Senior Steven Adams kicked off his fashion career by reselling items from brands such as Off White, Supreme, and Bape, for profit, when he conceived the idea of founding his own clothing line. “Why sell other people’s clothes when I could simply create and sell my own?’’ he asked himself.

So in 2018, Adams created his clothing brand Split Personalities, with the goal of bringing together a diverse group of people with comfortable and stylish clothing.

His first move was to find a team to work with. “Creating a clothing line is easier said than done,” said Adams. He wanted someone with similar goals as him and is driven by their own differences. So, he recruited junior Jean-Marc Collins and senior Justin Upshaw to be part of his team.

Collins and Upshaw are also into fashion. “I’m a big fan of fashion because it gives people the creative freedom to stand out and feel confident in their appearance,” said Collins. Adams’ decision worked out perfectly, as the group began to start creating products such as hoodies, polo shirts, hats, phone cases, and other apparel and accessories. The brand’s clothes are inspired by “emotions we feel in the moment, or things in pop culture that we want to put our own twist on,” according to Upshaw.

Even with a team assembled, Adams and his partners still faced many challenges that delayed the success of Split Personalities. For one, since the brand is owned by three teenagers, nobody took them seriously at first.

With all of the doubt surrounding them, Adams and company began to question the brand’s feasibility. But they were so determined and confident about what they had, they persevered and realized that “there will always be people who hate you, but you can’t let that affect your grind.”

With that mindset, Split Personalities began to take off. “My hoodie is comfortable and good quality,” junior Kaitlyn Guerrero raved. Junior Alexa Ferguson added, “I love my hoodie. When I don’t feel like dressing up it’s perfect; even when I want to dress up it’s perfect as well.” The Split Personalities team is encouraged by the progress they have made, and the brand shows signs of growing even more, including snagging the opportunity to participate in the upcoming Fleak Market on May 10 in the atrium from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Make sure you come out and support your fellow Tigers!