Creating positivity through fashion and streetwear

Northeast Guilford High graduate Christian McCullough has spent a lot of time thinking about poverty. He believes it is more than just a lack of money. As a concept, it can be a lack of hope or the struggle to believe in yourself. Poverty is more of a mindset, he says.

"The richest man in the world can still feel like he needs to be doing more," McCullough says. "I feel like everybody can relate to it (poverty)."

His observations sparked the idea to launch a brand to reach young people and raise awareness about poverty. McCullough’s Sick of Poverty clothing brand is a line of streetwear that includes shorts, jogging pants, hoodies, t-shirts, beanies and track sets. Most of his clients are high school and college students. His small batch collections usually sell out soon after they are released. It has been so successful that McCullough plans to focus on growing his business while studying business at an in-state HBCU.

Really into fashion

McCullough’s parents have supported his business efforts from the start. He woke his mom, Crystal Wright, up at 3 a.m. to share his first design ideas.

"They support me through everything," he says. "I am very thankful that I have two supportive parents who can help me."

His father, Rex McCullough, invested in his first creations. His mother says he has always been creative and interested in fashion.

"Since I was a kid, I liked fashion and I could always dress really good," McCullough says.

He was known for it, he says. So when he spread the word in his junior year that he was starting his own clothing line, the response among his peers was encouraging. McCullough knew several people who had launched clothing lines, including his cousin and a former classmate. But he did not know of anyone else who was intentionally using their clothing brand as a vehicle to spread positivity. He wanted to create something with a meaningful message.

"I knew that I wanted to create a message with it instead of just doing it. So I came up with the name Sick of Poverty, and I just felt like everybody could relate to it," he says.

McCullough has more than 5,000 followers on Instagram, @sopunity, which features people he knows wearing his clothing. Each piece prominently showcases the distinctive Sick of Poverty logo, which he created. His designs incorporate bold graphics and the skull, which is part of his logo. Color schemes range from traditional black and white to bold red to eye-catching neon green, and his pink and white track sets appeal to both genders. His logo even glows in the dark on some pieces.

"When I go downtown or at my school, I see a lot of people in my clothes," he says.

Positive messaging

The first piece of clothing that McCullough created was a hoodie. After designing the logo, he put it on a hoodie and released it. Still, it would be another year before he dropped anything new. He was not sure that was what he wanted to do, he said. But once he decided to go for it, his creations gained momentum and his followers skyrocketed. Most of his marketing is done through social media, mainly Instagram and TikTok. His videos are shot around Greensboro and photo shoots take place in a studio near downtown. He enjoys the creative collaboration with local photographers and videographers. It does not take them long to conceptualize and execute the short videos, he says. Their work has attracted attention from local influencers who are reaching out to him, he says. He plans to drop a new collection for back-to-school, including book bags and more track sets.

"I love going up to people and telling them I have a clothing line," he says. "It’s just a message that I’m able to share through clothes."

His mother says she has always believed in him and that it is easy to support him because of the intent behind his message.

"For me, it’s his compassion," she says. "He’s doing something that’s positive and everything that he talks about through his clothing is positive."

She also liked the name of his business, which they discussed at length.

"It’s a nice, catchy name, because not only are you talking about poverty, but your poverty can be anything in the mind—weight gain, lack of education, whatever you’re struggling with," she says. "How he’s reaching young folks is getting them to think about ‘What is your poverty? What is the thing that’s holding you back from becoming the person that you want to be?’"

McCullough’s long-term goal is to possibly open his own store. His job at UPS helps fund his inventory.

"My favorite thing is when my bulk (order) arrives at my doorstep. It feels like Christmas. But another thing is probably me making the clothes and putting a message behind them and then being able to tell people around me what it is," he says. "I just want to see how far I can get with it."