Malachi Shockley: VP of Merchandising in Los Angeles, PA

When I was 18 I started making t-shirts with one of my good friends. Over the past couple of years, it has grown into something much larger. We now own and operate a men’s street wear label. It has taught me how to run a business from the ground up. We are currently doing small batch orders of cut and sew pieces and selling them through our online website and select retailers.

As Executive Editor I wrote contributing articles for print and web, curated content for web and social, managed assistant editors, and helped establish relationships with upcoming streetwear brands, artists and musicians.

Assistant buyer at UO focusing in graphic tees, socks and boxers. -Successfully managed accessories OTB, relations with over 50 vendors and sample management -Built trend packs and drove product development -Managed Intern

I partnered with an avid writer and fan of Hunter S. Thompson to help curate merchandise for a festival dedicated to the late author in Louisville, Ky. Several thousand people would come from all over the world to celebrate the life of the infamous writer with an eccentric array of events. My job was to help connect the people who ran the festival with services necessary to merchandise the festival. Once connected, I was in charge of determining what designs would be used, what they be used on and the quantity of products made. I was in contact with Ralph Steadman, a well renowned artist, who kindly worked with us to curate the designs. Once the festival was underway I was there to set up and help distribute the gear.

My responsibilities for this job included creating sales pitches, building and working trade show booths, maintaining social media, and building relationships with stores and individuals to sell private label and custom cut n sew product.