There were very few women to break through the male dominated streetwear scene of the early aughts. Vashtie Kola remains among the most iconic of them all. The first woman to design her own Jordan back in 2010, Vashtie has gone on to start her own brand Violette and direct music videos for the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$ and Drake.

She sits down with long time friend and BoH host Angelo Baque (Founder, Awake NY) to reflect on the years they shared together back on the scene. From shop kids to creative directors to label founders, the two trace through what steps it took to get to the top.

This season of Business of HYPE is sponsored by Bulleit Frontier Whiskey.

BULLEIT BOURBON Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. 45% Alc/Vol. The Bulleit Distilling Co., Louisville, KY. Please Drink Responsibly.

VASHTIE TIME CODES
00:00 Intro
3:07 Vashtie origins
6:03 Making lasting friends and lasting skills at a retail job
10:18 Attempting a career in the arts despite your parent’s disapproval
11:59 Finding confidence as a woman in the streetwear scene
16:16 Vashtie explains why she wanted to be a filmmaker
19:05 Building a brand with your own unique identity
24:05 Getting into DJ’ing
27:34 Being adorned as an “It Girl”
34:44 Vashtie denying Angelo her Jordan
35:40 Starting a family and how it benefits the creative process
39:42 Words of advice for young creative women

Executive Producer - Kyle Reyes
Director - Jon Fusco
Producer - Alejandra Zelaya, Jenny Fu
Director of Photography - Julius Ignacio
Gaffer - John Izarpate
Grip - Rick Lim
1st AC - Brian Nguyen
Set Design - Lucy Hislop
Production Assistant - Tealoni Butler
Editor - Jon Fusco

Special Thanks
Sarah Schecker
Sophie Schieli

#business #hypebeast #fashion