The founder and fashion designer of the streetwear brand Imperil Vestures is still a senior in high school, but he already has his sights on making his brand as successful as industry titans like Supreme and Off-White.
Two years ago, Tyrone senior Drew Escala turned his interest in fashion into a burgeoning online business. Since then, his brand has been gaining a following around the country and even around the world.
Escala has clients in Australia, Iceland, Austria, Norway, France, Ireland, the UK, Poland, and Portugal.
He even has a star NFL player wearing his clothes.
Christian Gonzalez, the New England Patriots 2023 first-round draft pick and starting cornerback was featured on the Patriot’s Instagram page in September wearing an Imperil Vestures design (see image below).
When the Eagle Eye first profiled Escala in March, the Imperil Vestures Instagram account had just over 1,000 followers. Today it has over 11,000 followers.
The brand’s most recent drop of over 400 items closes tomorrow, November 23, and some designs are already sold out.
Escala has spent the last two years learning about the fashion industry and building his business.
Escala attended New York City Fashion Week in September to learn about up-and-coming styles, make connections in the industry, and promote his brand.
“I went to a couple of pop-up streetwear events. I met a couple of other designers and I definitely gained some connections,” Escala said.
Escala said his style hasn’t changed, but his focus has.
“I’ve been more focused on quality and improving on what the customer wants,” Escala said.
Everything has been updated from the labels, bags, tags, and other little details.
Escala’s brand is inspired in large part by his family. His goal is to create pieces that are deeper than just a shirt.
His most recent collection is the most diverse yet, said Escala.
He looks to Japanese designs for inspiration because that’s where his grandmother is from.
His latest drop features a hoodie with a boxing glove graphic inspired by one of the old tees his dad wore in the 70s. Escala saw the design and felt it had to be created for his dad.
“I’m really proud and excited for Drew and his business,” Brian Escala said.
He’s been showing his dad the piece for over a year before it went on sale.
His website features old photos of his father during that time.
Soon, he plans to release several denim sets inspired by his grandmother.
Escala’s marketing strategy is to release his designs for a limited time, after which they are no longer available. This increases the exclusivity of his designs and drives sales.
He continues to do smaller unannounced drops in between to keep his audience engaged with his products.
Escala said he’s had over $75,000 in sales so far.
Escala said that he hasn’t spent much of the money he’s made so far, choosing instead to save for his future.
He still plans to further his education in the fall, most likely at Penn State, but his long-term goal is to move to a major city like New York or Houston to take his brand to the next level.
His teachers are also impressed by his entrepreneurial spirit and success. Social studies and journalism teacher Todd Cammarata had Escala in two of his classes and has known him for three years.
“I am really happy for Drew. I think it’s amazing that he has built a business while still in high school. He has a lot of talent and I hope he continues to be successful,” Cammarata said.
Escala has his sights set very high and sees himself growing into one of the biggest brands in the world.
When asked what he thinks about his success, Escala said “I don’t even know. I’m trying to be humble about it. I think it’s cool, but I just always want more.”
