Akademiks was founded in 1999 on the ideal of pursuing truth in fashion. The company's mission is to inspire and lead a youth fashion revolution with forward thinking individualistic collections that inspire personal style. This undertaking has evolved over 10 years with passion, creativity, and energy; culminating in a perfect revolution, “Insurrection Perfection.”

Company Profile, Donwan Harrell- Founder

There are those who innovate, and then there are those who invoke. Donwan Harrell manages to do both. As the president, co-founder and creative director of Akademiks, Harrell focuses on producing bold, well-designed fashions that are both classically cool yet effortlessly modern.

Denim is the cornerstone of Harrell’s designs, and is an area of constant innovation. “I’m a very competitive person,” says Donwan. “I like to find an audience, pick them apart and see if I can figure out what they want. I want to take what I do best and apply it to different age brackets, different income brackets. “ The best part? “They all wear jeans.”

Inspirations

“I learned to re-look at American culture, and take pride in the things we do,” he says. In particular, Donwan embraced a love of all things denim—a passion that still drives him today. “Denim grows with you, it breathes with you… I can read a jean.”

A long-time favorite of artists and entertainers, the Akademiks’ aesthetic is influenced by the Arts. “Music has always been a dominating influence for us,” says Donwan, “There are so many influences in street music -. It doesn’t even have to be hip-hop. It could be a great trombone player, or rising underground DJ. If he has a progressive and authentic sound, then it’s hot., and we are into supporting it.” Today, the brand turns to female artists like M.I.A. and Kid Sister for inspiration as much as it does classic punk pioneers like Bad Brains, who revolted against the mainstream.