Junior marketing major Myraan Mays walked confidently into Bits and Bytes wearing his own custom Daties long sleeved shirt, embroidered with blue and red sequins, featuring the appealing Daties logo. He paired the Daties shirt with matching black shorts that he also made himself. Mays completed the edgy outfit with classic sneakers and two silver, chunky choker-like chains; it was clear he is a man of fashion.
Mays created Daties in January 2017, and since then not only has it grown to be more than he ever envisioned, but his future plans for Daties hold a great deal of creativity and exclusivity. Daties, known as a creative agency, carries anything one can imagine–clothing, accessories, music, mood boards, upcoming magazines and much more. Mays wanted Daties to be a place that captures amazing product, great service, many forms of art, as well as a safe space for artists who do not receive the attention they truly deserve.
Daties bleeds inclusion – especially for those who are misrepresented or underrepresented within the creative community. Mays has accomplished this with the many different music mixes, which he uploads every Sunday at 11 a.m., innovative logo-branded clothing and his mood boards that portray the many different approaches to fashion.
Mays is in love with 80s fashion. Daties represents an aesthetic of retro-based clothing, music and everything in between, all of which are inspired by this same time period. When I asked Mays about his inspiration for Daties, his eyes lit up as he spoke of the classic movie “Scarface,” and how it illustrates exactly what he enjoys in terms of retro-based ideas.
“The first scene of Scarface truly emphasizes my love for the 80s.” He continued by explaining how his love for the 80s came from other factors as well, such as music videos, old television shows and graphic design. The 80s also helped construct the name that started it all. Mays enjoys 80s films. One particular film showcased dating in the 80s, which soon lead to the unique household name, Daties. He knew this name was the one; there was no other feeling like it once he said Daties out loud.
Mays spoke in depth about his vision for Daties, and why the agency has a large fashion and music presence. He explained that fashion is simultaneously bound to everything concerning the creative world. “Fashion is collectively connected to everything nowadays whether that be music or art. It imitates everything, and everything imitates fashion. As far as art, we see a lot of fashion that is heavily influenced by older silhouettes or churches such as older Catholicism,” he explained. “In terms of music, many celebrities dictate trends. They’ve always felt hand in hand … I mean it naturally ties into itself so it would be stupid to limit yourself to one.”
Mays did not limit himself one bit. On the Daties website, there is a merging of music and fashion, which is clearly the presence he wants to make known to buyers as well as supporters of the agency. “I always create clothes I would wear,” Mays said while showing me his playful university clothing line which dropped on July 15 of this year. The collection featured a range of apparel such as shorts, colorful beanies, hoodies and more. He wanted the line to accentuate a campus-culture vibe.
Mays spoke of his love for old New York fashion culture, as well as West Coast culture. He was influenced by West Coast culture more so while creating the line, because he loves the classic looks it provides. He described the effortless look of an old West Coast cat wearing a Crenshaw sweatshirt, a tired Raiders cap, Dickies pants or Levi’s jeans, 501’s and some smooth Converse sneakers. In terms of New York style, he has an appreciation for oversized t-shirts and baggy jeans with a pair of Air Force 1s. “It seems pretty New York-esq if I say so myself,” he said while describing the perfect outfit in comparison to old New York fashion.
His clothing line is age appropriate for those of 16 to 29. He wanted his clothing to resemble youth but also resonate with anyone who is comfortable enough to rock Daties style. On the other hand, the many music mixes Mays provides are for all ages. It is clear that Daties has a great deal to offer—the creative agency, Mays explained, is so much more than clothing.
The more Mays and I spoke about Daties, the more in depth and comfortable he became while explaining his creative edge and where he achieves inspiration from. “I’m always thinking as a creative. There is a never a dull moment … absolutely anything can inspire me. For example, I could see an apple on the ground and can think of ten different ways to make that apple so much cooler.”
Mays said other sources of inspiration stem from Vivienne Westwood and Bernhard Willhelm—designers who have taken the fashion world by storm with their iconic looks and designs. He continued with his love for making his clothing and briefly detailed how it is done. He uses Champion clothing material as the canvas for his art. His initial design begins on Photoshop, where he constructs an idea that was lingering in his head through playful graphic designs. Another collection will soon drop this Christmas, and he is extremely excited to share it with the world.
“I never really thought about if people would like the clothing,” Mays said with confidence. “I realized that you are never going to please everybody and not everybody is going to like you. At one point, when it comes to business, you don’t need to focus on who is not supporting you or who is not watching you. You need to focus on who’s supporting you.”
Possessing full creative control is Mays’ favorite part of creating the Daties brand, a brand that allows him to constantly think of and execute new ideas.
“The best part is it being yours and nobody can tell you what to do with it. I have unlimited control. The sky’s the limit and I am proud of what I’ve accomplished. Just knowing that it’s yours and no one can tell you what to do with it is the best feeling. Just be as creative as you want.” Check out Mays’ Daties website at www.datieslounge.com.
