Living Lavi$h 419 Co.

Mar 3, 2015
3 min read

Darnell Brown

Age: 16

Toledo, Ohio

Darnell Brown is the founder & CEO of Living Lavi$h 419 Co. based out of Toledo, Ohio (419). In other words, he put together the whole clothing line as far as drawing designs, sewing and managing EVERYTHING. He made the website, which is being released in June of 2015, and is the sole designer of the line. But Darnell receives help from his brothers for his company. (He adds big shout out and thanks to Keyron Carter, Richard Hackney & Tahj Mitchell.)

Darnell says, "Yes it was a struggle dealing with school and still trying to be a teen and having a social life." What a lot of people don't know is that he actually changed the name from GodsGift Co., but since it was hard finding a logo & hard labeling the clothing, he decided to go in a new direction. He explains, "I was going crazy trying to figure out what I could do with GodsGift Co. and realized it was just too stressful, so I decided I'll just start over fresh. I started a new website, a new everything. I was up one school night at 3 in the morning thinking 'is this clothing line going to be a success? Am I going to be rich? Is it going to get my family out of Toledo....?' All I could think about was being rich and living the big life so an hour goes by and I thought to myself 'what's another word for rich?' I got to thinking lavish, luxurious, etc. and eventually lavish stuck with me the most. It was more than being rich, it was a lifestyle. That's how I came up with the name "Living Lavi$h" and I felt it fit perfectly."

Darnell started designing in October of 2014, he just kind of had a thing for clothes. He decided he needed money, but a 9-5 wasn't going to cut it. Brown explains, "As far as me playing basketball for E.L. Bowsher and having homework in 7 different classes adding a regular 9-5 to the equation wasn't going to be a good idea. Don't get me wrong, a 9-5 is a good way to get money and stay off the streets, but I wanted to do my own thing. I use to draw and take art classes when I was in the 6th grade, so art & fashion has always played a big part in my life. I'm actually inspired by art & fashion...That's where a lot of my ideas come from, I see paintings and the colors just amaze me. I then put those colors into my next clothing item or mix it up a little and add my own little swag to it. What's crazy is looking back on it, a year ago around this time, I never would have considered being a designer. I never cared about making clothes, I just cared about looking good in them. I'm proud, excited & nervous cause of how successful I have become within a year. I swear, I would have never envisioned myself in this position that I am in today. I am thankful for all the opportunities I have coming up, such as collaborations with other big clothing companies: "FvmousClothing" & local but on the rise "Young Society" by Dajuan H."

First off, I applaud Darnell. Like no seriously, I'm so proud of him. (This is where y'all need to clap for this young man). He decided at 16 to stay on the high road and off the streets, on his own. He's in school, starting a businesss and making an honest living for himself. That takes a lot of maturity, and I respect him for that. Darnell knew he didn't want to work a regular job so he created a business, this is hustling the right way, like I'm so happy for him *cries in joy*. Now to get to the brand itself. He has a lot of great designs, my favorite being the Godfather Jersey because I love that movie. The use of the roses was a cute touch, I like the way he thinks. Darnell could be a trendsetter for his generation, with that being said I think that he should branch out and rebirth the windbreakers or something, I don't know. But with is fashion sense I'm sure he could think of a great new trend. And he's young so he has time to regroup and gather inspirations. Apart from that, I'm interested to see these collaborations though *emoji eyes*. I've already featured Fvmous Clothing on my blog so I know them two putting their minds together would be a dope collab. Darnell is aspiring for greatness, his clothing line is definitely destined for it.

Check him out on his social networks:

Instagram - LivingLavish419

Website- LivingLavish419.bigcartel.com

Twitter - LivingLavish419

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/livinglavish419