Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Angeles.
Hi Ashley, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Draped Up Apparel started with a completely different idea than it turned out to be. In December 2020, I had the idea to buy clothes from thrift stores and make them new again by giving them my own twist. We were also deep into the pandemic at the time so I wanted to make fashionable masks that people could wear out that would accentuate and add to their outfits. I have always had an urge to create. I have also tried writing, baking, and painting for fun. Making t-shirts is something I thought about doing since 2010 but never did. My original idea to make old clothes new quickly changed because as I was making masks and playing around with brand names and my vinyl cutter I started posting my creations on Instagram and an event coordinator reached out to me to invite me to be a vendor at a pop up market. It came as a total surprise to me but I jumped at the opportunity because I didn’t know if it would come around again. I am glad I did because that is how Draped Up became what it is today. I needed things to sell so I had a logo made, used it for a t-shirt design and made masks, beanies and lighters to sell. My first event was a success. I didn’t think I would sell anything but I did and the interest I received in my items pushed me to keep creating. I became a regular at certain pop up events and I added more t-shirt designs to my inventory. My tagline is “A brand built around Houston street culture” because the name of the brand right down to the message behind my designs are heavily centered around Houston. Houstonians are so proud of where they are from and I love that! Draped Up comes from the Bun B song in which he raps about slabs, but the term draped actually goes back further than that and used to mean a cool suit of clothes back in the 1940-50s.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The road definitely has not been easy. To begin with, I have a full time job separate from my brand and I am a single mom. Finding the time to dedicate to operating and growing a small business has been a challenge for me because I do everything on my own. I jumped into this head first and hadn’t done any research and didn’t know anything about starting a brand. I had to figure out how to make designs, where to get garments from, how to market myself and so many other little details that I never thought about. There is also the money side of things. When you start a business you invest more than you make back right away and that was really scary for me. There was a period of time when I was going out to events and not selling anything and it discouraged me.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am the owner and creator of Draped Up Apparel. I specialize in designing and creating t-shirts. I am known for t-shirt designs that resonate and speak to Houston natives that grew up during the 90s/2000s. I am most proud of being able to contribute to a proud community that loves to represent their city. I feel like I am set apart from different brands because encourage people through my designs and through my brands existence to work hard, to hustle!
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
My brand was started during the pandemic so I didn’t experience the negative effects like lost business or anything like that. I actually got to see the positive side because Covid-19 is what gave me the time to start my brand.
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