Meet Brittney Calhoun of CalhounnuohlaC in South Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittney Calhoun.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Brittney. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Growing up, I was fortunate to have a grandmother who was all things fabulous. She taught me to sew at a very young age. I remember making outfits for my cats out of my church socks with the ruffles around the ankles and getting in trouble because those were my good socks. Lol! Fashion design has always been in my blood. Fast forward, I would definitely say it was high school, where I found my passion and talent. High school is when life started to get serious and so did my outlook on everything. I started learning more about designers that actually made a living off of fashion and from there I did more and more research and figured that was the life for me. I have to thank my Sewing teacher, Ms. Vivian Laidley, may she rest in peace for her brilliant mind and direction. She taught me how to use an industrial machine and work with different fabric. I owe a lot to this lady. Over the years of my high school career, I landed myself in many sewing competitions and worked my way up to being the president of the sewing club that I had been in for the last 4 years. I had a whole class behind me and was thrilled. I got the chance to compete against schools from all across the nation and I ended up placing 4th which was a huge deal to me as I was 1 of 5 black kids there out of hundreds, but the only African American to place in the Top 10.

On the bus ride home from the competition, a friend was telling me how her Mother died of a drug overdose when she was 13. I come from a single parent home where my mother struggled with substance abuse. She still struggles to this day. I use to be extremely embarrassed to speak about it growing up. I was ashamed. I didn’t want people to judge me or anyone around me, so for my whole life, I pretty much kept it a deep dark secret. I couldn’t imagine losing my mom to an overdose. Since then it’s been one of my greatest fears. That conversation was one that stuck with me since then. That day, I found out I wasn’t alone and I decided to do something about it, or at least try. I started to realized just how much drugs were being imported into my community, by people I considered Loved ones and friends. Not only that. But I also started to open my eyes to the abundant amount of liquor stores we had access to. Most only within a few blocks of each other. A few were directly across the street from one another. It was the pain that inspired me. That and my fear of losing my mom to the streets.

Exactly 2 weeks after graduating from high school in 2010, I started my first courses at my new Private college, the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in Downtown Los Angeles. After two years of attendance, I graduated with so much knowledge about how the fashion works, fabrications, trims, sourcing, 21st Century designers, pattern drafting, color theories, dying fabrics and more along with my Associates of Arts degree in Merchandise Product Development in 2012. After a few months with my degree, I was ready to take on the corporate workforce. March 2013, I started my first corporate job as a Productions Assistant at Bebe Inc. A year later after getting hands-on experience with the production side of the industry, I decided to take further advantage of my love for raw denim that initially sparked back in high school. I loved the fabric from the very first time I had sewn with it. I loved its versatility. After I learned how to distress it, I became very excited and decided it was time to take my passion to the next level and start making sellable pieces. I had mixed emotions about starting my own brand because I was nervous that not many people would share my same love for my vision, and/or maybe they wouldn’t understand the direction I was going in, but that’s also what drove me to get over my fear and own that dream and that total creative control over a brand I could call my own. Although I was ready to create my fashion brand, I needed to create a solution in which both of my passions could co-exist. My passion for Fashion as well as my passion for Drug Abuse awareness and Alcohol addiction prevention.

I spent a little over 4 years at Bebe communicating with vendors from China, Vietnam, India, and Mexico. I gained too many useful connects and resources working at Bebe which equipped me with the knowledge on how to create my own cut and sew line. I decided to bridge the two worlds. I got the idea from my real unfiltered everyday life. I come from drug and alcohol addiction abuse, so I know firsthand the reality of living a life that drugs and alcohol have infested in one way or another. I had to figure out a way to bring awareness and make preventive solutions, something that would grab people’s attention and CREATE an interest in regards to Drug & Alcohol addiction. Fashion has been a passion of mines since my Barbie days! It was something that was fun and kept my mind-expanding in a positive direction. Fashion is ALWAYS in your face, no matter where you are. It’s one of those things that’s an inevitable attention grabber, whether you like it or dislike it, you’re going to notice. That’s when I got the idea to merge the two for the greater good. By doing this I was able to spearhead the purpose and give birth to the CälhounnuohläC brand in 2014.

