Meet Charlie Jim-George of CO/LAB in Downtown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlie Jim-George.

Charlie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Nigerian born and Oakland raised, I’d say I’m the a real representation of African American. My parents taught me tradition and respect while living in Oakland since the age of three months old taught me culture and resilience. These traits are the things I hold closest to my heart and what I attribute to who I am today.

From the beginning, I’ve always been into fashion but never thought I’d create my own brand. Basketball was my life growing up. I began playing in the 3rd grade, started dunking in the 6th, played varsity as a freshman in high school and went on play college hoops for a couple of years. But once I realized the NBA and overseas weren’t in the cards for me, I let that dream die and began to lean more into my creative side.

I got introduced to the Advertising industry not too long after college and became a Strategist, where I uncovered new ways for top brands to connect with culture and their audiences. Learning the ins and outs of branding, I fell in love with brand storytelling and the ability to build loyalty through product.

As I got deeper into my career and worked for multiple agencies, I came to the realization that one job meant one income, which also meant if at anytime my manager decided to let me go, I was one decision away from being broke. That propelled me to think outside of the traditional “9 to 5” mindset.

I wanted and needed my own thing. Something that I could control and grow, but I had no idea what it would be. While thinking of what my idea would be, I remembered two things I learned years ago — inventions and/or business ideas are usually something you are already familiar with and if I can spend $200 on shoes that won’t give me a return, I can invest $200 on an idea that has the capability of giving me my money back and then some. Hats have always been my staple so I attempted to make my own.

In the black community, hats symbolize more than just sports teams; it’s more of a flag. It can represent where you’re from, where you’re at, your favorite player, your favorite color, and more. I created CO/LAB to give people more ways to represent the teams they loved and the places that ultimately define them in a fresh new way.

Coming from Oakland, CA and living in Los Angeles the last ten years of my life, my very first design was about telling my own story and the two cities that defined me. Utilizing notable elements from Oakland and Los Angeles MLB teams, I wanted to create a hat that uniquely spoke to my experience. This birthed the LA’s hat, marrying details of the A’s, Dodgers and Angels into a single brand new logo. Expanding from just my story, I wanted to find creative ways to tell additional stories and build bonds between multiple cities and team logos that people could possibly connect with and enjoy through new logo designs and explorations.

Has it been a smooth road?
I won’t say it’s been easy, but it’s hasn’t been necessarily hard. It’s a mindset thing. Once I understood that the more energy I put in, the bigger return, I promised myself to always bet on myself first.

The hardest thing is feeling like I have to create every moment of the day. As a society, I think we’ve been groomed to believe if you’re not busy all the time, then you’re wasting time. I’ve had to unlearn that and give myself days a time to let life influence my creativity and not force things. That process has allowed so many new ideas to come to mind without stressing myself to think of the next best thing each day.

I also think “time” and “freedom” are underrated and have been my biggest blessing. Realizing how much time was spent focusing and building the next person’s dream made me carve out more time for self. How dare I sit 9-11 hours a day in an office and have the nerve to say I’m too tired to work for myself for a fraction of that time. Balance is key.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Apparel will always be around. Trends will come and go, but what I think is most important is that people are taking more risks and realizing they can do it too. In the past, people gravitated to a handful of brands, but today more people are showcasing their ideas and building their own audiences. It’s super refreshing and exciting.

In the past, phrases like “another t-shirt brand” or “everybody is making hats” would stop people from creating their own brands but that feels to be changing. Yes, there’s a lot of people making hats and apparel. But think about how many car companies there are; bread companies, water brands. Literally, everybody is doing everything. Just because somebody is in the same field, doesn’t mean it’s the same as yours. I try to keep my why top of mind and that alone naturally differentiates CO/LAB. No better, no worst, just uniquely its own thing. I think that same mindset can work for all brands.

At the end of the day, everybody should have something they can call theirs. Something that excites them each day and that can’t be taken away from them no matter the circumstances. CO/LAB is my excitement and I’m honored that it’s been able to share my excitement with the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: COLABPROJECT.CO
• Email: charlie@colabproject.co
• Instagram: @COLABPROJECT / @KEEPITCHARLIE

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