Designer of the Week: Brandford Kudowor

 Suc-cess: the fact of getting or achieving wealth, respect or fame. If this is what the world considers success, Merriam Webster might want to rethink its definition. 

When Brandford Kudowor considers what success means, it’s more about the journey rather than the destination. If that’s the case, Kudowor is overly qualified in the success category. Not only did the Texas Tech Electronic Media & Communication Major move to Houston from Ghana, West Africa, he’s also part of a team who started a clothing brand, not to mention two stores in Texas who sell their merchandise.

“At first, I didn’t want to come to college,” he said. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do. The main reason I didn’t want to come to college was because I knew I wanted to become a designer. People knew I drew and am artistic, and the opportunity came along, so I took it to work with some people to create a line. It was more like a hobby than anything else.”

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From VRSTY N.M.B.R.S Website

Kudowor said he and his friends used to watch the show “How to make it in America,” and the idea started to sprout Ben Epstein’s character started a denim line after many failed attempts at a clothing line. Kudowor said he liked the idea, and he didn’t think it would be too difficult to accomplish.

When you look at Kudowor and his two other partner’s website (Fred Daniels, Julio Marino), it’s easy to see some serious coding and thought was put into it. Kudowor said he was originally majoring in computer science, so he knows a decent amount about HTML and computers in general. Now that Kudowor is majoring in EMC, he said it has given him the opportunity to learn more about shooting video, editing, and writing to help promote the team’s brand.

From VRSTY N.M.B.R.S Website.

From VRSTY N.M.B.R.S Website.

Kudowor and his team of three have come up with unique designs, almost as unique as the brand name. Kudowor said the brand name is VRSTY. He said their motto is N.M.B.R.S., which means
“Never Measure By Rules or Standards.” Kudowor said he and his friends had no idea what they wanted to do, even when they had just started college, and the creation of VRSTY seemed like a solution.

“As far as VRSTY goes, the idea starts back from high school,” he said. “The first dude I used to work with, Ryan, he used to yell that out to his friends. It was an inside joke. When we were thinking of a name, he actually brought it up and I really liked it. It’s kind of a paradox I guess, because VRSTY represents the lead team, when really, we don’t know what they want to do. It’s more of like, let’s try this out and see how far it goes.”

For just “trying things out” VRSTY has moseyed into Southside Skate Shop in Houston and Lubbock’s own Culture Clothing. Kudowor said he has been working with Culture Clothing a lot recently. Not only did he land a deal with the owner to sell the team’s merchandise in the store, they were also featured in this month’s First Friday Art Trail, courtesy of Culture Clothing. Kudowor said not only was the team’s merchandise displayed, but so were his sketches and drawings.

Kudowor said running a business with Daniels and Marino, plus going to school at the same time, to put it simply, sucks. He vented that it is hard to balance two life-consuming projects at the same time. Kudowor said it’s impossible to half-ass when it comes to making good grades and making his business continue to grow. He said an ideal week includes writing a multipage paper for a class and having designs and videos edited and submitted to send to his manufacturers by a certain time  — talk about deadlines.

From VRSTY N.M.B.R.S Tumblr.

From VRSTY N.M.B.R.S Tumblr.

The designer said he has three manufacturers who make he, Daniels, and Marino’s merchandise. He said they are based in California, Flordia, and China. He said right now, he and his team are not trying to market to a specific demographic. He said the more he got involved in the company, the more he started thinking about what he would specifically wear himself. Kudowor said along the way, he would love for more people to respond to the clothing, but at the end of the day if it goes south, all that matters is he and his team find it wearable.

“At first, we thought we were all unique because of it,” he said. “A lot of times now, we live in a generation where many people seek to follow their dreams. People aspire to be singers, rappers, actors, actresses, artists, and now clothing lines are everywhere. It seems like everywhere you turn there are clothing lines nowadays. Now it’s like, never measure by your standards and go out there and chase it.”

If Kudowor could truly live his dream, he said he would be an actor. Now, he said he wants to help the world — even though he finds the phrase cliche. He said ultimately, he would like to see the team’s brand grow even more. He said they have all agreed they would like to have at least three stores opened, to have a steady fan base, and a good foundation for a solid business. Kudowor said a lot of his strength and drive comes from love. He said if anyone has the chance, it would benefit to read from Ecclesiastes and Proverbs in the Old Testament in the Bible.

From VRSTY N.M.B.R.S Tumblr.

From VRSTY N.M.B.R.S Tumblr.

“I just pray that each day is a gift. There is no destination. I’m just enjoying the moments.”

About Lauren Estlinbaum

Entertainment Director    —    Journalism major, Class of 2014
Lauren Estlinbaum grew up in Pearland, Texas, south of Houston (go Texans). She is a journalism major with a minor in apparel design. Lauren would like to work for either a fashion or lifestyle publication post-graduation. As she likes to say, she considers fashion magazines survival guides.