Q&A with VaVichi Clothiers

[dropcap letter=”V”]aVichi Clothiers is an international, faith-based, fashion brand on a mission to provide luxury apparel for the movers and shakers of the world. The brand conceptualizes all items to represent a positive attitude and dedication to life, all while sharing original concepts and styles. From their distinct peacock logo and charitable efforts within the community, to partnering with up and coming artists, VaVichi Clothiers PR Representative, Victor Manley, details how the brand is not just a fashion brand, but a collection of timeless pieces in a rushed world.

Mary Hanula: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and the VaVichi Clothier line?
Victor Manley: VaVichi Clothiers is a fashion line, a national fashion brand, that was founded here in the United States. The brand has been around since 2017, but sprung from a previous line that we had, called LOEG, which was a male brand with a logo that stood for “League of Extraordinary Men.”

MH: I read online about the brand’s mission and platform, which is faith-based and seeks to share the truth and wisdom of the Word and the world. Can you tell us more about the significance of the peacock on your logo and the overall mission of the brand?
VM: Absolutely! The brand is inspired by the Christian faith overall, so it’s based on those principles and you can see that in little tidbits and all the logos. All the signs and symbols on our clothing have meaning that revolves around the power of God and really the whole spiritual experience, which is what our brand pushes for. It’s all about family and the men and women, the kings and queens together.

MH: VaVichi Clothiers has been involved with charitable efforts that include autism awareness, domestic abuse awareness and more. What are some insights you have on the brand’s involvement in these causes?
VM: We like to stay involved in a community. Within communities, our goal is to help people who aren’t given as much attention in life. We want to go different places and touch people’s lives by doing something that is close to their hearts. We’ve seen a rise in autism, which made us immediately want to bring awareness to that and help those in need or who could benefit from our actions. If someone needs our help, then we want to make sure they know we are here and ready to act. It could be a small task or a bigger event. This includes helping low-income families, or even something we did recently as a campaign against domestic violence, which had information and features in a spread for a recent issue of ours.

MH: Is there a certain event that really stuck out to you in regards to the impact and outreach VaVichi Clothiers was able to have through its platform?
VM: We did an event that centered around Autism Awareness, which was probably now a year or so ago. A lot of people came out and it was just a good way in which we were able to get people up and together. Recently we were trying to do a Stop The Violence Fashion Festival in conjunction with the school system, but due to COVID-19 and everything changing, it didn’t end up happening. The event was definitely a big, big thing for our brand, with six months of planning and then we had to shift for the current circumstances. Luckily, we still were able to get the message of the cause out and it was a lot of at risk people that we were able to reach so that still made an impact despite it all.

MH: Speaking of COVID-19, has your team had to re-strategize your marketing plan? How has the pandemic affected VaVichi Clothiers?
VM: We actually didn’t have too much of a problem since we already do so much of our marketing online, and we’ve always been very active online trying to gain a larger reach. So we were really heavy on the internet, with the brand’s outreach only somewhat slowing down due to shifting demands and also competitors. As far as keeping the brand actively being within people’s reach and for it to have their attention, the current situation with the pandemic has actually helped us out a little bit.

MH: Can you take me through the creative process of VaVichi clothing items, from conception to execution?
VM: Well a lot of this comes from inspiration from the word [of the bible]. For example, one of us may come up with an idea where we try to think of the concept and design and then think of where it would be best displayed. We try to think, okay, does this belong on a t-shirt or sweater? Really though, sometimes it will just start off as an idea, and we want to use that word because it is important and influential. Then we’ll try it out on different items and try it a few different times to see what the clothing looks like with the new concept, switching items and placement if we need to.

MH: You say that many of the ideas come from the Word [of God] — has there been a certain reading or concept that really made an impact and received a lot of customer attention and demand?
VM: Well yeah, the term “grace” is something we have a line based around, and people really seem to connect with that on a spiritual level. The brand’s logo itself, the peacock, is a family thing that goes back years. It’s genuinely like a family name. My family is from North Carolina and, ironically, they were able to bring these peacocks down here. They had peacock farms that kids would come to at my grandmother’s house and people would see these exotic birds down in North Carolina. Back when we were all trying to work this thing and figure out what we wanted to do, but especially what we wanted our brand’s logo to be and stand for, I happened to be back home showing my mom the different stuff we had in mind. So there was this photo of a little peacock, which I thought was just a baby peacock since it didn’t have any feathers and was bare, but she informed me that it was actually a female peacock, which really surprised me. When I asked her how she knew it was a female, my mother then told me the story I relayed about my grandmother having them down here in North Carolina, which just gave the animal a connection to our brand and to my family that was on a different level. I never would’ve thought something like that could become so important, not only to my mother’s side, but also to my father’s family. It was really, really cool.

MH: With VaVichi Clothiers being founded in North Carolina, to having it grow to be an international brand, what was it like once you were able to reach audiences from all over the globe?
VM: Well, we started dealing within the entertainment industry. This gave us a little peek into how people outside of these borders are interested in the brand and these types of items. Once we started to put together the brand and move more heavily over to clothing, we kept in mind how we had multiple outlets for the brand and mission itself. This included VaVichi Studios, which produced music and also videos, but have since shifted a bigger focus onto the clothes. Once we shifted that focus, I mean, the internet is just…wow. We started getting involved with groups and then our brand just spread, with people personally recommending it to their friends, or someone seeing our website online. Next thing we knew, we had connections in different places.

MH: For anyone who has a fashion line or brand that is up and coming, what is the best way for them to connect with others in the industry?
VM: Any time that you can connect with a person one-on-one, whether it be an in-person meeting or a phone call, is best because you get a chance to express yourself on a different level. When it comes to trying to spread the word about your brand and/or items, I mean people need to be careful because as great as the internet is, there can be a lot of phony stuff going on as well. In the midst of that, the only way to really filter and navigate your way through is to actually make contact with people. Different people, different workers, and really just don’t limit yourself to simply “going with the flow,” because the flow will go without you anyway. Whether it’s through emails or whatever, you still want to be communicating with a person.

MH: What information would you give someone who is new to your brand, but wants to know more? What is something most people don’t know about the brand?
VM: One thing about VaVichi Clothiers that I don’t think everyone catches is the fact that our pieces are customizable. For example, if you have certain colors of shoes or hats with different affiliations of groups that you want to show off, our pieces can all be changed with our wide array of colors. I mean really, if you have a piece you love that you want one of our logos to match or one of our pieces to match for you, our customers should know that is an option. Realize that it’s not just the color on the picture, but you can make your own. For example, if you have shoes that have red, green and blue in them and you want a shirt with red, green and blue in it, you can go in and change the different layers of colors on our pieces to fit what you want to specifically match what you already have in your wardrobe. This means you can essentially make whatever you want to make. It is limitless!

Find out more about VaVichi Clothiers at their website and keep up with them on Instagram!