Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Bohatka.
Alex, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Since I was a kid, I have always been intrigued by fashion and different clothing styles. To me, someone dressing stylish in a way that no one else does was a form of art. So, I figured out how I could combine my passion and obsession with style into my day job and came up with ThredLine. At first, I started off just doing photo shoots to exhibit stylish outfits and wanted to make ThredLine a fashion magazine but then I figured, I’d have more influence in the fashion world as a designer instead of just a blogger.
ThredLine has been in the mix for two years and just recently (July 2017) we started designing clothes. Since we are based out of Miami, FL and get a lot of our inspiration from city dwellers and the city itself, we also want to put on for Miami fashion. A lot of people feel that Miami is in it’s infancy stages when it comes to fashion but we see a lot of potential here to make an impact on the industry and establish this city as the fifth fashion capital (as of now it’s NYC, London, Paris and Milan).
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not in the slightest. When I first started ThredLine, there wasn’t really anyone that believed in me or that I’d make anything of this dream. The majority of people told me to my face that they thought I was wasting my time and money on this and they didn’t think it was going anywhere. But, that just added fuel to the fire for me to prove them wrong and make them feel foolish for not supporting someone pursuing their dreams. That’s a big No-No these days and you should always support someone pursuing their dream whether it’s becoming an astronaut, going to NBA, or juggling knives.
Also, when I first started ThredLine, I was living in Pensacola, Florida where the majority of my family lives, especially my rock, my mother. After I started ThredLine, I quickly realized Pensacola wasn’t the place to grow a fashion business so I dropped everything, my job, family and friends so that I could be in a place that had potential and that fit my high minded ambition. It was a really hard transition because I was making really good money in Pensacola living like a king with everyone I knew and then dropped everything to start all over again and had to make a name for myself in the city with high rollers. It’s sink or swim out here but I got this.
Also probably the biggest challenge I’ve had with ThredLine is the fact that I’m pretty much a one man wolf pack. I’ve had to do a lot of the web designing myself (which I knew nothing about), I’ve had to front 90% of the costs myself, do most of the designing, etc. I’m basically putting ThredLine on my shoulders and lifting it up myself in all aspects and it’s really hard to maintain all the momentum for everything when you are doing it by yourself. I definitely get a lot of feedback and advice from some of my family members like my cousin Francesca, my aunt Nicole, my mother Raquel, my girlfriend, Ulissa (pretty much all the women in my life) and I use that to better myself and better ThredLine.
Please tell us about ThredLine.
ThredLine is a designer brand and we specialize in putting out pieces that separate us from the crowd. Our whole motto is “Be ya self, unfollow the crowd”. We like to do the opposite of what’s trending. A lot of people in fashion gravitate towards what’s trending and wait to see what the trend setters in the industry like Kimye, Chiarra Ferragni, Future, Migos, etc. I’m proud of the fact that we are starting from the ground up making a name for ourselves in the fashion industry. When we walk through Wynwood and South Beach random people come up to us and say: “Hey, you’re part of that ThredLine clothing brand right?” You don’t know how great it feels to have a complete stranger approach you because they recognize you for the work you’ve been putting your heart in. It’s the best feeling in the world, honestly. What set’s us apart from other is that our core mission and values are to encourage our audience to be themselves instead of following the masses and what’s trending. We’re promoting individuality and self growth. No other brand does that.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Yikes, that’s a hard one… honestly, when I think back on what it was like being a kid, I’m glad, I grew up before this wave of technology came into play. Kids today rarely go outside and play with other kids in the neighborhood. I feel like the easy access kids have to everything inadvertently forces them to grow up faster. So, for me, my favorite childhood memory is me being an actual kid instead of having to grow up too fast.
Contact Info:
- Website: thredline.com
- Phone: 786-494-7534
- Email: alexbohatka@yahoo.com
- Instagram: @thredline.co
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