Meet Bernard Cunningham | Clothing Designer & Architecture Major

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bernard Cunningham and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bernard, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor that brings success to my brand is the mentality of never giving up. Having that thought deeply embedded into me allows me to remain humble and hungry for more success. There can be days where sales aren’t what I expected or days where I’m completely lost on what’s next for the brand. But, this allows me to better appreciate the reaping of the rewards when sales and/or potential customer interactions are up via social media.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Artist/ Architecture (student)/ Designer

I think what sets me apart from other upcoming brands around me is that I’m willing to endure and preserve through the toughest odds. It wasn’t always easy and even now it isn’t easy trying to get the brand where it needs to be. It takes a lot of time and effort from behind the scenes that most people will never see or understand. I’ve had to seriously take time management into consideration as I’ve been a full-time student working on two bachelor degrees, working retail part-time, working on the brand on my free time, and still trying to make time for my social life.
Another thing I would like to mention is that most brands usually have a team or hire people to do certain portions of the job whether that be marketing or having a third party create their artwork. As for my brand, BRYTE, I am the graphic designer, photographer, advertiser, content creator, and fashion designer. With that being said if I can juggle all that now there’s no telling where both me and the brand will be in the years to come.
One of the biggest challenges I had to overcome was telling people, outside of people I already knew, about my brand to reach more exposure. I had a tough time stepping out of my comfort zone but as I kept attempting it more and more my confidence in my brand started to reach the surface. It seemed pointless to put in all these hours into my craft for me not to want to you about my brand.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Me and my best friend would definitely go to “Sunflower Bakery” have the best Brunch menu locally. Now if we’re in the mood for some great seafood it would be “Joes Seafood” which is only a block or two from my mom’s house. Now the best place to eat & drink would either be “The Spot” and/or the bars downtown on the strip.

*Galveston, TX*

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Krystal Shaw, a women who found me on Facebook in 2020, after listing that she no longer needed her previous/old t-shirt equipment. And for some odd reasons hundreds of people from my hometown commented/mention my name. With that being said I received tons of t-shirts, a heat press, several mannequins, etc. Second person I’d like to mention is none other than my mother, Lakisha Johnson. She previously owned a fashion store for a few years when I was a kid but was destroyed during hurricane Ike in 2008. So the business traits distilled in me are directly from here. Not only that she is my main supporter always pushing me to do my best in all my endeavors. Most importantly I could not do this without God, family, and friends.

Website: https://bryteapparel.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/bryte_apparel?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bryte_apparel?s=21&t=DKWH6OlJZwTCOl2e-Ot1zQ

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BRYTEAPPAREL

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bryte_apparel?_t=8YMxnSAfyF4&_r=1

Image Credits
Jonae Whitaker Ben Appiah