This Week We Feature Young Professional Donte D. Hodge
Whether we like it or not, design infiltrates every aspect of daily life. When it comes to garments, while Alexander McQueen, Ralph Lauren and Tom Ford are just a few male fashion designers who started out amid humble beginnings, growing into icons, brewing in the Virgin Islands is a little storm who may just have what it takes to reach the heights of global consumer fashion.
This week’s Young Professional is Donte D. Hodge of Upper Hope Hill, Tortola. Donte, 24, is a crew member of Road Town Fast Ferry and more significantly, the owner of ‘No Off Days The Brand,’ an upcoming urban consumer fashion brand.
Day Job meets Passion
While his day job is a Dock Master, which includes roping the ferry to the dock and other tasks such as handling luggage and looking out for the safety of passengers, Mr Hodge spends a great deal of time producing and promoting his clothing line.
He said he enjoys meeting new people and being creative with his clothing, but says a major challenge is “waking up early in the morning and leaving work late.” This he says, is a challenge since he still has to dedicate time into his clothing business after work.
He said his life lessons remain the avoidance of mixing business with friends, “I overcame it by dealing with my business on my own.”
Donte attended the Ivan Dawson Primary School and the Elmore Stoutt High School (ESHS), however, he said even though he was unable to graduate, he has big dreams and plans for his clothing line.
When asked about what else he did before having an eye for fashion, Donte told us he was an employee of Peter Island Resort as a kitchen helper and also worked at a hardware store.
Staying Focused
From pots and pans then the hardware store, one might not expect an individual to land into a field of pins, scissors and tailor’s chalk. “I like clothes and I wanted to produce my own clothing line,” he told this news website, noting that being an entrepreneur was the ultimate goal.
When asked about what keeps him focused on the brand, Donte said “thinking about ways to expand my clothing line on a daily basis,” is the driving power behind the need to push ‘No Off Days The Brand,’ to greater heights.
“To be able to open my own stores,” he said further fuels his passion.
Donte enjoys bike riding, travelling, and no surprise, attending clothing launches. He said the most interesting thing about his life is that he never gives up, “regardless of what negative comments came my way.”
“My Grandfather Ottley Hodge, he inspired me to always push and become successful. He also taught me how to be a man,” the Young Professional revealed to Virgin Islands News Online (VINO).
Speaking about some challenges he faced in Tortola, Donte said, “I almost died in a closet with people that were close to me. If it wasn’t for the eye of the hurricane and God's miracles we probably would not have been here today,” he said.
Referencing the hurricanes of September 2017 as a humbling experience, Donte said, “When I was younger I lived a rough lifestyle and the way I lived after Irma brought back memories, especially dipping water,” he said.
Parting Advice
For youth looking to build a dream, our Young Professional advises to “Never give up on your dreams. Always take a try at anything you see fitting for you. Anyone dreams can come through if you just stick to it and work hard,” he said while noting that more jobs should be made available to persons lacking experience.
“In life, you would have many haters but don’t let them hinder you from pursuing your dreams,” needs,” our young professional charged.
“You would face many obstacles and challenges but that should not stop you from becoming a better you,” he said in closing with a challenge to the VI that they should always help their neighbours who are in need.
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33 Responses to “This Week We Feature Young Professional Donte D. Hodge”
We need some Virgin gorda shirts ASAP!!