The Faces Behind: Kareem Hill

Kareem Hill, 21, is the founder and CEO of RareConcepts NYC, a luxury streetwear brand founded in 2020. Born and raised in New York City, Hill is of Haitian descent and attended MS 282. In 2014, Hill was accepted into Prep for Prep, a competitive boarding school preparatory program. Once Hill graduated from middle school, he went on to attend Phillips Academy, a boarding school in Massachusetts and the number one private school in the country. Currently, Hill is a senior at Cornell University set to graduate in May 2023. 

Following graduation, Hill accepted a full-time position with Bank of America in Global Risk Management. While starting his position at Bank of America, Hill hopes to continue expanding his business and continue growing as an entrepreneur. 

Ever since middle school, Hill began selling chocolate and silly bands with the intention of making a profit, and his parents were his biggest inspiration for doing so. Growing up, Hill was surrounded by entrepreneurs, with his father being a visual artist and his mother being in the process of starting her own beauty business. “They taught me from a young age to always think like an entrepreneur and think of problems to solve and monetize his solutions,” Hill stated. Because of his parents, Hill looks at entrepreneurship as a way to help people while being able to take control of your time and not having to work for a large company or organization. For years, Hill’s parents were waiting for him to finally start a business of his own and it was in the summer of 2020 that Hill decided to take initiative.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Hill felt like he finally had enough time to think of what kind of business he wanted to start. Hill initially started a phone case company that he later rebranded into a luxury streetwear company, due to a number of reasons. “ It was hard [to be successful] due to the limited product variety and I wasn’t being myself. I was trying to target rich and sophisticated working people and those aren’t qualities I possess so I decided to switch the brand to clothing,” Hill said. September is when Hill officially switched to clothing. 

Hill founded Rareconcepts with the intention of creating a brand that would be true to himself and pursue his dreams. “I would say I started Rareconcepts to start something authentic to who I was and something I’d truly enjoy doing. I wanted to create an entrepreneurial endeavor that was fun while pursuing my dream,” Hill stated. 

Hill came up with the name Rareconcepts with the idea that achieving success can sometimes be hard to imagine especially when one is at their lowest point, but those low moments make one who they are. “As I worked on the brand name, it started meaning a lot more as I started thinking about the brand in relation to who I am. Now I think about it as back when you’re at your lowest and things aren’t going well. In those moments your success is a rare concept,” Hill explained. 

Today, success is no longer a rare concept for Hill; it is a goal he is actively pursuing and working towards. 

On Hill’s launch day of Rareconcepts, he did not make a single sale, but today he is receiving messages daily applauding him on the success of his brand and its meaning. Looking towards the future, Hill hopes to reach more people, continue promoting the business, and continue to grow. “Right now, I’m reaching out to new customers, expanding new digital platforms, and working on getting celebrity endorsements,” Hill said. 

Throughout the whole process of creating his brand, Hill has learned that failure is part of the journey to success and having a support system is what allows him to continue pushing forward. “It’s amazing to see the progress from where I first started, but it’s also important to have a supportive system of ppl around you who want to see you succeed. Without those people, I wouldn’t have had the motivation to continue.” 

Moving forward, Hill will be working with the Black Entrepreneurs in Training (BET) organization on Cornell’s campus to host a conference to help students be successful in their endeavors, connect them to resources, and expose them to keynote speakers and industry professionals.  Hill hopes to take all the entrepreneurial skills he has learned and share them with people who look like him and might not have as many opportunities as their white counterparts, in order to rise in success together.