Today we’d like to introduce you to Brhyan Smith.
Hi Brhyan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Spring Break of 2010 I move back to Orlando from London, where I traveled the UK for a firm delivering/ installing kitchen furniture for 3 years. Born & raised in Central Florida, my plan was to find steady income & pursue my real estate license. I was blessed to land my old job with Universal Orlando’s Entertainment Team.
Being a Team member there for 10+ years prior to London, I knew the theatre/service industry community very well. Most of these amazing individuals were my closest friends. I was back home & it felt so good! It was a month before kids in school break for the summer. While speaking to my 10-year-old niece about a b-day party she was looking forward to… I learned found out that she wasn’t going?!!
All of the girls going owned an I-phone & she didn’t. She had a Tracfone. Now her phone wasn’t for Vine, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, oh no, she wasn’t allowed those things because she was 10! Her phone was so that her mom could find her when she needed to.
When the kids found out they made fun of her all week leading up to the party calling her names but only one name lasted until the new school year.
“CHUMP”
She got teased for drawing on her Converses, being into Anime calling it “weird”.
Looked-down on because of where she lived.
I told her she was different and what she allows will continue. I knew she thought those individuals were her friends & seeing her disappointed was terribly upsetting. I was her at one time in my life. I was the nerdy kid, I love Converses, video games, magazines with old cars, encyclopedias & puzzles of any kind. I spent weeks trying to come up with an acronym that would best describe the word “CHUMP”,
“CHANGE HOW U MEASURE PEOPLE”
I created buttons, stickers & a plethora of other products which made her the most popular kid I ever knew in school. Although we had no idea that this “Chump” project would work, we had to be brave in our attempt to change the narrative that being different is not acceptable.
We started partnering with other awareness groups officially becoming a lifestyle brand in June of 2012 & have been evolving ever since.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Our logo says the same thing right-side-up or Upside-down. This was something we were known for before the actual message. Going from something seen as “cool” and making sure it’s seen as “important” first, was an exhausting compromise. Over time the message began to take center stage. Picking up trash along the beach isn’t necessarily fun but it’s important. What we do to our planet will affect the lives of generations to come, the same being with how we treat each other.
How do we make a positive daily task look cool?!
We struggled with this a lot in the beginning but have learned it’s a process that you never “figure out”.
Just pass it along. As a society, we all must be in agreement that character matters.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
What I’m most proud of is CHUMPWEAR & our ability to make meaningful connections. That focus alone has changed our lives and given our mental fortitude clarity.
We are committed to the emotional literacy & mental health of others while making it look “cool”.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
“Bullying doesn’t stop when you grow up, it just changes form…” everything changes when you grow up” .
Contact Info:
- Email: Brhyan@chumpwear.com
- Website: www.Chumpwear.com
- Instagram: Chumpwear
- Twitter: @Chumpwear
Image Credits
Mangione Studios
