Neema Mahmoodi poses in a Believe The Hype hoodie. Mahmoodi established Believe The Hype clothing approximately a year ago. (Photo Courtesy of Andrew Franz)In his hit song, “One,” Harry Nilsson crooned, “One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do.” However, one ASU student has proven that working solo can result in fruition, not despair.
Business legal studies sophomore Neema Mahmoodi maintains a clothing company and balances a student schedule. Mahmoodi’s clothing company, Believe The Hype, was conceived about a year ago.
One of the most remarkable components of Believe The Hype is the story behind it. As a high school student, Mahmoodi was bullied and suffered from depression. He was not interested in conforming to his school's culture of partying and drug use.
He stated that Believe The Hype was created from this idea of originality. This also led to the formation of Believe The Hype’s motto, “Dream, create, live.”
Since the clothing company is targeted toward young adults, the prices are reasonable and geared toward students who are burdened with hefty university fees.
Mahmoodi himself was no exception during the early days of Believe The Hype clothing. He gathered the money that he had saved up and produced one shirt.
“The first shirt that I made was relatively simple," he said. "The shirt had a diamond with the title of the clothing company. It took about three minutes to do.The more recent clothes have emblems with quotes and sayings."
After selling 50 shirts, Mahmoodi generated enough revenue to add a winter clothing line. He now generates $1,000 to $1,500 on a monthly basis.
Believe The Hype clothing originally catered to men’s fashion, but the uptick in sales drove Mahmoodi to expand to women’s fashion. Children’s fashion may appear in upcoming months as well, he said.
Part of Believe The Hype clothing’s success is attributed to quick, efficient production accompanied by excellent customer service. It takes about 10 to 14 days for the items to be made. The products are shipped the day after they have been ordered online for customers who do not live in Arizona. Mahmoodi personally delivers orders from Phoenix area residents to their homes.
The items are purchased from American Apparel at wholesale prices. They are then shipped to Mahmoodi’s friend’s printing shop. The designs are created there by a process called screen-printing. Screen-printing involves placing ink onto the products through a squeegee. Once the screen-printing process has been completed, a sewing machine stitches the tags onto the products.
Mahmoodi’s company appeals to customers who reside overseas in addition to ASU students.
“As an international customer of Believe The Hype clothing, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and finish of the shirt that I ordered as well as their efficiency. Their products reflect classic and concurrent style among young university students,” Canadian customer Douglas Mackellar said.
Current items to purchase include beanies, sweatshirts, T-shirts, hoodies and crop tops. Mechanical engineering sophomore Nathan Cordiak is particularly fond of his Believe The Hype sweater.
“My Believe The Hype sweater is the comfiest one I own. I put it on when I get up every day,” Cordiak said.
Reach the reporter at lrogoff@asu.edu.
