We had the good fortune of connecting with Anthony “koolade” Temple and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anthony “Koolade”, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important is to remain true to your brand idea. Stay on course of your ideas and the direction you want your business to go. Figure out your demograpic and don’t follow industry trends. The way to longevity is to not chase everybody’s dollar. We are celebrating 25 years in the fashion industry this year and there were many opportunities to jump on trends that came into the game but it wasnt worth the gamble of being stamped as a trend or losing our core demographic to gain a temporary influx of sales. We remain true our brand values.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
AYV Premium Lifestyle Brand is special. We have a way of blending a preppy Ivy League style and streetwear culture with blue collar inspiration. Im definitely excited about the fact the we have been in motion for 25 years. That is a milestone that many can not say they had a chance to celebrate. We have seen so many brands come and go… we are blessed! This wasnt an easy thing to do but it just takes patience, hard work, research and willingness to bet it all on yourself. I just want people to respect AYV as a staple in the streetwear culture because we’ve been around for a long time and we are patiently growing the brand to be around forever!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Big shoutout to God first, my Wife, My Team (past and present), Eminem and D-12 (They gave me my first run of national and international exposure), Maurice Malone for pioneering Detroit streetwear (I watched him grow his brand and it was very inspirational), Ralph Lauren (I studied him for years and learned some key things to succeding in this industry), and last but not least, all of the people who rocked our brand so far in our 25 years of existence. You all make us know that we are doing this thing right!

Website: https://AYVLIFESTYLE.COM

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayvlifestyle

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ayvlifestyle

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