Today we’d like to introduce you to Lenaise Clark.
Hi Lenaise, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m a Midwest girl with a southern soul. I moved to Houston from Milwaukee, by way of Chicago Heights, IL, in 2004. I fell in love at first sight with the city. The food, the culture, the fashion!
Immediately I knew I would plant roots in Htown. The day I moved to Houston, was my very first visit to what would become HOME.
My love affair with fashion started very early. I’m an 80’s baby, I was born into the culture. My late grandmother, Catherine Moore was a local style icon. She was known for her sharpness. It’s in my genes, I inherited the “flavor “. My father introduced to me designers like guess jeans, MCM and custom designers like Harlem designer Dapper Dan, back in the 90s. I was 13 years old when I started designing doll clothes and upcycling fashion for myself.
Rowdy Rose design came to me in a dream in 2009. The day after I dreamed the design, I met with a seamstress and I described my dream leather-denim pants and provided the materials. What came of it, cliche or not, was truly a “dream come true!” After visiting Ghana, I fell in love with the wax prints and all the originality the fashions offered. Currently, I am partnered with (JeysCollectionGH@instagram) , a seamstress out of Accra, Ghana. Together we upcycle graphic tees by adding authentic African prints -straight outta AFRICA! You will soon see Rowdy Rose leather pants and Puff sleeve graphic tees sold at a major retailer near you!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One obstacle that I have encountered since debuting Rowdy Rose was paying for the samples but then being denied continued production/services from the manufacturer located in Turkey that I signed a Manufacturing contract with. It took a year before receiving the samples. I requested a full refund for the production amount, minus shipping and processing fees. After low communication and lack of follow-up, I threatened to report the payment as wire transfer fraud. 2 weeks later the samples appeared unsigned for on my front porch. While I am very grateful to have received the samples after 1yr of manifesting the mass production of my brand, the time taken to produce the samples did delay and somewhat did defer my dream. The thing I struggled most with is not exposing the “Instagram influencer” that I felt manipulated by. The lesson learned from it was to not let a small setback keep me from my goals. And also not to believe everything people market on social media. Everything that’s glitters, is for sure not “gold”. The more public and flamboyant the influencer, the more believable the scam. Do your research, don’t trust filtered pictures and computer-generated positive captions. Don’t give up so close to your big break! I will never forget the story of the gentleman that stop trying for his big win , just three feet from a gold strike.
In retrospect, I would say the delay caused by the Manufacturer was an advantage giving Rowdy Rose more time to plant roots, grow and bloom where it is watered properly.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Rowdy Rose is a custom luxury streetwear brand. Our designs are unique and one of its kind. We specialize in custom leather pants and upcycled, puff sleeve, graphic tee shirts. I stand firmly in the brand’s motto: ROWDY ROSE is a symbol of balance between being a force & a mild existence. Effortlessly, loves, thrives and grows in any circumstance; therefore symbolic of both grace and influence. I myself am a walking example of a true ROWDY ROSE. It’s not just a brand – it’s a lifestyle!! See you at the top!
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, is one of the books that I credit with helping me elevate in both my personal life as well as professionally. I have read this book 1x a year for the last past 6+ years. I also like to use YouTube university for spiritual lessons and knowledge building. Neville Goddard, Florence Scovel Shin and Abraham Hicks are the three of the top master minds I enjoy learning from. I am an avid reader and could give you a Landry list of titles, however I gravitate more towards self improvement and spirituality reads.
Contact Info:
- Email: 1rowdyrose@gmail.com
- Website: https://rowdy-rose-the-brand.myshopify.com/collections/all
- Instagram: Rowdyrose100
- Facebook: 1rowdyrose
- Other: https://rowdy-rose-the-brand.myshopify.com/collections/all
