An interview with U of G graduate and entrepreneur Alex Rogers
Embodying an industrious entrepreneurial spirit, U of G alumnus Alex Rogers has his eyes locked on the fashion scene in a big way.
On Jan. 20, 2015, the 23 year-old was awarded entry into the College of Business and Economics Hub Incubator program. The initiative—which includes funding, office space, business mentorship, and more—is offered to outstanding student entrepreneurs who are looking to take their business to the next level.
Having been rejected last spring, Rogers was eager to learn that his nostalgic clothing company “Vintage Instincts” had been selected by the program. The Ontarion was able to reach out to Rogers who provided a summary of what life is like living as a local entrepreneur in the fashion industry.
Vintage Instincts first came to life in August 2013 while Rogers was a student at the university. “I had become fascinated with different clothing brands and the history behind them—especially the iconic ones that were cool 20 years ago and were resurfacing today.” With enough cash saved up, Rogers decided to combine his two biggest interests and start a business.
“Researching fashion and buying clothing was something I did on the side while I was in school for business. I was always serious about starting a company and I figured the best place to start was where my genuine interests were.”
Vintage Instincts offers original throwback-style designs, featuring vintage fabrics from all over the world. A revitalizating look, this unique street culture apparel includes beanies, jackets, sweaters, t-shirts, and more.
A fresh take on promoting sustainability in fashion, Vintage Instincts repurposes some of the most timeless fabrics from the 1950s to the 1990s into its quality apparel. Mainly inspired by hip-hop trends and timeless retro patterns, Rogers’ clothing company reverberates nostalgic appeal in every one of its designs.
His first real business venture, the Guelph graduate recalls earlier endeavors at establishing a brand name when he was young. “I was really into skateboarding in my early teens and wanted to start my own skate brand. I started buying packs of blank stickers and drew my own designs on them, selling them for a quarter to people to put on their skate decks, binders, lockers, whatever.”
While he says that “great ideas are common,” Rogers admits that, “bringing them to life is the real challenge…You have to work harder than everyone else if you want to succeed, and I know I’m willing to do that.”
Generating consistent sales in the absence of big-market budgeting has been his biggest challenge to date. It is not uncommon for the young entrepreneur to put in 12 or more hours a day, overseeing a staff of one employee—his seamstress, responsible for cutting and sewing all of his fabrics. The rest of the workload is undertaken virtually by Rogers alone.
“There’s a lot involved with managing a business and at the end of the day I’m only one person. I have people who support me but [I] don’t have a large team helping me build the brand.”
When asked to characterize his life as an entrepreneur in one word, Rogers did not shy away behind obvious nuance: “Busy; there really aren’t enough hours in the day… I’m the only one accountable for the success of my ideas, so I can’t slack off.”
His creativity and perseverance have been weathered by occasional set-backs, however, Rogers remains focused with his commitment. “I ultimately believe my success will be determined by my efforts so I manage any doubts by ensuring I’m always making forward progress”.
Rogers hopes to see Vintage Instincts repute itself as a recognized quality clothing brand over the next five years. By continuing to channel his creativity to revive past trends and iconic old-school styles, there’s no doubt that Rogers is well underway in establishing a respectable street culture brand.
He plans on using the Hub program resources to launch a kickstarter campaign to promote upcoming releases to his production line later this year. Rogers also trusts that his newly-acquired mentorship will lead him to connect with the right people en route to elevating his company to brand-name status.
An original “Gryphon-trepreneur”, be on the lookout for Rogers and his Vintage Instincts brand in the near future.