Today we’d like to introduce you to Jade Mpeye.
Hi Jade, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a first generation Congolese student and attend the University of Houston. I began Mood Method my senior year of high school during the first year of the pandemic. I, like most everyone else, was tired of being cooped up in the house with not much to do so I wanted to find something that could bring not only myself joy but others as well — I thought “what better than clothes?”. I started out with my earnings from my part-time job only selling fashion tops/shirts which ending up becoming the way most people recognized Mood Method– I got a lot of “oh you’re the girl that sells the cute tops right?” and thus selling tops became the easiest way for me to push my business and where I stayed.
Mood Method is not only my business name but the concept. We all choose our clothes based on our moods, and when doing research on the meaning we put behind certain colors, I realized the subconscious choices we all make when putting together an outfit for the day. I wanted that to be the main thing that set Mood Method apart from other businesses because all my customers are encouraged to “shop based on their moods”! So with the incorporation of different colors, cuts, styles, and even giving styling tips, Mood Method allows people to do so.
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?
It has definitely not been an easy road! Because of my other obligations like work, and school I ended up taking a break for a few months during my first semester of college because I was not pouring the energy I should have into Mood Method. I realized though, that in order for me to have one of my passions become the main focus in my life, I needed to balance my other obligations and not make excuses during tough times. Once I became more consistent with that mentality, I started to garner attention again and even participated in my first pop-up shop event before the school year was completed! In retrospect, it hasn’t been easy but I wouldn’t trade the past for anything— it’s helped me make smarter choices.
As you know, we’re big fans of Mood Method. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Mood Method specializes in womenswear and more specifically, fashion tops.
Woman-owned and Black-owned.
What sets Mood Method apart from others is the main idea of shopping based on your moods, making this the customers’ “method” of choice when purchasing items from us.
Mood method offers a wide variety of styles for everyone for all seasons, events, and tastes.
What I am most proud of brand-wise is that so many people have seen Mood Method as not only a site they can get cute shirts but also that they have not been offered to shop this way and find my brand cool in this way and me being a student right alongside many of my audience, they find it to be relatable or inspiring which I am grateful to impact someone else’s life in that way.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was more of a quiet person, loved drawing and reading, and could spend a lot of time creating things from the many different ideas I always had in my head. I always had an interest in the arts, fashion, and creative concepts of others and read up on many different pioneers of the fashion industry, took classes and made projects that dealt with the business aspect of the industry, and watched documentaries, YouTube videos, and shows about fashion as well. I enjoyed finding new adventures, listening to all kinds of music, and spending time with loved ones.
As I grew older, the more outgoing side of my personality started to come on stage! I started to branch out in terms of being in multiple extracurriculars and groups and really understand the importance of making connections with peers and mentors so that I could engage in activities that interested me, have conversations that enable me to see different perspectives and be able to have a healthy creative outlet.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.themoodmethod.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/moodmethod
- Facebook: facebook.com/moodmethod
