thetremag
“A lot of smaller brands are growing and that’s the amazing part about this pandemic is that we are paying more attention to people and their creations or stories.”
A CHAT WITH A YOUNG POWERHOUSE ENTREPRENEUR
DESIGNER: Adonis King Collection by Adonis King
MODEL(S): Azia Armand, Ahmad Waddel, Elodie Tusac, Cole Van Ness
MODEL MGMT: Revalushion Management
PHOTOGRAPHY: Eddy Enriquez
Thank you for taking some time to chat with us as we know you have a very busy schedule! Let’s get started, shall we?
Adonis King….where does that name come from?
My real name is Elijah Harris, but so many people have the name Elijah that it’s just not unique anymore. I have always loved greek mythology stories and movies growing up. Adonis is my ego name and I just added King to the end of it. Adonis is a greek God of beauty and I do believe I’m beautiful.
We have seen your designs featured in NYFW on Times Square Billboard. What is it like seeing your designs on that platform?
Seeing my designs on the Time Square Billboard was a dream come true for me, and showed me that I can do anything I put my mind to. I have always dreamed of seeing my designs on a bigger platform such as the billboard where everyone can see the brand the way I do. I have to thank everyone that was a part of the billboard shoot because the models and production team worked around the clock on it. It was definitely long hours put into that video/photoshoot but the finish project looked amazing. Adonis King Collection is definitely planning to launch another campaign for 2021.
Where do you draw inspiration for your designs from?
A lot of the inspiration for my designs honestly come from my personal style. I love over the top and racy garments that make people talk about it. That’s how I see fashion, everyone should have that one piece in their closet that starts a conversation. Fashion is supposed to be fun and make people want to dress up. I believe fashion can honestly help move people out of their comfort zone.
As a creative, what are your thoughts on this pandemic and how it has affected the creative industry?
I have seen so many fashion businesses go away from this pandemic because they wasn’t able to hold on any longer, I am so lucky to still have the Adonis King Collection brand because at one time I felt like no one was understanding my style and what i was creating, but I am happy I didn’t give up. I believe you have to go through something bad or troubling in order to learn how strong you can become. The pandemic showed everyone that you don’t need to have the big budgets or expensive set ups to be creative and make noise. That’s how you know you are a real designer.
What is the bad and the good that you have seen come out of this world event?
I like to focus on the good because it’s already bad enough in the world. So the good thing is that we have seen new businesses being developed and customers are actually paying attention to what they are buying and who they are buying from. A lot of smaller brands are growing and that’s the amazing part about this pandemic is that we are paying more attention to people and their creations or stories. A lot of fashion brands are also re-thinking how they do business, some brands are incorporating more tech into their stores or websites and finding affordable and better ways to run their company.
We understand that you are now spearheading a tech company….what made you take that particular industry to pivot into ?
Yes, it’s called Virtual X and we just created Virtual X Pro which is the world’s first self-serve cloud based platform that creates shoppable virtual in store experiences through web, mobile, and VR. Virtual X Pro is a platform devoted to building a 3D community through VR technology within reach of individuals and companies. We have a whole team that has been working around the clock on new designs and amazing creative ideas for the future.
Can you tell us some more of that company and what has been the response so far?
The problem is that big companies are spending billions of dollars in digital marketing to gain traffic to their store or websites. The COVID-19 crisis has impacted consumer behavior by forcing consumers to shop at home. This is a huge burden to brick and mortar retailers. Brick and mortar retailers and E-commerce sites need to find more ways to convince customers to purchase their products online. Consumers have become more aware of sustainability through their own personal values, which retailers are struggling with adoption and affordability of consumer’s expectations.
Finally, what are your plans for 2021?
My plans for 2021 are to keep working on the Adonis King Collection brand, reshaping it and growing it, then work super hard on Virtual X because so many new and old companies need this platform to keep moving forward into the future.
