Companies and brands are being created at every turn; however, not all are created equal. The Mogul Millennial sat down with Jordan Lyle, Jamaican born, Los Angeles resident and founder of For The Culture Club. Jordan tells of the motivation behind creating the company and brand that he hopes will outlive him and continue to propel the culture forward. Is there a winning formula behind his current success? Does he believe in following the trends or creating his on? Let’s learn how this millennial is showcasing his #BlackExcellence while doing it for the culture.
Name: Jordan Lyle
Title: Founder & Creative Director of For The Culture Club
Company: For The Culture Club
Education Background/Experience:
I graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in 2012 with a BFA in Broadcast Design and Motion Graphics. I’ve spent the last seven years as a Designer and Art Director in Los Angeles working alongside design-centric post-production studios to inform and create visual art for commercials and advertising media.
What is For The Culture Club (FTCC)?
For The Culture Club is a lifestyle and apparel brand that unapologetically embraces and celebrates the narratives of people of color. Our mission is to become a one-stop hub that authentically embodies the creative ways we push the culture forward – more specifically through content that highlights the POC experience, as well as a variety of thoughtfully designed and crafted goods.
What was the motivation behind its creation?
A prime and early motivation behind creating the brand was a desire to simply create something that had a physical shelf life since most of my work was in the digital realm. I wanted to do something that utilized not only all my skills but also my interest in culture, society, and finding a way to prioritize and exemplify the POC experience. Most of the spaces I worked in didn’t have many black voices, and so that aspect became increasingly more critical throughout the process.
Any collaborations you’d like to do?
Immediately the first two I think of are with Lena Waithe and Issa Rae. They have their fingers on the pulse of how I’d like to see POC communities represented in society and are very conscious and intentional about placing new spotlights on the unique but authentic ways in which black and brown folks exist and excel. I’d love to have a seat at their tables with my perspective on culture, and knowledge of design and art direction to continue to create conversations and avenues that push our culture forward.
What’s next for the brand?
I’m excited about the growth in all the ways, shapes, and sizes it can manifest itself. We have so many ideas bubbling up on how we can engage and highlight the community we’re trying to build. We’re not limiting ourselves to what those ideas may look like either. Those ideas could be a podcast series discussing elements of culture with various POC multi-hyphenates, a physical publication with numerous contributors or continuing to expand and develop ‘The Clubhouse.’ ‘The Clubhouse’ is our online platform for highlighting black and brown excellence or simply seeing how we can scale the online store to create more and better merch for the club. At the core, it’s about creating community while continuing to think about bringing a keen and elevated sense of design to everything we produce.
What has been an obstacle since launching?
One very present challenge, because I am a one-person team, is tackling and juggling all the logistical, practical, and financial tasks having never done anything quite like this before. But naturally, it’s only an obstacle in the interim while I start to think about the kind of team I want to build as operations and opportunities develop.
Advice to aspiring creatives?
My advice would be to any aspiring creative is to find a tribe that supports you, complements your skill set, challenges you to do better, and holds you accountable to the ideas and goals you share with them. I think by surrounding yourselves with highly motivated people you are forced to level up in ways that you cannot do by yourself. It is an essential component in creating meaningful work that continually evolves as you evolve.
Your best pitch to get people interested in FTCC?
Being #fortheculture presents limitless possibilities on how we can show off the POC experience through thoughtful content and smartly designed, quality goods. For The Culture Club is a point of conversation and congregation. After all, a club is not much without its members, and no two definitions of being for the culture are identical. That’s something to be celebrated! We want to celebrate you. Your individual identities and stories, coming together, help us powerfully define ours. So, if you’re down for being part of a growing movement that empowers, elevates, and highlights the extraordinary efforts of people of color, then pull up a seat at the table and let’s have a conversation.
To learn more about this brand, please visit their website/social media pages, or head over to our website at TheMogulMillennial.com!
Jordan’s Personal Page: https://www.instagram.com/jamdownflava/
For The Culture Club: https://www.instagram.com/fortheculture.club/ and https://www.fortheculture.club/