Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Dawson.
Eric, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Born and raised in West L.A.. Growing up, I always had a huge imagination. So much of my upbringing was centered around video games, cartoons, comic books & music. I used to hand draw a lot in middle school, after high school I went to college without clearly knowing what I wanted to do. During that time, I was one of the go to people to create party flyers for the college parties. At that time, I had a friend that worked at one of those Custom T-shirt stands you would see in the middle of the mall. As those college parties would approach, I would always go over there and make a custom T-Shirt for myself & for a few of my friends. Right there is where my love began for seeing my ideas on clothes.
Shortly after that, I dropped out of the college that I was currently attending. My best friend advised me to enroll in a school that specialized in Graphic Design. Three months later, I was taking classes at “The Academy of Entertainment and Technology”. There I was provided with a comprehensive and well-rounded education in Visual Arts, Graphic Design, and Animation.
Three years later I graduated, I had a few opportunities to do internships but I had my sights on creating my own Graphic Design Company. While offering my services as a freelance Graphic Designer, in between jobs I would brainstorm & draw ideas for clothes. Two years later, May 2019. L.A. NATIVES launched and would ultimately change my life.
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?
For me, my biggest struggle resided within myself. When you’re creating material that you feel is dope and it’s not getting recognized or received the way you want, self-doubt starts to creep in. I tell people all the time: “Believe in what you create” you have to be your first supporter and fan before anybody else. I always felt like
I was one idea away from creating something special. I just needed to continue to Work Hard & have Faith in what I was already doing.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Honestly, I think my Merch is very unique. I’m an 80’s baby to the core, so a lot of my clothes are rooted in my favorite things from my childhood. The L.A. Natives line in particular resonated well with the city because it was all slogans that us Natives felt deep down but never really addressed publicly. Once “L.A. Natives Far From Fake” took off, I figured I would do a series of L.A. slogans. Soon after the success of “L.A. Natives Far From Fake”, I dropped “No Parking in L.A.” & then “Stop Moving to L.A.”. One thing I’m most proud of brand-wise is how hard the city is supporting the Merch. I get Dm’s all the time from customers sharing stories with me, About them wearing my Merch around the city and how people have casually stopped them and ask where did they purchase their clothes from. Which is so dope to me because as a designer, you always want your Merch to be eye catching to the general public.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Whatever your passion is, you have to be resilient, you have to fight through the self-doubt that you’re ultimately going to experience. Especially when you’re creating alone, I’ve spent countless hours behind my computer, I have easily over 100 design ideas & slogans that will probably never see the light of day. In hindsight, all of those designs prepared me for where I am now. The most important characteristic to my success was following through on my ideas and having faith in what I was creating. Many nights I wanted to quit, but I persevered. I’m here strictly because of my dedication.
Aside from that, the other biggest thing I can contribute to my success is the people of L.A. Having their support first was so pivotal in my Merch taking off. To anyone who purchased, shared, inquired or promoted my Brand. THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I could never have anticipated this idea going this far. Every one of you had a helping hand in taking an idea and turning it into a Brand / Lifestyle. #LANATIVES
Contact Info:
- Website: sonnidesign.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sonnidesign
Image Credits:
Personal Photo please credit @pictureboi Picture #1 please credit Yessenia Marylou Picture #2 @pictureboi Picture #5 @Dncn_star Picture #6 Ayden Sweeney Picture #7 @ynoteee picture #8 @pictureboi Picture #9 @supremeteamla
