By Cecilia Chung
Students around campus might spot their fellow peers wearing clothing from an up and coming clothing brand, Strictly For My Grind. What many of them don’t know is that this company was founded by Baron Jimmy Huy Nguyen (’13).
Nguyen is the founder and creative director of Strictly For My Grind, or SFMG, which was established during the summer of 2010. He initially started making clothing for himself but received such a positive reaction from his friends that he decided to create his own line.
“I always loved fashion when I was little,” said Nguyen. “I would deconstruct apparels, put them together and add a twist to my clothes, I also would mess around with Photoshop and designed t-shirts for my friends and family, so it was a no brainer to start a clothing line.”
SFMG is focused on combining both luxury and street-wear at an affordable price. Although Nguyen’s main inspirations come from many different forms of art, Kanye West, and Pharrell, he strives to create a unique look based upon his own artistic style.
In order to create a bigger fan base, Jimmy sends out free clothing to well-known musicians, especially rappers such as YG, Bone Thugs & Harmony, and Kid Ink, who advertise SFMG by wearing the clothing. He also uses many different mediums of social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Nguyen plans to attend the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising next fall and hopes to use their connections to help the company grow.
His long-term goal is to open up boutiques in Los Angeles and New York City that carry limited edition clothing that can only be found at those stores.
He also plans to start another line called Jimmy Huy Nguyen, or JHN, which would cater to a more luxurious, high-end taste, while maintaining Strictly For My Grind as his street-wear line.
“The meaning behind [Strictly For My Grind] is strictly doing what you love, being yourself, and being successful at what you do,” Nguyen said – which is exactly what he has accomplished.
Strictly For My Grind can be found online at http://strictlyformygrind.bigcartel.com or http://www.facebook.com/SFMGBRAND.
