Today we’d like to introduce you to Darrell Weaver.
Darrell, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
A few years back I freelanced for a clothing company called T.I.T.S a.k.a Two in the shirt, my roommate at the time was well known L.A photographer Willie T, who was also shooting and working with them as well. When T.I.T.S was on its way to closing the doors, one of the co-owners approached me about continuing the movement and creating a new brand so I said cool, but as time went on, other business opportunities came up for him, so I decided to go solo and continue it by myself. We already had all the equipment to start a company back up and with the help of my photographer buddies like Willie T, Casper Munoz, and MrStamps Johnson, we were able to get things back cracking fast and then became the birth of Melon Cakes Clothing. Originally it was just going to be called Cakes Clothing but my buddy Juan Ramirez was like what about the boobies lol you can’t leave out the Melon lovers, and then I said f**k it we will call it Melon Cakes then.
Has it been a smooth road?
We have had our ups and downs like any company does when we first started I was putting my personal money in the company as well as printing, designing, and shipping almost all the shirts single handily and trying to do business like that is not very smart lol. Eventually, my buddy Thomas Ramirez invested a decent amount of money in the company which helped us market and get some big name girls on shirts and a business partner from some of my previous adventures family helped us out with getting a digital printer and moving forward with becoming who we are today.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I see Melon Cakes becoming a household name in the next 5-10 years. We’ve already worked with a lot of big name girls in our industry and we plan to keep doing so. Fashion is always changing and we are not planning to chase the trends we are just going to keep providing our fans with an artistic view of some of their favorite models, dancers and adult stars and stick to the plan.
What has been the primary challenge you’ve faced?
The biggest challenge over the years for me is product promotion. Its was more of a challenge when we first started because when approaching influencers or celebrity’s you want to be able to offer the same or a better deal than your competitors but if your budget is not as high as theirs then it’s kind of hard to make moves, especially when you just want to give someone, for example, a rapper some gear and you can only afford to hook him or her up but your competitors are like we will hook them and their whole crew up plus pay them monthly its like damn and you can’t get mad because it’s all part of the industry.
What would you tell someone who is just starting out?
My advice is to learn from others mistakes. A lot of people think you have to run a business a certain way because of what they see other people doing, do what works for you, and use social media to your advantage.
Pricing:
- T-Shirts are usually $24-$30
- Socks and accessories range between $12-$20
Contact Info:
- Website: Meloncakes.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: IG @meloncakes
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meloncakesbrand
- Other: Twitter @meloncakes
Image Credit:
Photographers: Casper Munoz & Mike Cohen
