If you have not yet heard of Rastaclat, a bracelet and accessories company based out of California, you are going to want to get on the bandwagon of support the brand has received. The company began with the visionary Daniel Kasidi, who has kindly met with Her Campus at The New School to answer questions about his work ethic, brand mission, and overall entrepreneurial spirit in our unsteady political age.
Daniel and Rastaclat’s mission is simple: think positive. This is the cornerstone of their brand and has been the vehicle for their success. Having now collaborated with a myriad of diverse brands such as the NBA, Mountain Dew, and Habitat for Humanity, Rastaclat stands on the cutting edge of both design and social activism.
HC: Daniel, you started Rastaclat on principles of “righteousness, doing good for yourself and others.” How do you believe an accessories company can contribute to this message on a global scale?
Daniel Kasidi: When we created Rastaclat, we made sure that our bracelet was a tangible vehicle for spreading positivity and that everyone within the Rastaclat PRIDE believed in that message and lived it. Every time someone wears a Rastaclat bracelet they are reminded to remain positive and do the right thing. The concept scales globally, as more individuals are inspired by our message they’ll naturally spread positivity amongst each other; it’s contagious!
HC: Why do you think people have connected so strongly to your brand and message from the get-go?
DK: People have connected with it because the message spans through different cultures, socio-economic statuses, ethnicities and genders. In this day and age positivity is needed more than ever and I feel everyone can resonate with Spreading Positive Vibrations.
HC: You originally entered fashion through your sports sponsorships and are now designing in collaboration with the NBA; how do you feel strong design impacts the mindset of athletes to help them reach optimal performance?
DK: When you are an athlete your confidence comes from envisioning success before you achieve it. That takes a great deal of confidence, passion, determination, and a willingness to strive for excellence. Generally speaking, if you can envision success in your mind then it becomes real and that eventually drives your action to achieve it. Without a positive mindset you will never take that first step, that’s where the Rastaclat mantra comes into play.
HC: “Think Positive” is the cornerstone of your brand; how do you personally infuse this principle into your everyday life?
DK: My days are filled with challenges and roadblocks just like everyone else’s. I never see a roadblock that can’t be overcome – whether you go straight through it, around it, over it or under it; there’s always a way to move forward with the right mindset. It definitely helps being part of a community of positive people that give me the confidence and support to continually infuse a positive mentality into my everyday life.
HC: How do the collaborations you’ve established with a diverse array of brands (from Mountain Dew to Habitat for Humanity) enhance and further inspire the Rastaclat mission?
DK: We are always trying to find a common positive denominator with charities and brands that we choose to collaborate with. Sometimes our message is best told through a charity’s cause, another brand’s mission, or even an individual’s struggle. It gives a different perspective to the message we are sharing with the world. Our hope with our collaborations is that our message spans to inspire different people within different communities.
HC: In today’s unsteady and (more often than not) negative social and political climate, have you found different challenges arise in your mission of spreading positivity?
DK: Ironically it has actually heightened the awareness of positivity. More and more people are now looking for brands and movements that stand for something that they can resonate with. They are not only wearing the brand’s products, they are living the brand’s philosophy.
HC: Rastaclat recently assisted in a tree planting project in collaboration with the City of Long Beach’s Office of Sustainability. How do you think designers and entrepreneurs can further continue to aid in the push towards a more sustainable future?
DK: Sustainability starts with everyone in the organization being passionate about it. At Rastaclat we have an amazing team that is passionate about banding together to give back to the community. I believe the leaders of organizations need to drive these initiatives, after all sustainability is something everyone wants to get behind, but it’s the entrepreneurs and major corporations that must be the drivers of action and make it a mandatory part of their business.
HC: And finally, what advice would you give to emerging designers who wish to produce products that not only speak to a diverse audience, but also changes their outlook on life?
DK: Be original and start from within. A lot of times if you are a designer you become the story of your movement, you have to be authentic with yourself and your beliefs. Once you establish that, you can really start to form a movement and get people behind you. After a certain point the movemet will become larger than you and your responsibility will become to continue to nurture it, embrace it, and build an ecosystem in which it can continue to grow in a healthy & sustainable fashion.
Learn more about Daniel Kasidi and Rastaclat at https://rastaclat.com.
[Feature image & article images courtesy of Rastaclat]