Ottawa Entrepreneur Marcus Griffith is using his innate knowledge of street fashion branding to create an outlet for supporting human rights issues through expression.
Marcus Griffith looks back fondly on his childhood in Orleans. He enjoyed playing sports, hanging out with friends, and most of the usual facets of childhood in Ottawa. But even back then, he remembers that his teachers could see immense amount of creativity and curiosity that needed an outlet. “Teachers, the backbone of the system, would’ve said I was an obstreperous. However, I think I was just a misconceived socialite trying to acquire my vocation.”
Marcus dove into the world of fashion at an early age, a love that started when he first watched ‘America’s Next Top Model’. He went on to work with fashion brands, creatives, and media in Ottawa. “I met a fashion magazine owner through a friend called ‘Flofferz’, run by Ramata Coulibaly. The revelation of the ins and outs of fashion/fashion photography, I’d say that’s when my intensity and passion for fashion really started clicking. Succeeding in my ‘natural next steps’, modeling and brand influencing, if that’s a word. The brand being NWKD by Corey Smith. This transition helped me understand the actual mechanics of how street fashion brands ran.”
Taking an entrepreneurial lens to his love of street fashion, Marcus launched Acid Drop in the fall of 2016. The name, inspired by the acid wash and distressed clothing trends he saw from overseas brands, was a double entendre.
Though Marcus had the creativity and talent for launching his brand, he admits that the more practical skills of business management took some learning. “The immense challenge from the outset of my clothing brand was the team management skills that I was deprived of. The impact was real. Self-education and perseverance prevailed. My tenacity allowed me to learn from my mistakes. Not to mention two unfailing peers that stood by me from day one, Casey E. & Lukas L. Shout out to them. I am indebted for their combined knowledge base they communally shared with me.”
Acid Drop has gone on to launch 3 full collections in Ottawa, each with a unique creative direction. This year, as we’ve seen massive societal issues coming to the forefront of discussion across North America and the world, Marcus plans to use his platform to drive change and support for these issues with his brand. For his 4th launch, he aims to find the intersection in which fashion and expression can meet real conversation and change to advance the issues of police brutality and genocide on a global scale. Marcus has also joined forces with the internationally known animator Jered Harrison from AMthruPM to help make the vision alive.
“The next Acid Drop dropping is more proactive in supporting the 10’s of millions having their basic human rights taken. Our profits are going towards foundations we know need our assistance. Each item will represent more than just clothing, it represents a moral compass and stances on your beliefs. Our contribution will progress the trend for other brands thinking of fighting for change.”
To do this, Marcus is not only growing the charitable arm of his brand, but also his platform as a media outlet. He’s evolved Acid Drop into a creative agency, one that will help to develop projects dedicated to these issues. “We provide the physical basis for works in the realms of new media art, performing arts, film, video, music and fashion. Basically, anything creative we like to get our hands on and if we can’t do it we outsource collaborations from our network developed over the years.”
Marcus hopes to further expand into creative consulting. “Ambitiously, Acid Drop would love a collaboration with entities such as Kanye West, Chrome Hearts and others.”
At only 25 years old, Marcus has worked hard to build a brand that is equally as daring as it is successful. While he focuses on his 4th drop, and driving conversations on human rights issues through fashion and expression, he also stays very much connected to his own journey of personal growth. “Next, I will continue to persevere and make headway in this heartfelt, soul-searching frontier that I believe in. The sky is ONLY my front door.”
@adropclothing
More information on Marcus, his new collection, and resources for learning about his causes can be found at
aciddrop.ca
Photography by Sean Sisk
