We sat down with CEO Jay Honest to discuss his luxury street fashion brand making waves on the internet.
Jay Honest is a Canadian entrepreneur with a passion for music, having attended Musitechnic in Montreal for music theory and production. From reaching his million milestones on Spotify, YouTube, and Soundcloud to helping artists reach their goals, there isn’t much Jay can’t do. Featured on our Top 10 Commended Brands of 2020 article here on US Reporter, Jay Honest is no stranger to the internet. When he isn’t catching our eyes with his style, he’s doing it by speaking his mind, revealing parts of himself that others are too afraid to show to the public.
Explain HONESTGANG in your own words.
Jay: To me, HONESTGANG has always been family. As a kid growing up, I was blessed to have such an inspiring best friend to guide me. Sadly, he is no longer here, but the mission is clear. He was the kindest soul, who always wanted to help others, without expecting anything in return, always telling me, “Karma plays its role in the universe, treat her well.” So HONESTGANG was started. Using my many years in the industry, my knowledge from Musitechnic, and my own previous experience as an artist, I decided to make it my mission to help get as many artists as I could from the starter phase, to being ready for the industry.
What Does HONESTGANG have to offer compared to other entertainment labels?
Jay: We are not simply your average brand. We put our customers first in every aspect, and we are like a giant family. Every artist we’ve been involved with, every aspect of the entertainment industry we have involved ourselves with has thrived and has continued to better themselves in the process.
Not only does HONESTGANG focus on music, but together, my wife Alaska Grey and I handle everything from photography and photo editing, to public relations and media coverage, artworks, production, release plans, debuts, marketing strategies—basically anything a label should be doing to help an artist on their way up, but with a unique twist: I take 0% royalties from the people I work with. Even going so far as to giving 100% royalties away to a lot of the artists I’ve featured on songs. How is one supposed to rise if everyone is taking from their pockets on the way up? Disregarding music for a moment, we also offer services to businesses and influencers trying to establish their names and networks across the vast world of social media, being responsible for helping over 6 artists gain their verification status on Instagram by attaining many opportunities and teaching everyone around me to stay consistent. Website design, song writing, publishing, licensing, PRO registration, we do it all here at HONESTGANG!
Let’s talk about your very unique fashion brand.
Jay: After my first attempt at creating our fashion line, unhappy with the company I was previously dealing with, I went on a hunt and contacted as many people as I could until I found an answer…partner with a better company! Using the connections I’ve acquired over the years, I’ll be the first to admit it was a bit easier to get in contact with companies directly than most starting their businesses. Now offering 8+ items with CHAMPION in our first month of launching the brand (October 1, 2021), I am confident we are headed in the right direction.
We offer sizes from XXS to 7XL with no up charge for bigger sizes, something rarely seen in the fashion industry and what we like to call “no size discrimination shopping.” With express worldwide shipping, 9 distribution locations making for extremely fast delivery, discount codes for repeat customers, our own in-house artist, premium embroidery as a standard and extremely competitive pricing, HONESTGANG is easily the fastest rising Canadian clothing company launched by an indie rapper we’ve seen in decades.
What’s next for the HONESTGANG?
Jay: Our goal is to team up with a few influencers, businesses, and brands that would love to help promote our brand and take part in our next expansion of the label. If anyone has any questions feel free to contact HONESTGANG @HONESTGANG for more information.
Direct Shop Link: https://honestgang.us
HONESTGANG Instagram: https://instagram.com/honestgang CEO Jay Honest Instagram: https://instagram.com/iamjayhonest