My brand represents “The War on Drugs” from a completely diverse and innovative standpoint, the fashion industry.

I was able to design and manifest my first pair of denim jeans that were manufactured in Bangladesh. Alongside designing, I began to revamp and upcycle vintage denim garments. These pieces lived in a subdivision within my brand called “#ProjectDenimRehab.” #ProjectDenimRehab was a segment in which individuals are able to submit old, new, used, destroyed, etc., jean garments to be revamped; be it distressing, waxing, reconstructing, etc. #ProjectDenimRehab is the place to give your jeans a 2nd chance, send them to Rehab.

I began to feel that the cause of my brand wasn’t getting enough attention. October 2016, I decided to be bold and kick off the “Phuck Yo Drugs” campaign with t-shirts that were strictly about the cause and the cause only. I knew this was a sure way to grab everyone’s attention and that’s exactly what it did! I have to say out of all of the pieces I’ve designed over the years, those t-shirts were my favorite. Those t-shirts sparked more conversation than any piece I’ve done. They were conversation starters. I met tons of people in my same situation, as well as people who were in the battle themselves! With the help of a friend “Gabriella Layne, Creator/Founder of StrutGlamLane,’ for last year’s campaign, I was able to take the campaign to the next level by interviewing recovering addicts, drug rehab counselors and individuals like myself who have been indirectly affected by Drug and Alcohol abuse. This year I’m also teaming up with “a Step to Freedom,” which is a recovery home for adult males who are transitioning into their new life after drugs. I’m excited to be working with them one on one and doing my part in the war on drugs.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has NOT been a smooth road. Many many, obstacles have come up against me. Two of the most major I would have to say was dealing and understanding my mother’s addiction as well as trying to live out my dream while working my 9 to 5 at Bebe. All of my other obstacles were like cake walks. these were the two that would make or break me.

Since I was a child, my mother has been a victim of drug abuse and alcohol addiction. I’ve watched her complete many success rehabilitation programs, all life-changing. I’ve been her beat her addiction time and time again only to fall back to her abyss because SHE wasn’t really ready. The thing to remember is, you can offer an addict a lifetime full of help, but it takes them to truly decide that’s the type of change they want for their lives. If they DON’T want to change, they won’t. They have to have that decision made up in there minds and heart that they honestly no longer want to live in that circumstance anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that the Rehab’s don’t work, but it works for those who want it to work for them. For example, wanting to lose weight, we ALL have been here before. You can say you want to lose weight every hour and second of the day but until you put action behind it, your words are just words. We’ve all come up against that moment where we say “Okay today is the day! Starting today, I’m going to eat healthily and work out. and we a set goal for ourselves right? Only to be on your way home from work one evening starving out of your mind because you probably worked late and as we pass the McDonalds around the corner from our house we start to think, “dang! I can grab this quick McDonalds meal and go home and sleep or I can eat my chicken salad like I said I was going to do. So, now your stuck going back and forth with your self about what you want to do for dinner tonight, even though you already made the commitment to yourself to eat healthier to drop those extra pounds. The McDonalds will TASTE good to you, but the chicken salad will BE good for you. Addict’s go through this same kind of thinking every day. Trying to get a handle on their cravings. This is why I said before if they are NOT ready, they will fall back into that addiction.

