These days the computer is the go-to source to shop for virtually anything. You name it and you can buy it – if you’ve got the cash. With an increase of online sales annually, it seems like people really value shopping in the comfort of their own home with a click of a mouse. Countless small businesses thrive solely on Internet sales and have been quite successful doing so. Just ask Bobby Hundreds, who touched upon this in a recent WWD feature: “The biggest reason why [streetwear has] become so prevalent today is because of desktop publishing… With 2 clicks of a mouse, you can have a silkscreened T-shirt and a snap-back cap to stand behind and position your place in the world.” Coming from the womenswear division, who better than Ms. Hunter from the sport and street-inspired online boutique HerFavoriteLA to give us a little insight about web retail. Last week we spent the day out on Fairfax – had lunch and conversed about what drove her to start her brand and how she maintains her streetsmart hustle IRL and online.
“Originally I started Her Favorite as an accessory line back in 2009. I wanted my brand to represent the “around the way girls.” The ladies that are comfortable and confident with the idea of being dressed down – casually chic but still lights up the room when she walks in. The girls like me. That’s who/what I want Her Favorite as a brand to represent.”
“The key to a side hustle is finding something you’re good at and becoming better. Having vision and seeing your work to the end. With the internet being the #1 source for who and what’s cool, it’s the perfect platform to market and capitalize with very little out-of-pocket overhead or having to break your piggy bank. Through sites such as eBay or Big Cartel you can set up an online storefront to process sales and ship out. First things first: Find a product that is sellable in all aspects of life; post it, push it, promote it, and get paid.”
“I’ve been blessed to be around like minded people and also people in the industry that support and push me. I’d have to say the hardest thing about a running a business for me is that Her Favorite is just me – a one woman machine. I don’t have a partner, so I don’t have that support. I just have to go. I would say it’s a gift and a curse, but those days when things are perfect, I get to hold my head up high knowing my hard work has paid off. That’s what keeps me on my toes.”
“Growing up in South Central definitely played a role in my personal style. I used to get bused out of the area for school, so I had to make sure I was dressed appropriately for walking, possibly running, and being around complete strangers. That’s where my laid back, sporty, casual style, paired with some sneakers grew. As the years have passed, I’ve grown fond of my style but just appropriately with my age range. My signature look is probably a loose fitted V-neck tee, a pair of nice jeans, and either some sneakers or a pair of heels with very little jewelry.”
“I think at this point in my life, I just like what I like. As long as I feel comfortable and confident in it – it’s for me. There’s not a person that I could say inspires my style. I would say my mood and how I’m feeling are what leads my direction of taste and what I want to wear. And I’m driven to continue my grind by the people who for whatever reason don’t have the opportunity to do so. Most importantly in hopes that one day my son will have all of those things he dreams of.”
“To all the women out there on the path of their dreams, keep following it and most importantly keep your head up while doing so. None of our paths are the same nor clearly paved so keep walking it, fix those cracks along the way, plant some flowers, repave it, whatever – just makes it yours. Find you, then do you. No one will be able to do you like yourself.”
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Follow Ms. Hunter on Instagram at @callmemshunter.
Read more:
Phoebe Lovatt interviews a few of streetwear’s prominent female figures in “FEMALE STREETWHERE?”
Bobby Hundreds chats with the one and only Leah Mob of Married to the Mob