Late night on a Friday, freshmen Antonio Lugo in boredom and inactivity, decided to doodle a new design for his upcoming project to implement a brand that incorporates both individuality and self-expression through sweaters and clothing. Since a very young age, Lugo has been interested in Clothing and being different, which is why drawing and printing the designs in an unknown location felt like the right choice for him to do late January 2018.

He has been creating and selling said clothing for the past 4 months and is thrilled with the response from his customers and the upcoming projects for the business he has in mind, which include new items and a website. His goal is to make the brand well-known so that everyone can be a part of the movement and represent its meaning.

What is IDVDL?

The 15-year-old, fascinated with the idea of creating new and different clothing, decided to make some designs for a concept he had been wanting to do since last year. IDVDL is the name of the brand he created, and seeks for people and buyers to feel that individuality and self-expression should be the key factor in our daily lives; Lugo wants for his customers to feel comfortable and satisfied with the $85.000 pesos sweatshirts.

“The concept of the brand is to become your own Individual, and to be your own; no matter what people say,” Lugo said when asked about the inspiration behind it all. “Simplicity and wanting to make a change is where the idea came from basically.”

Since January he has already sold more than 100 sweatshirts in Medellín, and even shipped some to Spain; not only does he have the help of his friends and classmates to spread the brand’s name, but he has an active Instagram page with more than 900 followers and growing, where he has had the help from multiple influencers including BrosNación and Vikingos Med (two young adults from Medellín with a huge fanbase).

“The business strategies are for example to have a very cool Social Media (Instagram). I put my best effort into that because that’s what attracts the people to buy a hoodie, and I think by making it simple and cool it’s going to attract more clientele,” Said Lugo.

The brand incorporates three main colors: red, orange, black, and white; each with different fonts and designs.

“I think is a really good idea since he is creating his own business while doing his best to make a difference,” Said Gregorio Noreña, Lugo’s best friend, and one of the models for the brand. “I think it’s an interesting concept that he developed on his own,” He added.

The Creation of the Business

For the creation of the first few hoodies it only took Lugo a weekend to make the idea a reality, and since then he has been selling and creating new clothing to increase his brand. “To make the idea a reality it only took two days; one night I just made the first design and the next day I went and made the first hoodie,” Said Lugo. “I go to a spot that makes the hoodies and they basically print whatever I want.”

The business has had a great impact in the students at TCS, many own two or three of his sweatshirts and tell their relatives and close friends to order some for themselves, which has incremented his business all the way to Spain. The results have been all positive since they all think its good fabric, great price, and some even say that what he is doing is really cool and inventive.

“I really like the designs, I think they’re very original, and you don’t find this type of sweatshirts in Medellin,” Said Valeria Sierra, a freshman at TCS and Lugo’s classmate. “I think that what he is doing is good because he is starting his own business, being an entrepreneur, and very innovative,” she added.

What’s the future for IDVDL?

With the impact it has caused and the number of good results it has created, Lugo wants to incorporate other clothing besides sweatshirts so that the brand’s market can increase. He wants to expand the brand more and create new clothing including T-Shirts and Hats, as well as creating a new website so that people can browse and even buy them through the platform.

On the other hand, some believe that he should stick to the sweatshirts and produce more with new designs instead of adding more clothing and accessories, “He already has hats, but I think the sweatshirts are enough,” Said Sierra.

With the mindset he has, the ability he has had to manage the business, and his purpose to turn this into his life project or at least a step further to where he wants to be; IDVDL is going on the right track meeting his expectations and leaving a footprint on the school and Medellín.

“I think (the business) is really good since he is developing fresh ideas and motivating kids to develop their own ideas and don’t’ be afraid to show who they really are,” Added Noreña.