A small sketch can become the beginning of your very own brand if executed properly. NECC student Wilfred Acosta is a prime example of that.
Wilfred Acosta took an idea and transformed it into much more. In 2016-2017 Acosta came up with his brand ‘7th Stage’.
The name, Acosta stated, is inspired by the seventh stage of grief, “acceptance and hope; finally finding the way to move forward. I feel as though I have have a personal relationship with death because I’ve lost a lot of people in my life consequently losing a big piece of myself within the process, but within that process of pain are some of the most important lessons that I have learned and wisdom that I have gained in life,” said Acosta.
On April 11, 2019 the first concept sketch (sketch pictured below) came to life. After the sketch Acosta took the logo to the next level and digitized it, “the first sketch I drew for the logo happened to be on a self portrait and the idea of making beanies began there. Then a year later and I digitized the logo in September 2019.”
Now with the logo set, all that was left was to find the perfect product and that was beanies. He went on to explain, “the reason I was inspired to make beanies is because I’ve always loved wearing them and I wanted to share that with other people who also shared the same appreciation. I chose beanies in particular because they are a really cozy head piece guaranteed to keep you warm through the cold winter season, the inner layer of fleece will guarantee that.”
And customers agree with that statement. Kiara Rivera, a customer, said “the material is very nice and not too flimsy. I like how tight it feels unlike some beanies that get big and worn out.” Rivera also added, “the design of the 7th is a nice detail, a good representation of Wilfred and his brand.”
Another fact Acosta states about the logo that makes his beanies stand out from others is: “7 is a lucky number, also called ‘the number of God’ and I want people to feel that pureness and positive energy when they wear that symbol on themselves.”
“My advice to anybody that wants to do something similar is to start with an idea and then execute it the best way you can. Don’t let it float in your head for too long, you have to start however you can and work on it consistently. Even if it’s starting small and just going through the motions it’s best to at least just test it out.” He also highlights that the support of friends and family is vital. He adds, “you have to educate yourself on numbers, copyrights, marketing, production, all these things so that you are guaranteed to excel, and once you’ve educated yourself you can educate others and start a team.”
Acosta talks about his future goals and where he envisions his brand going. He states, “my plan in the short term is to make more clothing for people but to also make it affordable. I remember being a kid and wanting to wear all these fly clothes but never being able to afford them so I want to make clothing for people like that but also those who can relate to the struggle. But ultimately in the long term, I want to expand the business into something way bigger than life. A network for people like us who have that same hunger that’s just never satisfied. Something that we can all eat off of and still be able to shed positivity on the world. It’s all bigger than me, I’m just a messenger.”
