Community Highlights: Meet Dequan Brown of Respect Da Living Clothing

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dequan Brown.

Hi Dequan, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am born and raised in Orange County, California. With a Los Angeles influence due to my parents being from the Los Angeles area which led me to grow up and experience different things such as Los Angeles foods, famous locations, etc. I have always had a love for streetwear and wanting to be a business owner as a kid. I did not grow up well off, but I did not grow up poor either. I have been blessed to experience things and I have been through struggles that helped shape me into the person with the mindset that I have today. I started the brand around the end of 2015 to the beginning of 2016 while I was going to community college. I created a few designs and shortly after I got the garments made, then I wore it to school the following week and the amount of attention I received surpassed my expectations.

After I made my decision to take the last of my financial aid money and decided to get multiple pieces made of the gear that I wore to school along with business cards. I began passing out the cards and ended up selling out of the gear in less than a month. Restocked on the same gear and sold out again in less than a month. Therefore, I knew I had something on my hands because of the support I was receiving. I started up a small team and had many great experiences. I am truly thankful for what they contributed. Fast forward to 2023, RDL has been blessed to experience things that take years to accomplish such as being invited to a Streetwear by a multi-million dollar brand owner that was hosted by Google plus. I am grateful for all of the growing support and look forward to what the future has in store for the brand.

Lastly, our overall mission for the brand is to truly inspire people from all different backgrounds. Showing the people that you can create the life you WANT to live versus the life you HAVE to live because there is a difference. Every time a supporter buys a product from the brand, I want them to know they are supporting a brand that was created by someone not too much different from them. Gone through similar struggles that can be relatable on many levels but if I can create a successful foundation that others can benefit from then so can the next person that has a similar upbringing. Thank you VoyageLA for selecting my brand and allowing me to share my story.

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?
I have had many struggles with running the brand. Trying to balance personal life, a 9-5 job and building a full streetwear brand. I have had my car broken into and stolen my gear from my trunk. Also, being laid off from jobs due to the pandemic. A lot of false promises while trying to balance everything has been a true mental/physical challenge.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Respect Da Living Clothing?
RDL Clothing is an urban streetwear brand based out of Orange County, California. Our logos and graphics come from the interests of modern & old school streetwear, hip hop, bootleg fashion, sports and overall urban culture.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Over the years there have been numerous risks that have been taken. Every risk has been worth it because whether it worked in my favor or not, I still made sure to take the lesson & grow from it. I would definitely consider myself a risk taker and being a risk taker is a huge quality when it comes to being a successful person in life. One of my biggest risks was when I used my last financial aid money to create the garments, also I take a risk every time a new product comes out because I am not sure if people will take favor to it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @rdlclothing_

Image Credits
Iamtylerkendall