Founded by 25-year-old Alexander Fowler, he is upping the men’s fashion game completely. His bags make you feel good when traveling with his eye-catching designs.
How long have you been designing?
“Honestly, I’m a terrible artist and cannot draw to save my life. The Opulent Men’s Club has a team of freelancers and digital artists who help bring my imagination for product concepts to life and help direct the inspiration for some products. Not all of our ideas make it to become a finished product, but I am thankful for my team! We’ve been working together since 2018, and without them, The Opulent Men’s Club would have never gotten off the ground.”
Back in middle school, Alex would watch Dragon Ball Z, a famously known Japanese anime cartoon. He and a friend would meet up, watch the show, and draw the characters together. That was the only time Alex would draw. Growing up Alex would always be fascinated by luxury brands! He thought you had to be born into that lifestyle to own or design brands like that. Later on, he found out that wasn’t true.
Did you always want to start a luxury fashion brand? How did that come about?
“Never in my life did I imagine that I’d own a luxury fashion brand. Growing up, I had dreams and aspirations to become a professional football player in the NFL. Football was all I ever thought about and trained for. I thought I was destined to go to the NFL and used to daydream all the time. About how my life would be once I made it there.
Unfortunately, that dream never came true. I never made it to that next level, and once I realized it was over, depression hit me hard. At 18 years old, I thought my life was over and thought I was a failure. But luckily, that feeling didn’t last very long, and I decided to dabble in the world of entrepreneurship.
I started my first business back in 2015, a fitness brand I called DWRFitness. I did that for a while, along with several other ventures I started leading up until the summer of 2018 when the idea for The Opulent Men’s Club came to life.
I started doing some online shopping to look for some dope bags and clothes I could wear. I found it very difficult to find any companies that catered to the type of style or designs I was looking for. When I did find something that piqued my interest or was “popular” at the time, it was way out of my budget, and I remember thinking and saying to myself, “Damn, why can’t I find anything affordable and nice? There’s nothing online.”
Then that’s when the following thought came into my head: “What if I just started my own luxury brand? Make it affordable and cater it to men?” I already had the tools and resources available at my disposal to know how to build a website, do product sourcing, manufacturing, marketing, etc… I just haven’t put it all together and done it successfully yet.”
At that moment, Alex finally had his breakthrough. All the hard work and dedication he put into learning by taking Ecourses all prepared him for his true destiny, The Opulent Men’s Club.
“I was finally achieving a bit of success after failing so many times. I was completely overwhelmed. I knew my actions finally aligned with my purpose. And to think this idea came to me when I was at one of the lowest points in my life… I am grateful.”
Even though Alex found his talent and enjoys what he loves, it took a lot of long nights to get to where he is. What is a success story without trials and tribulations? Alex suffered depression after not succeeding with the different ideas he had. He hit rock bottom and it was hard to pick the pieces back up. One day, Alex said enough was enough and became a new and improved Alexander Fowler.
What other black-owned luxury brands would you love to collaborate with and why?
“The funny thing is, we have a collab coming soon with another black-owned luxury brand that I can’t give all the details about yet, but I’m super excited about it. The best part about this collab is that I’ll be doing it with another black-owned luxury brand owned by a great friend of mine, so how cool is that?
And ya know, sometimes I get comments about my brand such as “I can’t believe this brand is black-owned” or “Wow, this is black-owned?” so by doing these collabs with other black-owned luxury brands, it will further show individuals in my community that YES, luxury can be black-owned. We CAN and ARE doing a damn good job at it.
Shoutout to all the other black-owned luxury brands who are doing the damn thing and paved the way for other individuals like myself to succeed!”
What’s next for your brand?
“The Opulent Men’s Club will eventually become an iconic luxury brand. When exactly will that happen? I don’t know, but I’m putting my best foot forward every day with high hopes of achieving that goal and fulfilling a purpose that’s so much bigger than myself.
Whether that takes ten years or twenty years, the journey to getting there will inspire so many people to step outside of their comfort zone and take action to achieve their goals regardless of the critics, naysayers, self-doubt, or any other roadblocks that may come.
If I’m able to do this, anyone can. And this is coming from someone who didn’t have a grain of belief in himself and thought I was cursed to be a failure forever.
I truly hope you watch and enjoy the journey with us along the way and take action to pursue the life you want and deserve.”
What’s the main objective of your brand? What’s the purpose/goal?
“My brand’s main objective is to develop into a one-stop shopping center for men’s luxury. For The Opulent Men’s Club, bags and clothes were just the beginning. I plan to expand into shoes, fragrances, jewelry, hats, etc. At the moment, I can’t think of any other brand which caters specifically to men that offer bags, clothing, shoes, jewelry, etc., all in one place. And personally, If I can get everything I need from one brand or store, I’m never shopping anywhere else.
So, even though it will take some years before we get there, that’s what I’m aiming for, and not only that, but I’m big on recycling resources and wealth back into my community and want to use The Opulent Men’s Club as a tool to do precisely that. For me, The Opulent Men’s Club isn’t just a “business.” It’s ultimately a platform that will inspire, lead, motivate, and be used to make a difference.
I know a lot of this may seem “unrealistic,” and I’ve been told before to stick to the “nature of business,” but ya know, why not aim to make a difference? We only have one shot at life, and I want to make a difference and impact upon people’s life while I’m here.”
The Opulent Men’s Club has support all over the country hitting major cities such as Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia! A lot of athletes have already made purchases with The Opulent Men’s Club. Alex has high hopes of having Lebron James and Dwayne Johnson wearing his bags one day. Having many rainy days before seeing the rainbow is a phrase Alex can relate to all too well. His grind never stopped and his hustle never slowed down.
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