The WNDR Interview

Where do we begin?

WNDR is a clothing brand based out of North County San Diego, focusing on sustainability, and sharing the idea of pushing ourselves to be the best human beings we can be. After a bout with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, Eli Q. began to consider the impact he wanted to have others’ lives, and there was born WNDR.

As I walked into Eli’s room, the first thing I’d noticed the WNDR brand scattered all over his room. Whether it be on paper in a early stage design layout, a sticker, or concept designs, it was clear that he sheds blood, sweat and tears over WNDR. Inscent smoke lingers in his sun-flooded room as we sat down to begin the interview.

This is the WNDR interview.

Where did the idea of WNDR come from?

Back in like 2013, I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and as I was going through rounds of hospital trips, I was getting scared to think that like “I can pass away and not impact enough lives”. So like I decided that I wanted to do something that could touch peoples’ lives. So I created the brand as a way to promote my brand for the time being, but I also wanted to promote not just the brand but more ideas of life. It wasn’t always like that, it took about five or six years to get it to where it is now. It pretty much turned out to be like each year it’d get closer to what I wanted it to be, to where it is now. Now it’s just basically to promote and push quality content.

What’s your creative process like? From beginning to end?

It kind of depends honestly, sometimes you can have an idea for a design, but it always comes down to having the money to be able to back it. Like I have ideas, but I’m not able to fund it yet, or have a large enough crowd to where if I put it out there it’s going to be a guaranteed sell out. So, for me currently, it’s about how I can stretch my dollar, but make it look good. Like my designs, it’s not like I’m trying to ball out, but still bring something different. Because of that, it makes the thought process deeper behind it.

How do you get into your creative process?

There’s no way getting into it honestly, because there’s days where you just kind of have to do busy work, and it’s just telling yourself and knowing “this is busy work. I have to do this.” It’s not always going to be this grand moment of “we’re creating this fire design, I’m hyped, it’s looking clean” It’s not like that. I get in creative moments from different things. I can necessarily always get on top of it immediately because I’ll be outside and get inspired by something, but it’s kind of like something that will spark an idea in my head, and I’ll start thinking about it, eventually it’ll start to get into the positions to execute it.

With something as involved running your own brand, how do you balance between your brand and personal life?

I think it is just balance. For me it’s like having planners and being able to schedule things and stuff. The older you get you start to learn that like you can’t just make plans day of, and execute it right then and there. People have schedules and times to do things nowadays, so it is just being able to maneuver it and stuff. Like I don’t have a crazy social life, I mean I still like to have fun and hang out with people, but for the most part I’m either working at my day job, or I’m here working on the brand. It’s also like living in the moment, if something good is worth coming to, yeah I’ll do it but mainly it’s just telling yourself what do and don’t need. I knew going into it I’m not going to have too much of a social life, because I’m going to be focusing on this so much. So I mean it’s bittersweet but I understand.

Who are your main inspirations when it comes to designs and as a person?

My constant inspiration honestly is just like, look at the stuff I’m able to create and do and there’s so many people out there that wish they could be in my position, so I don’t ever take it for granted. That’s what keeps me pushing to go further and further, because someone who doesn’t have it as good as me wants to do it just as bad, and they can’t do too much about it, and it’s like I can, so I’m going to keep pushing to do it. Plus other people like Future, Migos, like Migos, their music is cool but they inspire me because it’s like “damn, these people really came from the gutter” and now their out here like superstars. Seeing people go from like nothing, to becoming household names, like how are you not inspired? that’s what gets me pushing.

You seem to be passionate about staying local and doing this in San Diego, why not LA or New York City?

I feel like when it comes to a brand, it isn’t necessarily about the location. Like, with the brand it’s mostly like promoting online ideas of living, I don’t need to have the extra stuff at the moment. I don’t need to be around a bunch of big names, but I still have the capability of having my brand with theirs, and creating a virtual friendship. I want to show that there’s more of business to it, rather than just an image that everyone goes for, like that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s good. I can be home, here in San Diego and it’s still rockin’, just as much as it would be in LA. There’s just no need for it.

Where do you see yourself and your brand in 5 to 10 years?

Phew, I see myself having a legitimate workspace, I see myself being able to host events. Just being more present in the culture, not just present, but having an impact. Like my brand I’m not just trying to put clothes out, from the start it looks like that, and you have to start somewhere, but i’m trying to promote ideas and do events, and build it into an entity. Because I have so many ideas, like why not just get it under one house? and be able to push from there.

Have you ever thought out expanding your brand to film, music, etc.?

Oh yeah, right now it’s just clothes and photos, but I’m trying to build into events, and like, film, its going to be like short films, and clips here and there, but it’s definitely a part of it still. I want to like not necessarily get into other medias right now but get into the ideas. Like the best way I can put it, is that I want to create a brand that’s more eco-friendly and promote healthy living, but still maintain the brand of it. I want to implement ideas, not just like “here’s some clothes, wear it, it’s cool”, I’d rather have a positive impact on my peoples’ lives. That’s all you really can do.

Do you have any advice for people trying to get their own thing going?

You’ve just got to do it. I mean, there’s going to be times where you feel like you can’t do things but like, you’re your biggest critic, and enemy, so telling yourself you can’t do it, isn’t doing anyone justice. You’d rather have someone tell you that you can’t do it, then you’ll turn around and do it to prove them wrong. Go with the same mindset when you’re doing things like that, when you tell yourself you can’t do something, turn around and prove yourself wrong and be like “ you know what? I can do it” I feel like that’s the biggest thing, because people get discouraged, and once their discouraged it’s like “what’s the point?”. It’s like no, you have to jump through hoops, but it’s only up from there. You have to maintain a steady pace.

Check out the WNDR interview here.