Rising Stars: Meet Anthony Dorris of Santa Clarita

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony Dorris

Hi Anthony, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
The intention behind my brand (ISOKEN) was inspired by a very small portion of black students at my middle school. It was hard to connect with some of the other students because they never understood the situations I was going through. Even though I had friends, I still felt like an outsider, I never felt like I fully belonged.

Towards the end of middle school covid hit and everything shutdown. During this time, there was so much division in our country and to a middle schooler it seemed as if the world was falling apart. From this feeling, an idea sparked. I was serious about it and I pushed to make it come to life. I wanted to form a community that would focus on creating unity rather than letting it vanish. No matter your circumstance and no matter the situations that were going on in your life, you would always be accepted and shown the love of Christ. You would belong.

This community strives to unify likeminded people who genuinely want to change the world. No matter the race, political belief, or even personal beliefs. ISOKEN is going to be the community that would help people realize that all of God’s children are unique, special, and are made in His image. The brand isn’t only to make clothes but, it’s meant to create a new wave of people that are striving for a better world through Christ.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road! I would say that anything in life is never easy but, I was ready for the challenge. One of the biggest challenges for me was figuring out how to even run a business. I started out by doing “trial drops” where I would make hoodies and tees and sell them to friends and family. This taught me how to effectively organize my process and navigate how I want to release collections. Im still tweaking and changing things because, I always want to continually learn.

Another barrier I had to get over was learning to not do everything myself. I would overwhelm myself because I felt like I had to keep quality control. I quickly realized that sometimes, people are better at certain things than I am! I had to learn to be okay with that and it made business a lot easier.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a graphic designer at heart but I also, video edit, take photos, and draw. I’m known for my designs and style. I have a very specific look and feel so, it’s easily recognizable to people. I’m most proud of the “image collection” that dropped for my brand last year. I took my time with every step of that collection and it was well received.

Everything I know has been self taught. I was a little kid in 2nd and 3rd grade editing on iMovie. I would sit for hours recreating the things I saw until I learned how to work the software. I’ve been blessed to have opportunities that have taught me so much more than I ever expected. I’ve worked as a sole creative director, conceptualizing, filming and editing for my churches youth conferences. For the past four years I’ve designed the conference merchandise, graphics, and social media content. I also get the opportunity to lead the creative team for our youth ministry. Teaching young student, creating content, and social media management.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Personal: anthonyidorris Business: isokenbyanthony

Image Credits
Pacific Hill Studio

Anthony Dorris