The Faces Behind: Tristan Ellis

For a Howard freshman architecture major, building things using the blueprint doesn’t always scale out how they were planned or envisioned. 

Tristan Ellis found himself in paradise, after discovering his calling wasn’t just to assemble things, but to also design them. Currently, the apparel store sells shirts, pants, hoodies, and vests with unique, one-of-a-kind, elaborate detail to them. 

In short, Ellis recalls creating the brand out of a want for something new and promising for future generations to come, in the fashion industry, “Layne Ellis was inspired by my own desire to create. I started Layne Ellis to be a vessel for me to shape the world in a way that aligns with my vision. I want the brand to be a way to unite artists and creatives who I feel are often unable to fit in.” 

Not only has Layne Ellis’s expressive clothing made a way for those who feel like they don’t fit into societal fashion norms to come together and unite, but it’s also birthed a new symbol for art as well as its inclusivity of it.  

A major struggle Tristian found when launching his business was and still is getting his name out there and finding customers with disposable income who can buy his products. Exposure and marketing are keys to a strong, profitable consumer base. Like many small business owners, he’s admitted to finding a lack of resources for entrepreneurs and starting ventures, when it comes to the support they receive. 

Despite this, he shares how lucky he’s been to have found a group of peers at Howard who have been very supportive along his journey. The most humbling thing he speaks about when it comes to having his own assets has been being solely responsible for all of his successes and failures. 

His advice to newcomers in entrepreneurship is to remember that the momentum and the results of how things go as the owner of the business are completely determined by the amount of work and effort put in. When it comes to how he sees his craft advancing post-Howard, he wants to continue his legacy following graduating in four years, through his brand and other ventures that he plans on starting soon.

“I want to leave a legacy both within the Howard community as well as outside in the real world”, Ellis exclaims. 

Because of Tristian’s extraordinary perspective, Layne Ellis is set to have positive reactions in a world of collegiate students who dream of things working out for the better.