Hidden Gems: Meet Briana Hamilton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Briana Hamilton.

Hi Briana, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am 32 years old, and I am the Founder, Owner, and Creator of Sacred Writings Clothing Company, Embody the Sacred Writings of God™. In Habakkuk 2:2, a part of it says, “And the Lord answered me, and said write the vision, and make it plain.” That is exactly what I did. I was working on a separate project at the time and I would hear, “You Do It”. I’m like, Do what? Then out of nowhere over the next few days, I believe God started dropping ideas in my heart. Immediately, I started sketching and getting all the ideas on paper. It was kind of scary at first because I’ve never been one to believe in my work or really see it through until now. I reached out to a few friends about what I thought was a crazy idea at the time, and they all said: “DO IT!”. One of my friends reminded me that if God has given you a vision or an idea, to be proactive about it because if not, God will give it to someone else.

Now, how many times has God dropped a vision or an idea on your heart, and you just let it sit never put to use or in action? Then one day you look up, and that same vision is being fulfilled by someone else. C’mon somebody… Be honest. We’ve all been there. I knew I didn’t want that to be me this time around. Once I knew I was going to fully step out on faith to start the clothing line, I started my researching on how to start a clothing line. A friend suggested that I educate myself on how to start a successful e-commerce business as well. I did in depth research, held focus groups with my family and friends, received a lot of feedback, and found the best quality apparel for the brand. This all pushed the birth of the collection. A name means everything. I started asking God for a name, and He replied with Sacred Writings. I researched the words Sacred Writings, and they are the sacred words of God, and the word sacred means “to be connected with God”. Sacred Writings Clothing Company wants to do exactly that, embody the sacred writings of God, and stay connected with Him. Every idea was all God. I noticed sometimes He would show me various things such as scriptures, colors, and concepts to use to translate through design to spread His word to all ages.

I have a background in graphic design, so using that skill helped me to creatively convey my message. I started sketching designs and based on the sketches, I moved to digital mockups, and finally, onto production. The feeling one gets when you see something you simply had an idea about being produced is indescribable. God truly works in mysterious ways. All the designs are made to encourage, remind, and bless you in your daily walk with God. October 12th, 2020 at 9:00pm, I officially launched the website for Sacred Writings Clothing Co. To hit that “Live” button was confirmation that “I DID IT!”, and a quick realization that my journey was just beginning. My hope and prayer is that you are blessed and continue to spread God’s Sacred Writings.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth ride. Like the saying goes, Nothing worth having comes easy. I had a lot of late nights where I shed a lot of tears because I was doubting the ideas, designs and if anyone would support my vision and message. Three main the struggles I faced along the way were:

1. Securing my business name. I wanted to make sure no one had my business name, domain name, and social media name. I would tell anyone who is serious about their business always secure your business name first. If you can afford it go all the way and Trademark your business name. I would recommend reaching out to Kyona McGhee at Trademark My Stuff.

2. Setting my prices. I spent days and weeks researching how to price my product. I had to decide if I wanted to make it affordable for all or understand with quality comes a price. I also held focus groups with different age groups, and my question was simple How much would you pay for this. I would allow them to feel the material, and some even did test wears. The hardest part with this was the prices varied depending on if the consumer was an avid shopper or not, and being an ecommerce business if I was going to have free shipping or not. Eventually, I was able to finalize the pricing and shipping which was a blessing.

3. Marketing. I went back and forth on how I wanted to market my faith-based clothing line. Questions I constantly asked myself were, Who do you want to represent the brand? (i.e.: how do you want the models to look so the customer will be able to relate) And how do you plan on conveying the message?

These questions weren’t easy to answer but with a lot of prayer and advice, I was able to.

As you know, we’re big fans of Sacred Writings Clothing Co.  For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Sacred Writings Clothing Clothing Co. provides high quality and comfortable faith based clothing. Our message is simple, We encourage all to embody the Sacred Writings of God and stay connected to Him. Currently, we provide unisex clothing for Men, Women, Kids, and Youth. All of our apparel from the T-shirts to the Hoodies are all pre-shrunk to minimize shrinkage. I believe we will be known for our simplicity and quality apparel. One thing that sets us apart from other brands is the way we convey our message. Some of the designs are easy to understand, while other designs are more of if you know then you know, and if not you are going to want to know. Even if you are not big on faith, Christianity, or believing in a higher power my hope is that the designs encourage anyone to feel comfortable with embodying the collection or even drawing one closer to God. One thing I’m most proud of brand-wise is although I target an audience between 16-34, I have noticed an older target audience take interest in the brand and designs as well… A lot of my designs can be worn by a variety of age groups. My goal is for everyone no matter what age to embody the Sacred Writings. No matter if you are an avid church goer or have your own way of expressing your faith. I hope my designs help you find comfort in doing so.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I don’t believe in luck. I believe in faith. I believe that my faith has been tested both in life and in starting my business. The test of faith in life for me was believing and trusting that God would provide all my needs to be able to maintain in the midst of pandemic and direct my path. The test of faith in business came with believing that He would put the right people in my path to help me get where I am now, and believing him to provide the right resources as well. It hasn’t been easy because things or people that I thought I needed to be successful in life and in business was God’s way to me saying, don’t rely on things or people but trust and put your faith in me that a way will be provided. It was as simple as not having access to certain things or people not being able to see what I saw for the brand. I had to stop worrying about what was out of my control, and focus on the vision and have faith that my brand will be able to connect with right people.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.sacredwritingsclothing.com
• Instagram: @thewrtgs
• Facebook: The Writings Collection

Image Credits
Photoshoot Photographer: Philicia Photographer