Written by Mia Johnson
The story of the CEO of Roses On Roses starts off like many others. Adhiraj always took a liking to the creation of new things. Creativity was his forte and he had a lot of it to go around.
Even during his freshman years in high school, he had quite the affinity for coding and programming. He was fascinated by the ability to create something as complex as an application or website from the comfort of your couch. The world was an oyster he could conquer with only a laptop and some YouTube video guides.
Unfortunately, he quickly grew bored with coding and turned his sights to something even more challenging: managing websites.
Adhiraj was never a stranger to fashion. He was always looking for new styles to incorporate into his usual wardrobe. However,major retailers didn’t have the kind of clothes he preferred. Other people his age had the same issue, which is what inspired him to take matters into his own hands and start the clothing brand Roses On Roses.
All his work with websites made him no stranger to designing, but figuring out how to make the brand into something unique is a much more challenging task. Creating the initial infrastructure for the Roses on Roses brand was more difficult than it sounded. A large investment had to be made in the form of testing materials and recruiting models. Social media marketing helped him spread the good word of his brand to other people his age. When he started running the company, he had to fulfill most of the roles on his own. Marketing, design, and leadership were just some of the roles he had to become proficient in just to make his company stand out. At such an early age, this showed him the many responsibilities that go along with being a good CEO.
It was difficult juggling high-school work with running an actual business for two years, but he never gave up. Optimism kept him going through all the ups and downs you can expect from running a business.
Success is hard to measure, but Adhiraj say s that one thing, in particular, made him feel like he made it. “When I was vacationing in Las Vegas with my dad and spotted someone wearing a ‘Hold Your Roses’ shirt, I was in awe, to say the least”.
There are many challenges that go along with running a clothing business, but he believes marketing is the most important aspect. Getting the brand name out there is key if you want people to rep your brand. He one day dreams to see his brand on a fashionable celebrity like ASAP Rocky. Having the right influencers in your marketing venture can help bring the brand and product in front of the right person.
When asked about the main goal of his clothing brand, he said that what sets it apart from other similar clothing brands is the ability to bridge the gap between lifestyle and street wear. It’s like finding the golden middle ground between anti-establishment and lifestyle wear.
Every business has room to evolve further than its beginnings. By learning from his experience, he aims to find new ways to express himself through his clothing brand. Because he is the same age as most of his target demographic, he says he has better insight into what they want from a clothing brand. Having the right kind of vision will not only let you express yourself, but it will also help you build confidence in your designs
For many aspiring entrepreneurs, entering into this business can seem like a daunting task. Adhiraj says that the key to success is actually failure. When running a business, you’re going to fail a hundred times before you find something that truly works. Making sure that those failures are quick and cheap is the key. The perfect recipe takes a lot of experience to cook up. Even with all the risks involved, he says that he wouldn’t change a thing.
@adhirajhangal #rosesonroses @rosesonrosesco #apparel #streetwear #losangeles
