Most new college grads are often thrown into the workforce and have little opportunity to follow their passion. However, University of Delaware alum and Communications and Psychology major Ashley Charleson and worked hard and made the choice to pursue her dreams– in addition to working in the “real world”– and thus, ABCaps was launched.
The Chappaqua, NY native decided to launch ABCaps (fun fact: ABC are her initials) last summer. “After graduating college and looking for jobs, I wanted to find a way to still be creative and keep myself busy. I started wearing baseball caps a lot in college, but felt like they made my outfit appear sloppy and less put together. I wanted to create hats that were fun, trendy, and enhanced outfits. ABCaps are baseball caps that can be worn by any one, at any time, in any outfit!” she told Her Campus Syracuse.
Although Charleson faced her fair share of challenges when launching the business (such as making the hats all the way on the west coast), she has big dreams for her brand. Charleson said she’d like to expand with more seasonal caps, as well as have different brand ambassadors to represent the company. However, “nothing is out of the question!” she told us.
She also acknowlegded that there is a lot of competition in the fashion industry, especially when it comes to targetting college-aged women. Despite this, Charleson stands by her brand and is proud to stand out from other brands.
“ABCaps is different than other brands because I’m not a large corporation, it’s all run by me. I listen to feedback I get, I make changes based on that, and I’m wearing my hats all the time. I would never make something I wouldn’t wear myself or feel comfortable promoting, so it’s all very authentic,” she said.
Although Charleson truly loves everything she creates, her current favorite for the upcoming winter season is her infinity cap. “I love the charcoal color for this time of year!” she said.
When it comes to enhancing her business, Charleson is able to utilize the skills she learned in school from her major to help make her brand even more successful.”I use skills from my communications major everyday. I took courses in both public relations and social media, which has been extremely helpful as I promote my brand myself. Majoring in psychology has also helped me better understand and connect to people,” she said.
Although she relies on the skills she’s learned from her four years at University of Delaware, Charleson also credits her friends and family for supporting her from day one. “I’m lucky to have such supportive family and friends who build me up. Even when I randomly dropped this idea on them, they were right away supportive and have encouraged me ever since!” she said.
Ultimately, Charleson said the greatest reward she’s had so far is watching all of her hard work pay off when girls buy (and love!) her caps. “I love the feeling of having created something of my own. It’s so rewarding to see your hard work pay off and most of all see people wearing your designs! I get insanely excited every time a new order comes in.”
Check out ABCaps’ website, Facebook, and Instagram for more info and products. We won’t judge you if you buy more than one this holiday season.