Dope Dealer: Paying it "Fourward"

As I attended a Shecky's Girl's Night Out event in Atlanta, I stumbled upon a very cool line with a purpose called Fourward. I got a chance to meet and interview owner, Frank Carnevale. Check out what he had to say about the new line....

What's the vision behind Fourward and how did you come up with the name?
The name Fourward was the result of me actually having trouble coming up with a company name. After some brainstorming, I started to think of values that I wanted the brand to convey, and I settled on four crucial ones: positivity, passion, patience, and persistence. I also wanted the name to have some positive forward motion to it. So the name ended up coming from those four principles for moving forward in life...hence Fourward. That being said, we try to incorporate some sort of positive message into each and every design.

The vision behind Fourward is two-fold: 1) We want to become the number one premium designer of positively-inspired, eco-conscious apparel and accessories in the world. I think that there's a huge opportunity right now in terms of providing stylish, eco-friendly products. I want Fourward to be at the forefront of the mainstream market's shift towards those types of products. 2) We want to become the leading voice in a push to educate and empower students worldwide so that they can follow their dreams through entrepreneurship. Right now our competition is only open to high school students. However, my long term goal is to have it open to children of all ages. A couple of weeks ago, I met an extraordinary 12 year old who had already started her own business! So that type of kid is definitely out there. I want Fourward to be an accessible outlet for them to pursue their dreams.

How long did it take you to put your own line together?

It took me a few months to get the first round of designs put together. The main reason it took so long was because I was working a full-time job at the time, and didn't have so much time for Fourward.

Who are some of your design inspirations?
Honestly, I try not to pay attention to other similar brands. I do like what LRG (Lifted Research Group) has done over the past 10 years or so though. I'd like to accomplish something similar with Fourward, however with some unique twists of my own. Most of my inspiration comes from the books I've read, music I listen to, places I've traveled to, etc...not so much from other clothing brands.

Tell me about your latest line?
All shirts are made in the USA out of super soft 100% organic cotton. They're all printed with PVC-free water-based inks, so the ink won't crack or peel like regular t-shirt ink. Plus, the ink is actually absorbed into the cotton fiber of the shirt, so it's more breathable and durable compared to regular t-shirt ink.

Our latest line of women's shirts are all versions of designs we put out for the men's line. There is one design that's unique to the women's line right now though (the purple shirt with yellow sunburst design). Each product page on our website tells the story behind each particular design. Like I mentioned earlier, they're all inspired by some sort of positive message. The shirt with the skull on it for example... You see a skull, so it's not exactly screaming positivity right off the bat. However, the idea behind the design is that people often have so many ideas in their mind, but rarely act on any of them. When you look at yourself wearing the shirt in the mirror, the skull's eyes read "Act Now." People might be surprised at the results if they actually took some kind of action with just one of their ideas. So it's little details like that that we try to include in our designs. (maybe link to the shirt, or have a pic of the design to let people see what I'm talking about? http://gofourward.com/store/women/act-now/)

What advice would you offer other designers?
As far as advice to other designers, the best advice I can probably give is to be REALLY conservative with sales estimates. In other words, don't just assume you can move 10,000 units, and turn that over into new inventory. Also, be prepared to sacrifice in certain areas of your life (i.e. like spending money on yourself) for a little while!

What is in the near future for Fouward?
Near term for Fourward: We're working on using some other eco-friendly fibers, and cooking up some other ways to shake up the clothing industry. We're also working on some new designs for the Spring/Summer. Last but not least, we're excited to let more high school kids know about our entrepreneurship competition (http://keepmovingfourward.com)!

Where can we find your designs?

Our designs can be found at http://gofourward.com/store

and select independent shops around NJ and PA.

COUPON ALERT! code: famfiend for 20% off your order. free shipping on orders over $32!