LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / February 10, 2020 / Justin Escalona founded 1340 COLLECTIVE three years ago in his freshman dorm at the USC film school as a joke. He was motivated to make a streetwear clothing company to prove that he could make a better company than a friend living down the hall from him. Nobody would've estimated how well 1340 would perform. In the first week, Justin generated $20,000 in sales purely from an online storefront. After realizing that he was sitting on something much bigger than he anticipated, Escalona began to scale the company at a rapid pace. At the age 22, Justin has been able to outfit some of the top celebrities such as Ethan Cutkosky, David Dobrik & Khalid. 1340 has successfully gotten a grasp on e-commerce and is now generating nearly $100,000 in revenue on a monthly basis.
Before making clothes, Justin used to photograph rappers that would visit Chicago on tour. When he was in eighth grade Justin would use his dad's camera and pretend to be a press photographer for Rolling Stones. He was able to convince security guards that he was supposed to be at these shows and would find himself backstage with some of the world's top musicians. Justin has taken photos of people like Chance the Rapper, Logic, and Wu Tang Clan. Due to the fact he was constantly surrounded by such influential people, he was able to develop relationships with many of these musicians beyond photography.
Fast forward to freshman year of college, Justin was able to maintain many of his friendships with these artists. What makes 1340 COLLECTIVE interesting is the fact they have an overwhelming number of co-signs by celebrities and athletes. During Justin's early years as a photographer, many of the people that he used to shoot were all rising stars, but they weren't famous yet. He's built up such an impressive rolodex of high tier names because he used to take photos for free when these artists couldn't afford to pay at the time. Things like that go a long way and many of those same musicians that caught a big break showed their appreciation for Justin.
In today's digital world, people have been more connected than ever before. It's so easy for consumers to be exposed to new products. Many of the musicians that Justin used to photograph repaid Justin for his efforts not directly with money, but with something even better... They posted photos wearing 1340 clothing on their social media accounts. In the streetwear space, when celebrities wear a certain piece of clothing it becomes "cool". When celebrities stop wearing a certain piece of clothing it stops being "cool". In our digital age, being "cool" is almost more powerful than money. The word "cool" is just a different form of saying influence.
More details about Justin and 1340 COLLECTIVE can be found at
https://instagram.com/justinescalona
https://instagram.com/1340collective
https://1340collectiveco.com
Media Contact Information:
Justin Escalona
[email protected]
Los Angeles, California
SOURCE: 1340 COLLECTIVE