Meet Antoine Wilkinson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Antoine Wilkinson.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started my brand UnLoved Clothing in November of 2020. I always loved streetwear and sneakers, I actually had a brand that I attempted to start years ago. It was a learning experience that I gave up once my wife was diagnosed with non Hodgkins Lymphoma. Even though I quit at that time, the love never left. One day I bought a random denim jacket, some fabric markers and literally sat down for hours trying to decide what I wanted to draw on the jacket. After a few hours and a bunch of ideas, I came up with UnLoved and it was something that just the name alone sparks conversation. After the jacket, I started to brainstorm on what my logo could be. I wanted something that would really represent the name and something that would make people say “I get it” after hearing the meaning of UnLoved. That’s how Teddy B. was created. He’s an old raggedy teddy bear with patches and even a hole where the heart is. As kids, we all had that one thing rather it be a teddy bear, a blanket, a hat…something that we loved but didn’t hold that same value to those around us, and that’s what UnLoved means. We live in a time where people want so badly to be liked and loved. So much that they may even compromise who they are to get that love from others. UnLoved is encouraging people to be who they are and stand proud in that. In life, there will be people who don’t like you or love you and that is ok. Someone loves you. You are someone’s teddy bear.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road at all. I jumped into it headfirst understanding that I didn’t know everything but also having the understanding that I would learn along the way. I didn’t even know how or where to get garments to start off. I was going to local department stores buying hoodies. Another struggle for me was the whole social media part of it. Trying to stay consistent in order to build an audience was hard since I wasn’t even that active on my personal pages.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I would like to consider myself a creative. I am known for putting things together. I don’t believe in always “matching” but more so putting pieces together that feel good together. I specialize in creating a feeling. I think that’s what sets me apart from others. I could easily sell you a shirt but I want to create a feeling. I want people to put on UnLoved and feel good about it. I am most proud of the people that support me. I know they are doing so because they actually understand the brand and they want to be a part of the lifestyle.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
My advice would be to just make it happen. We tend to create doubts and tell ourselves we aren’t ready to do things. If we fall into that way of thinking, we will never be ready. Just put yourself out there and figure it out along the way. You won’t have all the answers but you don’t know what you don’t know until you try.

Contact Info:

• Email: unlovedclothingco20@gmail.com
• Website: www.unlovedclothing.com
• Instagram: UnLoved Clothing Co
• Facebook: UnLovedClothingCo
• Twitter: UnLovedCo