Rare concepts NYC CEO Kareem Hill stopped by the Pod to drop gems! Fresh off of graduating from Cornell, Kareem will be able to spend time this summer fine-tuning his Fall launch at Rare Concepts. In this interview, we cover all things from Kareem’s passion for chess at a young age, to the two of us sharing the court as JV basketball teammates. After a successful 4 years at Andover, Kareem matriculated to Cornell, where he walked on to the track team. He speaks at length about his commitment level to track at the time, seeing his progress and getting his butt kicked in workouts. Unfortunately, Covid-19 robbed Hill of an Outdoor Freshman season. It was during this time that he started flirting with the idea of business, and getting things off the ground with emboldn. Although he was focused on selling phone cases at first, when he released clothing he realized that it just made too much sense. He had more creative freedom and received more desired feedback. Rare Concepts NYC emerged with sweatsuits tees and shorts. With a mission statement centered around encouraging others to embrace their stories and overcome their hardships, Rare Concepts NYC is fueled with positivity. Hill agrees. He loves receiving DMs about the brand, especially those who appreciate the message AND the product. Towards the tail end of the episode, Hill provides insight into the ways that he has experimented with designs. Noting that the brand changes and he changes and vice versa, he’s eager to tackle the realm of nightlife attire. Make sure to give @Rareconceptsnyc a follow on IG and shop around! Recorded: 6.22.23
