“If you really put your head to something, and you’re not afraid of failing and learning from your mistakes, you can do anything,” said Joah Brown of her blooming apparel business. Brown, along with her cousin Sydney Brown Wagner and boyfriend Brian Vaccarino, started out making simple handmade headbands; now the trio are owners of the JOAH BROWN ( joahbrown.com ) clothing line, available on their website and in stores across the United States and even a few other countries.
With her future unclear after graduation from high school, Brown began waitressing. After several years in the service industry, however, she decided to pursue a career in fashion, which had always been one of her passions. She moved to the L.A. area, dabbling in retail jobs and management positions before becoming a buyer for a sports club line. Though Brown enjoyed being a part of the clothing industry, she disliked working for other people. “I’ve always had a strong understanding of branding and fashion and trends while keeping it classic at the same time,” she said.
So Brown started her own business creating the aforementioned hand-sewn headbands, which quickly gained popularity, getting featured on various websites and ordered by several stores. Brown’s cousin happened to be visiting Southern California as the headbands took off and decided to move to Carp, where Brown was living, to help. Together, they created a website, and though they were successful, the duo desired more for their brand and the future of their company. “The headbands took off, but headbands are a trend,” Brown explained. “We said ‘We have to do our own clothes.’ We can sell clothes for years and years, and that’s where our passion really was.”