Sophomore psychology major Shayla Miles launched her own clothing line, Hustlas Mentality, on Feb. 14. On Feb. 17, only four days after the launch, Miles said that she sold out.
The idea for the design comes from a certain mentality of hers, according to Miles. She said that behind the name of the company is the idea that if there is something someone wants to do, then they have to go get it.
“Ever since I was younger, I wanted to produce clothes and make people feel good about themselves in a different way,” Miles said. “You have to have that mentality to go do it… whether that’s starting a hair business, doing nails or lashes. A mentality to grind and do it.”
Miles said she has been working on this clothing line since November 2019. One day after work, Miles said she had the realization that she was tired of working for people, and her sister suggested that she start a business.
According to Miles, in order to start her business she needed to obtain her Limited Liability Company. An LLC is the simplest way to structure a business to protect personal assets, according to howtostartanllc.com. Having an LLC makes a business more credible and according to How to start an LLC’s website, it also protects the business from lawsuits and other legal actions.
“It took me three hours. I came up with the idea and paid for my LLC and the whole month of November I was thinking of things I could do,” Miles said. “When January came… I was like, ‘Okay, I got it, I know what I’m going to do.’”
Miles said that everything was finalized in January this year, and she decided February was when she would launch the line.
“It was the perfect time because it’s the perfect gift for anyone, males or females, because of the colorplay in my logo,” Miles said.
While pursuing a degree in psychology, Miles said that it has been helpful in creating her business. According to Miles, it has helped her because she understands the psychology behind how people think and what is going to sell.
“Because of color play and how people wear the clothes… the people I target with my shirts and my logo, I know people are going to buy it because of the colors,” Miles said. “Psychology has helped me put everything together.”
While this is only the beginning for Hustlas Mentality, she said that she has learned a lot from this first drop.
“Right now I’m currently working on a website, so everybody can just go through the website and do it that way and I can just ship packages out,” Miles said.
She has high expectations for the growth of her business, and now that it is growing, Miles can expand her products to more than just shirts. A customer of hers, Bishr Jones said she found out about her products through Instagram.
“I am definitely looking forward to what she has in store, I have even been keeping up with her through Instagram as she keeps her supporters updated,” Jones said.
Miles said that her family and friends are proud of her for what she has done up to this point and she hopes that the company will continue to expand.
“It’s uplifted me in a way that I can’t explain,” Miles said. “It felt so good to release a clothing line during Black History Month.”
https://www.instagram.com/hustlasmentalityllc/
