Derrick Little (left) and Ja'Mont Hike-Charles (right) showing off the newest release of Shades
Steven Asekunowo, a CHS alumni, woke up on an October morning in 2014 with an idea which later became reality. Asekunowo turned his love for fashion and merchandising into a developing clothing line, No Shades Darker (NSD).
Asekunowo and his brother AJ never thought that a simple sketch and pictures taken on an iPhone would lead to them making a name for themselves.
“We were extremely ambitious kids who loved to create things, fashion and merchandise was what we were into the most at the time so we dove right into it,” said Asekunowo.
Shades has released two collections as well as two pop-up shops.
“The second pop-up shop was nice. At that moment I realized how far I’ve gotten,” stated Asekunowo.
NSD doesn’t just want to be available to the community, they also want their clothing available to the world.
NSD has a new and upcoming website with a vintage feel. This reflects what the goal of the brand is: to stick around as long as possible.
“You see brands like Ralph Lauren and all these old brands that people still rock today and you think what makes them last, that's one of the things we try to think of when coming up with designs,” Asekunowo expressed.
NSD had a new line release in April. The inspiration for this line was “My demons visit me every night,” a line from Drake’s song Two Birds One Stone.
“I heard that particular verse and I felt a connection because I believe everyone somehow has demons that visit them, such as a past haunting or just having a lot on your mind or feeling some sort of way,” stated Asekunowo
No Shades Darker has a bright future ahead of them and they are ready to show the world what they can bring to it.
“Future plans for NSD is aiming to be one the most influential brand high fashion wise to the youth and everyone something like Supreme or Vlone or even better eventually,” said Asekunowo when asked what NSD has in store for the future.
No Shades Darker is an up and coming brand that is constantly growing. With the amount of dedication put into their work, NSD will be bigger and better than ever.
Photo: AJ