Despite all of the challenges that 2020 has brought to us all, there is still a lot of good that we can piece together. Bahamians through time have been proven to be some of the most resilient people on this side of the world. During this pandemic and the period of the ongoing lockdowns and curfews, the spirit of entrepreneurship was still alive and well. Many Bahamians creatively found ways to make ends meet and tapped into trades, business ideas, and side hustles. Elvin Hanna, also known as Sii from the popular gospel hip hop group “Gospel Boys”, a young 28-year Bahamian, sought out to do more than just pay the bills. He used it as an opportunity to launch his dream.
Elvin, who dubs the name of his custom sneaker line “Dripster” , had a flare for style since he was a youngster. He told us, “I wouldn’t consider myself to be a sneaker head, like how some people know every single detail about a sneaker, but I know one thing I have, and that’s taste or style. I can just glance a sneaker or shoe, and I know it’ll look good on me or suit my style. Inspiration came from people complimenting me or asking me where you got your sneaks from, or them just simply starring at my kicks. Fast forward to a recent date, there were some guys laughing at some shoes I had on. It wasn’t name brand, it was “sweet waters” we call it here. They laughed at me for wearing saying I’m cheap and can’t afford the real thing. At that time, I had already had in mind to to start my own shoe brand, but I was still Contemplating about it. That motivated me and inspired me to push and show my younger Bahamians brothers that we can do anything we put our minds to. Believe and you shall achieve, and go out and earn what’s rightfully yours.”
It took Elvin months to go from the idea of a sneaker brand to the full fledge product that he has in his hand today. He wanted to create something unique and what he had not seen before in the larger markets, so he decided to go with a Junkanoo theme idea. The hardest part he mentioned, was the back and forth process of getting the design right. In the end, it was worth it all.
Elvin see his Dripster brand in the future being a top Bahamian brand, and is open to collaboration with other Bahamian creatives. He looks forward to this pandemic coming to an end so that he can officially host his first fashion show.
Connect with Elvin and support his Dripster collection here, and also support him on all social media platforms as he continues to pursue his dream.
By: Shaquille Hanna
