Community Highlights: Meet Nam Ho of Oh Man! Clothing

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nam Ho.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
When I was 16 years old, I received an internship at a tech company in my hometown, San Jose, CA. I spent my entire summer in a grey 8’x8′ cubicle entering accounting information and filing papers. About halfway through the summer, I witnessed a mass layoff happen and watched many of my adult colleagues leave the company. It was at that moment that I decided I would not leave my fate in the hands of others. I spent the rest of my summer in my cubicle researching how to start a clothing company, learning different embellishment techniques, and reading up on the differences between various fabrics. One year later, I took the money that I saved up from my internship and launched my brand, Oh Man! Clothing.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I think the path of being both an entrepreneur and a creative is one of the hardest and most grueling paths to take. This road is not linear, and oftentimes, it takes you all over the place. You are constantly trying to find the balance between expressing yourself wholeheartedly through your art while still creating a profitable business. One thing I have learned over the years is that the longevity of your creative business comes from understanding that your career is a marathon and not a sprint. You always have to try your hardest, but you also have to understand that the finish line may not come as fast as you may think. It may take months or years, but it is important to remember to always stay the course.

We’ve been impressed with Oh Man! Clothing, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a spiritual lifestyle/streetwear brand dedicated to awakening each other through peace and good energy. Our goal is to create timeless clothing that will last a lifetime in your wardrobe while passing on enlightening thoughts and lessons that have helped our own spiritual growth along the way. We are eternally grateful that we are still able to do this 12 years later.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Happiness and freedom matter the most to me. Being able to live my life without unwanted constraints while creating something that is fulfilling is one of the most important things to me. To me, there is no better feeling than making a vision come to life and being so happy with the result. At the same time, it also means having the opportunity to create freely while being able to balance the other joys of life outside of your career. It is a feeling I wish for anyone reading this to experience.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: ohmanclothing.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/ohmanclothing
• Facebook: facebook.com/ohmanclothing
• SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/ohmansound

Image Credits
All photos shot by Raymond Eugenio, Alister Mori, and Nam Ho.