Bag Chasers' thriving to become a Staple in the Apparel Industry
With COVID-19 spiking in the United States day-by-day, it is more of a necessity rather than an urge to shop online. This has given the fashion/apparel industry a giant monetary benefit. Out of 1.8 million people, 232,000 are in manufacturing textiles for apparel and other fashion. Statistics have shown that roughly 79 percent of all United States employees work for apparel retailers. A little over 13 percent of the United States population is represented by African Americans. What does this mean for our stance in the apparel market? It means that the role African Americans play in the industry is just as small.
References: Fashion United: Global Fashion Industry Statistics NY Times: Fashion’s Racial Divide
Entrepreneur Mark Sanders is at work to break this stigma. Sanders was born in Charlotte, North Carolina where he was raised by his grandparents. He attended Livingstone College, a historically black college, in Salisbury, North Carolina. There, Sanders completed his undergrad education. Sanders earned his associate degree in Audio Engineering from Full Sale University. His company Bag Chasers began from his desire to create a clothing brand. He wanted to find his “niche.” The creative title arose from the idea that as people, “we all want money, and we all have to work.” Sanders wanted to create his own brand that could be implemented with the black culture.
In this interview from the 2017 Elevate Conference “ Building the Black Community through the Boardroom” held at Columbia University in New York City, Robert F. Smith stresses the importance to become an expert in your field, and that is exactly what CEO Mark Sanders is doing.
Bag Chasers is a co-ed apparel company that supplies urban wear, masks, sweatsuits and T-shirts. The logo is a male and female dog to take on the interests of women and men consumers. Sanders stated that the main purpose of his company is to, “find our place within the industry.” It is extremely important to support our black businesses. People often pour their money into “luxury” brands while black owned businesses are producing top tier products with very little support. Sanders stated that, “you can spend your money with me rather than Gucci and Louis.” We want to put businesses such as Bag Chasers under the well-deserved spotlight. The goal is for Bag Chasers to become a “6-7 figure company, grab the culture, be nationally recognized, and to find its place in the clothing industry.” Bag Chasers will be the brand that “when you see it, you know it.” Sanders’ biggest motivation comes from his son. It is important that Sanders can provide his son with the “knowledge and wisdom that he needs to receive to accomplish what he wants to do in life.” Generally, as human beings we wait until people are no longer with us to support their dreams. Sanders stated, “don’t wait until an individual passes to support them, allow them to see their dream come to life.” To make purchases and continue to bring Mark Sanders’ dream to life, visit www.bagtalkapparel.myshopify.com.
“We all want money, and we all have to work.”
