When Brandon Alston ‘24 walked in the front door of Kudu, a coffee shop just off the College of Charleston campus, the barista behind the counter took a step back in wide-eyed recognition.
“You’re the Fresh Prince,” she exclaimed. “I love your stuff!”
In a mustard sweatshirt strategically decked out with sections of a former sweater, Alston wears his upcycled clothing line with a degree of coolness that would make TV’s Fresh Prince proud. He takes beloved clothing that may have holes or stains and transforms it into something new but also familiar.
Originally, Alston was just making clothing for himself, but he received so many compliments and requests to create something for classmates that the Honors College student majoring in theater created Fresh Prince Fits Designs.
Now Alston’s company is part of his Honors Immersed project with Janine McCabe, associate professor and chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance. Alston also joined a select group of student entrepreneurs in the Founders Club mentored by David Wyman, associate professor of management and marketing, in the Center for Entrepreneurship. In addition, Alston participates in the Honors Entrepreneurship Living Learning Community (E-LLC) under the guidance of Lancie Affonso ’96. All these resources are helping the School of the Arts – Theatre Scholarship recipient learn the ins and outs of setting up a business.
“Brandon is a terrific ambassador for peer-mentoring and interdisciplinary experiential learning at the College of Charleston,” says Affonso, the Honors College faculty fellow, director of the E-LLC and senior instructor in computer science, management and marketing. “He brought his creative talent fostered in our School of the Arts and combined it with the entrepreneurial mindset and the support of a peer mentoring network.”
Alston’s CofC network of resources expanded to include Anna Todisco ’16, a like-minded mentor with an upcycling business.
“Brandon reached out to find out where I had my tags made,” says the theatre major, who launched Threads Todisco, now based in Los Angeles. “When I clicked on his Instagram page, I saw that he had modelled before, so I asked him to come model for my line. He came in something he had reworked, and all the dots connected.”
Both Todisco and Alston have a passion for reworking clothes and for reducing waste. While at the College, they also developed the ability to see both sides of the theatre — the acting and the costume sides.
Although they are in the same industry, Todisco is happy to have someone else join her in changing the mind of the consumer. “While what we are doing is synonymous, the patterns we gravitate toward are different. Really, there’s plenty of shoppers for all of us to do well.”
Todisco, who started her business after she graduated, sees the benefits of starting the business while still at the College.
“Brandon is fully immersing himself in the costume world, and it is reflected in his work,” she explains. “The College environment is giving him more tools to grow professionally — machinery, mentors and guides. He is making the most of the access and is filling up with a wealth of knowledge.”
On his 21st birthday, Alston expanded his marketing from Instagram to popups. He held his first popup at a brewery. His greatest take away was that a chair is helpful.
At first Alston was afraid no one would find the popups. Now he fears keeping up with stock. Plus, with his reputation growing, he has people approach him with their favorite well-worn clothes to have new life injected into them.
Alston’s dream is to be an actor, but with a side gig — as Alston says, “everybody has a side gig.” At the College, his side gig has taken over, and he is concentrating on costumes. “I want to focus on learning a skill, to have a solid back up.” He is also taking all the behind-the-scenes classes so that he can fully appreciate all aspects of how a show is brought together.
One thing is for certain, Alston already has a successful side gig, and with his talent for maximizing opportunities, he has nowhere to go but up.