light that shines on people in their darkest times. Many people go through dark days, which was the name of my last collection. In doing that, I wanted to show that yes, people have the days where terrible things happen to them, and it seems like the negativity never ends, but in reality, positivity never ends either; negativity finds its way through the door. In each collection I come up with, I try to bring a different message to the pieces every time. It was not easy to find a balance that worked for me as a creator and entrepreneur. There were always challenging times where I would rarely get a sale on any of my collections. I continued dropping them regardless of the numbers because I could see the bigger picture. When you have nothing to lose, the sky is the limit, and that’s all I saw, the sky. One major lesson I have learned through my journey is that people love to see you at the finish line, but they do not want to see you run the rest of the track. When I created the brand, I had no idea that I would encounter people who did not believe in my ability to succeed. You quickly learn that you have to be willing to sacrifice in order to get to those successes. The brand has given me a platform to inspire and create, which are two things I love to do. I want the world to know that this clothing brand is different than the stores you regularly shop at. With the different collections and the unique designs, your old wardrobe will be jealous of the new fits taking up your closet space. As an entrepreneur and entertainer, my brand will be coming out with multiple other ways to show our message and expand as creators; whether through videos, photos, or short films to portray them. I will be coming out with different entertainment streams, so get ready for SEYYWAY entertainment; you won’t be disappointed.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
One of my favorite spots in the city would have to be the beltline; it is very lively and full of interesting people. I would definitely take someone to get an Açaí bowl from Playa bowls belt line; their bowls are amazing. But if I wanted to really show people around a town, I would take them the Marietta, Georgia, where I grew up, shout out to my city. In Marietta, I would most likely take someone to eat at the restaurant Grub or the American Deli on powers ferry. Another exciting thing to check out in Atlanta would be the Georgia Aquarium. I have been there many times, and it feels different every time. The energy there is excellent, and the animals there are astonishing.

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?
Having a solid unit of people around you is one of the hardest things to find when you are on a mission. Being able to say I am blessed enough to have great individuals in my corner means the world to me. Starting from my parents, giving me the best support I could ask for. They believe in my ability to do great things with SEYYWAY streetwear. They are as passionate as I am about building a community of positivity and taking the brand to greater heights. Many people cannot say their parents support them with the decisions they make about their life, but I am blessed to say mine trust the visions I create and know the sky is the limit for the creations I have in mind. Furthermore, my sister and two brothers are a big part of my success. They empower my ability to push the brand to be better after each and every collection. They give me hope when failures occur, and they keep me grounded when success is around. My relationship with my siblings is very tight. It allows my vision for whatever I do to be stronger because I know I have them in my corner. My girlfriend and her family have been there from the jump. Her and her parents have believed in the brand’s message from the start. You cannot do everything by yourself; there is always the help of others. Finding a solid unit of driven individuals will help your dreams become a reality. The prominent people you give your time to is where your mentality will come from. You cannot let your goals be compromised by individuals who do not have a passionate mindset like yours. I am blessed to have my parents, siblings, girlfriend, and her parents there to support my creative ideas.

Website: seyyway.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sm.seyy/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/smseyy