Today we’d like to introduce you to Sir Matheus Edralin.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sir Matheus. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Good day, my name is Sir Matheus Edralin. I was born and raised in Manila, Philippines. In April 2010, our family migrated to San Antonio, Texas. This is where I attended and finished my college career. This city introduced me to the American Dream. It gave me glimpses of what I can become as long as I put the adequate work. During my college stint, I was part timing at ZARA. This was my introduction to the retail and fashion industry. I loved it. I was happy and I thrived in that fast pace environment. I had great managers, trainers, and colleagues. However, at that point, I wasn’t considering staying since I was more focus on getting my degree and pursuing the PT field. After graduating from UTSA, I worked at an outpatient PT clinic as an exercise specialist for two years and as an Admin Assistant for two Home Health Agencies.
These are great opportunities and the reward of seeing patients improve was priceless. I loved it. I loved the clinic and I loved my patients. However, if I’m being honest, I cared more about my outfits. The subconscious love for fashion was slowly taking over. I decided to move and follow my heart. NY nor LA wasn’t realistic at that time. I chose Houston. Luckily, my home health agencies allowed me to work from home and with my past performance with ZARA, my manager was able to recommend me to the Memorial City Mall store. These two together enabled me to move to Houston financially. My main goal at this point wasn’t to start my own clothing line. I wanted to grow within the company and be a Window Dresser but i had to start from the ground again. I was hired as a cashier and worked my way up to be the Visual Merchandiser of Galleria. This experience was so detailed. It pushed my capacity and knowledge in every way possible. I’m very thankful for my regional commercial for teaching me everything.
This is where I learned everything. I was there for about two years until things start getting shaky. Corporate mindset and gatekeeping started to become apparent. Their goal for me and my goal for the company started to drift. As a result, very disrespectful words from a store manager were dished out and that’s when I decided to move on. I left the company. I didn’t know what to do next. It was around September. My girlfriend at that time were training her team for World of Dance and rehearsing for an upcoming show called KHYTS.
During that competition, I met the director of KYHTS, Wes. I introduced myself and asked if I can do the merchandise for the show. He gave me the opportunity and the rest was history. After that show, I collaborated with the best ramen restaurant in Texas, NAMA Ramen. I also did an anniversary merch for B Loft Barbershop. I taught myself how to print on t shirts to maximize my margin profit. I applied everything I know. From my experience with the PT field, my minor in Psychology, my experience with the retail and fashion industry, I applied everything. Having all of these in my resume, I decided that it’s time to relaunch the brand.
In December 2019, StreetAura resurfaced. Since then we’ve dropped 8 collections: Cozy Street, Auragin, Cozy Crop, Rodeo Collection, Friends and Family, H.omestreet Collection, and Dear Street. Each of these collections has their own story and message. They have a life of their own. We make collections with a purpose. These aren’t just clothes. These are my raw feelings that I was going through during the process. We will continue to send message through clothes, led by example, and promote self-efficacy as we believe that this purpose from the Man upstairs. This brand is dedicated to my love ones: God, Family, and Friends including the people I grew up with in the Philippines.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think a smooth road exists…. especially in Houston. Kidding aside, it’s been rough. Super rough. I love explaining this through Literature and Psychology.
Man vs. Self: Arguably the hardest conflict to overcome. We all have self-doubt, fear, trauma, bad habits, and ego. These are everyday struggle. These are things that we have to go through and learn from it. Faith, Awareness, Foundation, and Purpose are vital to overcome these. Self-doubt and fear can lead to overthinking and stress. It’ll eventually bring out traumas from the past and we use bad habits and ego to compensate. Then the cycle continues until it eventually eats us. When I’m going through this cycle, I pray then I call my Mom, my dad, my sister, or reach out to my circle. I try to look back and see how I impact people’s lives even in just the smallest scale. Then I go to the gym or note take. I make sure that I’m aware of what I’m feeling at that moment because maybe I can use it as a fuel / inspiration for the next collection.
Man vs. Man: This conflict is inevitable. There are people that are going to hate you and love you. You can’t control their reaction. I focus on the latter part. I cater to them and give them my everything within my capacity. Whenever I feel like I’m drifting towards the hate, I refer to the first conflict.
Man vs. Nature: This pandemic really hurt. Everything that the virus brought. The fear, the uncertainty, the financial problems, and everything in between. This might be the biggest challenge that we’re still facing. I pray and hope that we overcome this sooner than later.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about STREETAURA – what should we know?
STREETAURA is a clothing brand based in HTX. Our products are mostly essential basics such as sweatshirts, hoodies, sweatpants, and tee’s. We specialize in delivering a message in each collection. A message that pushes people to do what they love. We’re most proud of our look book, merchandising, storytelling, and delivery. We have a great photographer and models. There are a lot factors that sets us apart. I think those three things that I mentioned above are what make us stand out. Our operation is pretty solid as well but unfortunately I can’t really expand on that. We’re confident but also humble enough to know that we are barely scratching the surface.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
When I was in College, I was present. I was there because I genuinely wanted to pursue my Physical Therapy Career. When I’m clocked in at my part time job, I was present. I wanted to fold clothes. I wanted to hang clothes and space them evenly. I wanted to help people pick outfit. I obsessed over those little details. When I’m in social settings, I’m present. I’m able to make good impression and meet people that’ll be able to help me in the future. Being present means you are attentive to details and it’ll enable you to learn everything.
Contact Info:
- Website: thestreetaura.com
- Email: streetxaura@gmail.com
- Instagram: street_aura
Image Credit:
Christopher Valencia : Photographer
Hanny Azahara : Model
Alexia Dos Santos : Model
Josh Price : Model
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