Name: Kevin Masaro
Born: Toronto, Canada
Age: 22
Major: Finance
Year: Senior
Hobbies: Hockey, reading and working out
It’s not every day that you meet a 22-year-old co-founder of a clothing company. Kevin Masaro is currently a senior at UF majoring in finance and is the co-founder of the Always True Lifestyle Company. Masaro has big plans for what the company could potentially be in the future.
Co-Founders of the company: Sam Howard (left), Kevin Masaro (middle), Drew Howard (right)
Her Campus: What inspired you to start the Always True Lifestyle Company?
Kevin Masaro: “The brand is inspired by the older brother of my partner, named Brandon Howard, whose stage name was Always True. Brandon was a musician, singer and songwriter who was extremely passionate about what he did and wanted to inspire the masses. His mission was to get the world to see that you can do anything you set your mind to; you just have to tune out the doubters. We decided to take the name Always True and blend it with a lifestyle apparel company that inspires people to stand up for what they want, push past the obstacles and accomplish their most sought-after dreams. We give a portion of our proceeds back to individuals that we see pursuing a passion while also supporting our brand. It’s called the ‘Passion 4 Passion Fund.’ This allows us to give back and help people achieve something they might not have been able to.”
HC: When did you first realize that the company was going to be as successful as it is now?
KM: “When we first started, we really didn’t know what to expect. Drew and I just wanted to spread the brand and show people that something like this could be done. After working at it day in and day out, we realized that this was something that we really wanted to put our full effort into. We absolutely love everything about the brand and what it stands for, and we knew that other people would as well.”
HC: Did you ever have any doubts about the company? How did you overcome those doubts?
KM: “Every business is going to have its ups and downs, and I wouldn’t say that ours hasn’t had its fair share. Not everything goes as planned all the time, but you just have to look at the positives in every situation. One thing that has allowed us to overcome our doubts is just really knowing where we want to be and knowing that we will get there — we just have to be consistent and persistent. My partner, Drew, has an unreal sense of vision and consistency and has been a huge reason why we get over a lot of the hurdles that we do get over.”
HC: What three words would you use to describe the Always True Lifestyle Company?
KM: “Motivational, inspirational and unique.”
HC: Where does the Always True Lifestyle Company get its fashion inspiration from?
KM: “We get a lot of our fashion inspiration from a lot of the big streetwear brands that are out on the market right now like Diamond Supply Co, HUF and Tackma. Following accounts like these on Instagram allows us to see the consistent posts that they make and the clothes that they come out with. Diamond is a great example of a company that we aspire to be like in terms of fashion.”
HC: Who is your target audience for the Always True Lifestyle Company?
KM: “Our target audience really is anyone that is on a pursuit of a passion, but we focus a lot on musicians, artists and creative people, though. The reason for this is because we’ve found that these types of people seem to love not only our street wear clothing, but the message that our brand puts out there. We want the message to be the driving factor when someone purchases a piece of apparel.”
HC: Where do you see this company in 10 years?
KM: “In 10 years, we see this company as a leader in the streetwear world. We believe that we have what it takes to take our brand to the top. Sure, there are tons of brands out there, but we really believe that our message behind our brand is something that will make it succeed. We want people to realize that when they purchase a shirt and put it on their back, they’re no longer alone – we are with them. We are with them on their pursuit of their passion.”
Photo Courtesy of Kevin Masaro