I’ve watched my mom my whole life struggle on and off with her addiction. It’s traumatizing, It’s annoying, It’s depressing, and it’ll make you want to give up on yourself. Imagine having a parent disappear for weeks, months somethings while you’re trying to spearhead your dream. It’s extremely easy to get distracted by your thoughts. You’re constantly wondering, “where are they? Are they okay? Are they safe? Have they eaten? Who’s with them? Whyyyyyy? Where at they sleeping? Are they still alive.” And before you know it, you’re no longer in the mood to be creative or get work done. You don’t want to want TV, eat or hang out with your friends. Your heart is heart and you just want to stay curled up in a ball until they return. but that could take WEEKS! I had to make up my mind that her circumstances, we’re not my own. I had to realize that although this is my mom and we will forever be attached spiritually and emotionally through birth, that we were two entirely different being living different lives, and I couldn’t let her life dictate mine. I learned to channel my sadness for a higher frequency. I had to learn to put everything into perspective. I stopped feeling bad for myself when the thought “maybe I’m going through this so I can be able to help someone else” came to mind. A new perspective was born. I remember being in one of my darkest places when that thought came to mind but it actually freed me from myself. It opened me up to new possibilities and ideas. Whenever I want to give up, which isn’t often or I forget why I’m doing what I do, I think about my younger self who used to cry on the floor of a dark closet to release my pain and sadness caused by Drugs and Alcohol. Thank’s to endless creative outlets I don’t have to do that anymore. Creativity is now my release. I learned how to turn my emotions into relatable art. I have a deep gratitude for creativity. I feel that if I stop now, I would be doing myself and the Drug Community disservice. I’m thankful to be able to use my fears to fuel my passion. Amazing things happen when you changed your perspective.

Why was my 9 to 5 an obstacle? Because I was living someone else dreams and not my own. I do understand that we all have to start somewhere, but after 4 years without a promotion and $0.25 raises every year you begin to reconsider why you joined the industry to begin. Not to mention having to sit in hour and a half traffic just to get to work, then working 8hrs, and having to sit in that same hour and a half traffic again just to get home late, tired as ever and only having just enough time to grab a bite to eat, shower and head off to sleep because in a few hours you gotta repeat the same process all over again and weekends were never long enough. Of course, you get inspiration from the outside world, but when did you have time to execute?

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about CalhounnuohlaC – what should we know?
As mentioned prior, my brand represents “The War on Drugs” from a completely diverse and innovative standpoint, the fashion industry. I took all the things for myself, I put makeup on myself and handed my soul over to the urban community to serve a purpose through creativity. Free spirits and divine energies alike that celebrate a boho-inspired, joy driven, health-conscious lifestyle, align to fight the war on drugs. My brand represents love for mankind.

I manage everything within the CälhounnuohläC brand! Seems like a bit much, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m learning the different ways that I like to do things and what works best for me so I’ll be able to teach an intern or employee exactly how I want things to go. We especially in all things Gypsy as well as Boho denim. We are definitely known for our eclectic designs and fighting for a brighter tomorrow in the drug communities.

I am most proud of the cause behind the brand. I love making people feel good about themselves through fashion, but if I can save lives and let someone know they’re not alone in the drug abuse and alcohol addiction struggle then that’s a home run for me.

What set’s us apart is our mission. Drug abuse and alcohol addiction are in no way glamorous topics. Nobody wants to discuss this. I feel like the objective to prevent drugs got swept under a rug somewhere. So, we decided to bring it back to the forefront and remind people just how serious these things are. We’re offering solutions to the community, we’re creating outlets and safe places for family members and friends of the abuser to talk and express themselves. We’re providing a hope.

The brand has come a long way! I’m investing more of my finances and time and the return isn’t always what I expect but I wouldn’t change a thing. My heart is full.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Belief. I had to put belief in my heart, I had to believe my mother could change. I had to believe I could change lives. I had to believe that my brand would help multitudes of people struggling. I had to believe in myself! Belief! It’s the strongest energy. It’s the ultimate. Accepting that a statement is true or something exists or that something will come to fruition. Belief is the most important. It helped me out a lot of things into perspective. I’ve very spiritual and belief is a key principle in any faith. You can manifest ANY and EVERYTHING you want as long and you honestly and truly believe it to be so in your heart. All of my belief got me to where I am now.

Pricing:

• Blouses & T-Shirts – ($12 – $35)
• Bottoms – ($28 – $55)
• Jumpsuits and Dresses – ($30 – $60)
• Cardigans & Dusters – ($22 – $60)
• Jeans – $30+
• Accessories & Hand Bags- ($7 – $45)

Contact Info:

• Address: Crenshaw District & Leimert Park
  Los Angeles, CA 90043
• Website: www.calhounnuohlac.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @CalhounnuohlaC
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalhounnuohlaC/

Image Credit:
Diane Marie, Cleonna Moore, Ventage, Fanta Diop

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