From Matching Shirts with Sneakers, to Matching Suits with Shoes

Tahir Williams ‘2018 graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Studies with a minor in Business and Entrepreneurship. So… what inspired him?

“I’ve always loved streetwear and street fashion.” Tahir took an Intro to Photography course which was able to really highlight and show the grit behind street fashion. “How what you wear is a statement and will raise controversy among the masses, that’s what inspired me to fully pursue this career.”

Since he was 14, he used to match his shirts with his sneakers and would hear the critiques, “Oh you’re doing too much” or “Hmm.. that’s weird.” And to his family and friends those little strides he took weren’t viewed as “manly” or important, but Tahir realized that to strangers… It meant something. It was breathtaking, beautiful and bold.

“In all honesty, I was just trying to fit in but the only way I thought I could do that was by standing out. I never stopped or grew out of the trend of trying to look aesthetically pleasing.” Tahir tackled his Fashion major in hopes that he could inspire young men to have that same level of respect and confidence in themselves. Later on in his career, he discovered that in order to achieve this goal, he had to become more passionate about men’s suiting specifically.

Originally, Tahir was trying to get into the business school as a retail management major. Although he worked hard for many semesters of improved grades, dean’s lists, and advanced courses, he wasn’t accepted into the Business major due to his GPA, but that didn’t stop him.

He went to talk to Dr. Abby Lillethun, coordinator of the fashion studies department at the time, about the program and he laughed at himself, realizing that the solution was right in front of him all along. He was notorious for taking daily outfit photos throughout campus and loved studying designers and their marketing strategies in his free time. It all made so much sense, the perfect transition, the perfect change, the perfect home.

Without fully realizing it, the following semester he was all in with Fashion. He participated in fashion shows as a model, designed his own garments for his apparel classes, and later down the road, he created his own streetwear brand. “My brand alone showed me that I had what it takes to TRY to make a name for myself. From there, I really wanted to understand the ins and outs of a business and take what I learned in school to help me open my own store.” He went straight after the entrepreneurship certificate because he was innovative and believed that he could flourish in a program that’s centered around tackling a whole new market with not just a team but, with a legitimate partnership.

While in college, he worked at Against All Odds for about 5 years as a seasonal worker, moving from a Sales Associate up to Supervisor. Tahir wanted more. After some conversations, he transitioned smoothly ensuring he was tackling the responsibilities of a supervisor months before getting the position. “Moral of the story: stick up for the little guy when you can and if you want an elevated status in this industry, train yourself as if you already have it. Be the boss but be respectful.”

While working at Against All Odds, Tahir was self-employed working on his own clothing line, Taiwear. “I felt burned out from trying to push clothing every literal season… I should have dropped a collection once a year. Space out your drop dates and be consistent on social media and show love to your customers. And if you are truly a designer, then design from the heart. You want to network and listen to feedback but, also design what speaks to you and that in itself will move others. Make what you want, tell YOUR story, and watch how many more people will relate to that.”

Most recently, he has been working for Ralph Lauren as a copywriter. “First of all, I just want to say I truly LOVE this company from my coworkers to my manager, there is never a dull moment. Ralph Lauren has propelled me further into being a writer. We are doing a lot more than just writing product details, we are giving the customer a story and proving in every way how their purchase will have been worth the buy.”

When looking back at his Montclair State University education, he mentions that his degree in itself was different and stood out. “When I started in this industry, HR told me most applicants were Business majors or Fashion Merchandising majors. Fashion Studies was a general understanding of the creative process and marketing of the fashion industry as a whole. It was very broad.” Tahir had to explain what his major was and because of that he stood out to recruiters as a diverse applicant. “My degree got me recognized and my foot through the door, the rest was on the confidence and positivity I had within myself.”

His advice for current students:

“Be the best at whatever you do. Focus on yourself, not what others are doing. You are not in a competition with anyone except yourself even if it doesn’t feel like that when you’re applying to a certain position. Often, companies will have you compete for a title with someone else but, don’t look at it that way. Just look at it as “How am I going to get better at a, b, or c by the end of the week?” Set those goals for yourself, build a team, and see what you can accomplish solo too.

And for our Fashion Studies and Design and Merchandising students: “My advice to those majoring in fashion and minoring in business is to remember you are the fashionista so put your own spin and flare on every and anything that you’re unfamiliar with. A lot of the business courses seemed challenging for someone whose main concentration wasn’t in business. Once I reminded myself that the two went hand in hand, I started relating EVERYTHING in my business courses to fashion. People often tell me that their major and minor don’t correlate but, as random as they may be to others, you can make them correlate to yourself. Everything you do will matter, don’t discredit yourselves.”

Written by Gabriela Zamora