Today we’d like to introduce you to Latif Hamilton.
Hi Latif, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Being an entrepreneur has been what seems like a lifelong quest, but the foundation for SpiritHoods really began while I was in college in the early 2000’s. While attending University of Oregon, I studied Japanese and Business and found myself deeply fascinated by the entrepreneurship classes that were part of the curriculum. The opportunity for creativity and the idea of building something that could potentially impact a community of people as well as provide me with financial freedom and the opportunity for leadership was something I couldn’t ignore – regardless of the odds. I have always admired the brave people that walk the path of creativity and the act of creating as a whole, but I had minimal opportunities to pursue it in my early years. I was given the responsibility of caring for my disabled father at a very young age, so the appeal of being in control of the direction of my life became incredibly strong.
Anxious to try my hand at entrepreneurship, after graduating from college, I launched a residential and commercial remodeling company with a close friend and mentor. It wasn’t a glamorous business, but it was a great place to learn and experience the real nature of business firsthand. My mentor had a decade of experience in the field and had successfully run his own business. For five years, I learned the art of the “tin man” sale and how to sell high ticket items to complete strangers alongside everything else that goes into running a small company.
Eventually though, the desire to move into something more creative and heart-centered took hold of me and my search for a creative business began. I pondered a lot of fields of personal interest. I read books like “The 4-Hour Workweek” and “Think and Grow Rich” and came up with all sorts of ideas for my next company. Initially, I followed the advice of Tim Ferris and thought of products that could be sold for more than $50 and that were in my “zone of expertise.” Truthfully, I think since my first company lacked the degree of creativity I really craved, when I decided to venture off into the unknown of the next “big thing,” I went all in. I unwittingly swung the pendulum to something vastly more creative and vastly more unstable, but with the power to grow and make an impact. It was like getting out of a relationship with an accountant and getting into one with a rock star. Haha! And it was definitely the right choice.
SpiritHoods initially began as a collaborative headwear concept between myself, my adoptive brother, Marley Marotta, and a third partner (who later exited the company). The idea was to create unique, faux fur headwear that allowed people to express a bit of their wild side, connect them to the majesty of the animal kingdom and to support our beloved, endangered species. The original SpiritHood was inspired by adventures at Burning Man. The response we received from playing around with our first prototypes was extremely positive and led to some wild experiences. We realized quickly that we had created something with unbelievable stopping power, and that was going to be the key to our success. We also understood early on that designing a unique product that could inspire and influence how people feel was the single most important pillar we could stand on as a company.
Today, SpiritHoods has expanded into a full range of animal-inspired products which include headwear, apparel and home goods. We focus on designing creative and self-expressive products that connect our customers with themselves, their community, and the animal kingdom. We donate 10 percent back to endangered species through our non-profit partners, and we are growing steadily!
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?
Being an entrepreneur has definitely had its challenges. When we made the decision to launch SpiritHoods, I knew there was potential for instability, but the rewards could be significant and impactful. We’ve had numerous struggles along the way including cash flow issues and financial challenges that almost put us under and operational issues that almost took us down. We have also had partnership disputes, knock-offs, production challenges and the list goes on and on. I have probably shaved a few years off my life having chosen this path, but it has been worth it!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m the CEO and lead designer of SpiritHoods and I’m incredibly proud of our design work. I LOVE designing animal-inspired everything. I love animals and I am forever inspired by nature. I paint my nails in animal prints, I wear animal-inspired jewelry and clothes, and the creative process of design from start to finish has my heart.
I’m also madly in love with creating content with my business partner, SpiritHoods Co-Founder Marley Marotta (who also happens to be my adoptive brother), and my wife, Sara Khan, who is our lead photographer. We do almost every campaign shoot together, and to be able to collaborate with family in content creation is such a blessing and so much fun.
Lastly, one of my greatest pleasures in my work is the fact that I get to design something from scratch, follow the process from conceptualization to completion, and then collaborate with my creative content team to create imagery and video that represents our brand. That has to be one of the greatest forms of satisfaction for me in my work.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
As a kid, creatively I always loved music and martial arts. My father put me into martial arts when I was six and I continued training throughout college. It helped me cultivate confidence in myself and gave me a supportive community that would also hold me accountable to my goals. To this day, training in some form of physical activity has been an integral part of my mental, emotional and physical health. Being raised by my father, who was a 100 percent disabled American Veteran and needed consistent support and care, I developed a real sense of compassion for those in the adaptive community at large. Training and physical activity felt like a form of respect for my father, and it became an intrinsic part of my life.
I also grew up reading and watching sci-fi and fantasy books and movies although music was my real passion. As a kid, I did everything with music playing in my ears! I was also obsessed with the outdoors and being in nature. I spent as much of my time as I could running around in nature including my backyard, which was largely undeveloped forest and fields. And, of course, I was obsessed with wildlife. I wore shirts with animals on the front, decorated my school notebooks with animal patterns and had tons of books and posters of panthers and other wild cats. I got the adoration of wild cats from my dad… He especially adored the big cats.
Pricing:
- Hoods range from $89-$159
- Coats range from $189-$399
- Throws range from $149-$279
- House Robes from $199-$219
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.spirithoods.com
- Instagram: @spirithoods
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/Spirithoods
- Twitter: @spirithoods
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHQPqgTJjZOX2SV0X-7RpJg
- Other: @Latifheart
Image Credits:
Sara Khan (@warriorandthegypsy)
