ELLA FELDMAN, STYLE EDITOR
Wilson is a school full of individuality, creativity, and culture. This is evident even in a short walk through the hallway, where one can see students express themselves through their clothing and overall looks. Inspired by Wilson’s and DC’s culture, junior Meru Kush has started his own clothing line.
The idea came to him about a month ago, when he realized he could provide the things that he felt many clothing lines lacked for a more economical price. “I wanted to do my own thing but cheaper,” he says. Kush describes the line as minimalistic yet original.
A DC native, Kush draws much of his inspiration from the streets of the District. When describing the city, he says “In my opinion, in terms of like, culture, its up there with New York and LA.” He adds that DC is “slowly on the rise,” and describes an art scene filled with young ambitious people that are using different platforms to express themselves and get their ideas out. Kush also mentions Kanye West and John Elliot as inspirations for his designs, both of whom he admires for taking bold twists on basic garments.
Making and selling clothes is a new process for Kush, who has organized a team of friends to work with him. They’re in the process of creating and editing the clothes, as well as promoting them and having people model them. The young designer cuts his own patterns and then gives them to his team to sew. After being made, they come back to him so he can make any final changes or edits. Kush has used social media to his advantage, advertising his line on outlets such as Instagram.
Deciding which garments to sell and which ones to cut has been a challenge, but Kush describes this as a “win-lose” situation because although a difficult choice, stopping the production of certain items can save money in the long run. He aims to have his business up and running by the last week of school, although he may extend this date depending on how the production of the clothing goes. The clothes will be available for purchase online and in person.
“I just always thought it was cool how clothes could be worn differently because not everyone is the same,” Kush says of his interest in fashion. And now he’s working on demonstrating something totally different in the field. Keep an eye out for his self-named clothing line, Meru Kush. It won’t be something to miss.
Follow him on Instagram (@merukush) for updates on the clothing line.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MERU KUSH