Sunday, January 26, 2020
It’s an early Sunday afternoon at the University of Illinois Chicago and the dorm halls are quiet. Aside from the sound of an elevator door sliding open or the closing of a laundry room dryer, there isn’t much going on. Most UIC students are recovering from the festivities of Saturday night and aren’t even awake yet. That is, except for Haitian clothing designer and Biology major Vla Fervil (@vlas.good). Vla is a 6’3 college student at UIC. You’ll have a hard time finding anyone on campus, or in Chicago for that matter, who doesn’t appreciate his company. He holds his faith very close to him and can talk about it without ever making you feel uncomfortable. Vla is—good.
After getting dressed, I meet Vla during these eerie Sunday hours in the computer room. He’s sitting facing the door, his headphones in, and it looks like he’s already a couple hours into studying funny looking hexagons on the screen. We start the interview off with the introductions:
“My name is Vla Fervil, I’m from Plainfield, Illinois , and today I’ll be speaking on behalf of the clothing brand started by my two other brothers and I called: AllThingsGood and we are based out of Chicago.”
han : How long has AllThingsGood been in the making?
“AllThingsGood was in the ideas phase for about 4 to 5 years. Originally, we named our brand Push which came from our father telling us: “No matter what, you’ve got to push through whatever comes your way. It was also faith based after Pray Until Something Happens so there was a double meaning there. But because we had to think of the brand longevity and how well the name would appeal to customers, we came up with AllThingsGood instead.”
han : And what’s the message behind the brand?
” During all three of our lifetimes we noticed a shift towards the negative getting glorified. Whether it’s in fashion or media in general, there’s a huge market for brands that promote the gloomy aspects of life like being sad or discontent with the way things are. And although those emotions are valid our brothers and I want to start glorifying things that pull in the opposite direction: All things good. “
“Three words. Three brothers. “
-Vla Fervil
“We want to emphasize the power of what each individual can have by doing good and bring to the world more positvity. AllThingsGood is a mindset; and we’d like everyone who wears our clothes to feel empowered to follow suit.”
han : Tell me a little about your other two brothers.
“My oldest brother’s name is Ricky (@allcardo), he’s in Dallas right now and he’s definitely like the head honcho. His strengths are leading, managing, and giving direction. He’s the one who usually introduces us when we go out and has always been really into fashion. I don’t know how, but when we were growing up he was always one step ahead of the game with the trends.”
“Then there’s Kevin (@keveaux.things). He’s a genius with pitches and creative ideas. He handles a lot of the technicalities of the brand which is really helpful. Out of all of us, he’s more of the mild mannered one. He’s in DC right now for law school at Howard University. Man, my brothers are like my best friends for real.”
han : Tell me about the process of getting your clothing, materials, pricing etc.
“We aspire to obtain the status of an upscale clothingwear brand. For those who don’t know clothing specifics that would make us a brand that falls under the same umbrella as Pyer Moss by Kerby Jean-Raymond. AllThingsGood is going to start as a men’s clothing wear collection and as of right now we are browsing the best quality wear that we can afford. For our first hoodie we are investing in having a 14 ounce, 100% cotton fleece hoodie. Through the learning process of starting a brand we’ve noticed that a lot of starter hoodies opt to buy 8 to 10 ounce hoodies to save cost, but if you look at a brand like Aimé Leon Dore a 17 ounce cotton hoodie. Then you have Fear of God who does upwards of 28 ounce hoodies. Even though us buying at a hirer price from the supplier will ultimately mean a higher sell price, we find comfort in knowing our customers will have the best quality.”
han : How do you think being a student influences you as a designer?
“I would definitely say it affects my work ethic and time management. I’m majoring in Biology and I plan on going to med school. With all the ideas and todos I have in my head for building the brand sometimes when I’m in class I disengage with what’s going on in the lecture and start sketching looks and ideas about AllThingsGood. I’ll look up and 30 minutes have pass.” Vla grins sheepishly.
“When that happens I just let it serve as a reminder that to get where I want to go, I need to be on my toes and like 10 steps ahead in a way. Because if I can have a solid foundation in building AllThingsGood, before med school, that’ll be really great. That’s what pushes me. As well as being in the city. Being in Chicago and engaging with the art is a constant reminder and blessing. It opens my eyes to the avenues and lifestyles art can lead you to.
This, again, goes into the foundation of what AllThingsGood is. Sometimes people on campus get so bogged down in class work they forget that if they look up, there’s the Wilson’s Tower right above their heads. And that might not mean a lot to some people, but to me, it means opportunity and hope.
” The world can look so much different if you just look up. “
–Vla Fervil
“And that applies if you’re sad, discouraged, or anything else. I’ve been in Chicago for years and it’s still crazy to me that I actually live here. People love to say Chicago is so small, but you could never stop exploring the city.”
han : Can we revisit the “Three Words. Three Brothers.” statement you made before? I found that really powerful.
“Yeah, of course, I’m really glad you picked up on that. So another layer of meaning behind AllThingsGood is that each word in the title represent us (my brothers and I). You have Ricky the leader and the strength: All, Kevin the brains and peace: Things, and then you have me, and I guess people would say I’m a good guy : Good.”
han : My final question is when is fashion Better?
” I think fashion is Better when you’re expressing yourself, being yourself, and feeling your best. So with AllThingsGood we want to use our voice and our garments as a medium and expression for good. And we know Good is a universal message that everybody can relate to. I think what makes us special. We have meaning behind every piece and collection, and most importantly, we remain true to ourselves because at the end of day, that’s how real change happens.”
Visit the site at:
