Name: Nubia C. Hill
Hometown: Syracuse, NY
Major/Minor: FTT (Fashion, Textile & Technology) with a concentration in Apparel Design.
Year: Junior
Quote to Live by: Greatness is when everything before you is obsolete, and everything after you bears your mark – Richard Pryor
HC Buff State: What organizations are you involved in on campus?
Nubia: I am the Events Manager of the poetry and spoken word club on campus, Tha Ink Club. I am also a new member of NAACP.
HC Buff State: What made you decide to create your own clothing line?
Nubia: Well first, it was not just me. I do have a partner, I am the CEO of Black Fire Clothing, Terron Grant, who is also my bestfriend/boyfriend, is my COO. But it all started from an unhappy visit to the bookstore in November 2013 of my freshman year. I have always been a person who’s full of school pride, so I wanted to find something to rep my school. But to my disappointment, the only thing I was able to afford was a black pair of shorts with the words Buffalo State on the left side. And everything else that was overpriced, in my opinion, was too bland to be that expensive. So after my visit, I went to Terron’s room and had an hour rant about why there couldn’t be an article of clothing with a much higher quality, more aesthetically pleasing, but for a lower price on college campuses. Then the lightbulb flickered and we started make sketches of logos, finding vendors, and made a website, the rest is history.
HC Buff State: How did it feel to turn this dream into a reality?
It felt amazing . I almost don’t know how to describe it. I was extremely excited when everything came together. It was almost to good to be realistic. But my favorite part of all of this is when I see so many students walking right past me with the sweatshirts on and not even knowing who I am, what I look like, or even knowing that they are wearing a student owned brand. In a weird way, it’s kind of cool to me, I’d rather stay behind the scenes.
HC Buff State: Your product is apart of the school’s apparel in the Buffalo State Bookstore. What pushed you to make this move and how did it feel to accomplish it?
Nubia: The two previous questions that I answered also answers this question lol but I’ll add a bit more. I felt like this was somewhat a service to my student peers who wanted to show school spirit. I, personally, am an extreme thrifty/bargain shopper, and being that we’re in college and we all have extreme expenses already, you know the saying “Broke College Kids,” why make the clothes in our backs an extra piece added to our debt? We shouldn’t break our pockets just to show that we love our school. So it feels good to have made this come to life.
HC Buff State: Did you expect your products to be so popular?
Nubia: Our very first product, which was a navy blue T-shirt, not at all. I didn’t have much faith in those and our sales proved me right. Now the sweatshirts, I had a great feeling about, I knew they would sell, but not this well. The bookstore initially ordered 48 pieces from us. Those sold out before classes even started for the first semester. The second and third order jumped to over 150. This far we have sold over 300 sweatshirts before Thanksgiving. That blew my mind. So I knew they would do well, but the product ended up exceeding past my expectations.
HC Buff State: Who is your role model?
Nubia: I actually have a few besides my mother, but I’ll say 3. Malcolm X, Assata Shakur, and Tamara McMillan.
HC Buff State: If you could give any advice to current/incoming students, what would it be?
Nubia: Utilize this campus for everything it’s got. Don’t just come to college for the classes. Join orgs, start an org, network, go to events, etc,. Never be afraid to expand your horizons. Also don’t be afraid to push the norms and be different. Always remember, what we consider normal today, was once considered different. Last but not least, don’t be afraid to achieve your dreams, go for what you believe in and always go hard with it. You must be consistent, persistent, or you will be Non-Existent.
Thank you,
Nubia Hill, CEOBlack Fire Clothing