Conversations with Josh Alston

Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Alston.

Hi Josh, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Growing up, I always thought I was going to be a football player or have something to do with sports, but I always knew whatever I did I was going to be a star and have a huge role in it. Once I finally realized football wasn’t my route, I Instantly started thinking about other things I was passionate about and one of the first things that came to mind was having my own clothing brand.

I always have had an interest in clothes since I was a child and I just figured I can make my own brand and have my own impact on people. Going into my junior year of high school, I mentioned the idea to an old friend of mine about us having a clothing line together and he liked the idea. At first, we struggled to try to figure out a name for it, but we both ended up agreeing on ‘Simp n Sins” it lasted for about a year and I ended up moving back to Memphis from Michigan and decided it was best to just have my own brand.

I came up with the name ‘Ignored” for all the times I’ve felt ignored and all the times I’ve felt people truly don’t understand me and where I’m actually coming from. I also felt really lonely the first two years back in Memphis and that no one truly was on my side, but I had to realize that everyone is on their own time. Back in 2019, I dropped some long sleeve shirts and It didn’t necessarily go the way I planned, but it really was just the beginning.

I ended up losing my job at the job and had a MAJOR setback after that not knowing what to do or what my next move was going to be. Fast forward two years later, I ended up being involved in a pop up I had my first opportunity to showcase my brand and sell clothes at an event for the first time in two months.

After that, I dropped my first official collection for my brand named “Hear Me Out” meaning that everyone’s voices are heard at the end of the day, and now I am preparing for my biggest drop yet the “Born A Star” collection in February.

Alright, 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?
Definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, the hardest part about all this is trying to stay passionate and consistent. Another major struggle I’ve had is keeping other sources of income to support this and realizing things just don’t happen overnight.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I would call myself a creative and an artist in a way just because I work with digital design and know a little about graphic design.

I would say one thing that most sets me apart from other brands in Memphis is that all of my pieces always have some sort of message behind them.

I’m really most proud of how far I’ve come, not just my success with Ignored, but how far I’ve come mentally just because I was once at my lowest and never thought I could overcome that.

We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
A lot of people don’t know that I’m really a sports analyst at heart.

I’ve always been in love with football since I was a child just from being around my grandfather and my uncles, I played briefly in elementary school, I eventually had to stop because I had really bad asthma at the time, but ended up playing all four years in high school.

Eventually, I started watching a lot of different sports because football isn’t on all year round unfortunately, I started watching a lot of basketball and started liking it just as much as football. Although I was never good at playing basketball it was always so fun to watch on TV or in person.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ignoredclothing.store/
• Instagram: @Ignoredjosh9 and @ignoredclothing901

Image Credits
Kai Black