Start a Fashion Brand on Shopify With These Easy Tips
Executive Summary
A Shopify Masters interview, hosted by Benjamin Godly and recorded at the Santa Fe Indian Market as part of a Build Native series on Indigenous entrepreneurs, with Hud Oberly, founder of the lifestyle clothing brand Here's to You (H2Y). He says he learned to sew in March 2022 from his mom and YouTube, launched in August 2022 with a hand-sewn wool sweater that sold out within hours, and named the brand after a conversation with his grandmother. He describes a creative-brief process of asking hard questions before each collection, a goal of convincing people they are creative, how his Osage heritage (rendered as Oage in the auto-captions) shapes his structured approach, and three things he credits for success: being observant, building a network and the example of those he looks up to. Sponsor: Shopify, which produces the show and is named in the description with a free trial offer. PARTIAL COVERAGE: this note is based on the opening, the origin and naming story, the creative brief section, the heritage discussion and the closing on networking, and may not cover every point in the roughly 24 minute video. Business claims are the guest's own and not independently checked.
Key Takeaways
A name from Grandma
The guest says the brand name came from a conversation with his grandmother, which led to the Here's to You name and H2Y acronym.
Learning to sew
He says he learned to sew in March 2022 and launched in August with a hand-sewn wool sweater.
An intentional launch
He says he wanted first impressions to be intentional and handmade, not a screen-printed T-shirt.
Creative brief questions
He says he answers hard questions before choosing a graphic or tagline, and drops ideas he cannot answer for.
Helping people feel creative
He says one avenue of the brand is convincing everyone they are creative, since believing it brings confidence.
Heritage and structure
He says his Osage upbringing, with structured gatherings and rituals, shaped his detailed, particular approach.
Keys to success
He credits being observant, building a network and being a representative that others can look up to.
The Conversation Breakdown
A name from Grandma
⏱ Untimed topicThe guest says the brand name came from a conversation with his grandmother, which led to the Here's to You name and H2Y acronym.
Learning to sew
⏱ Untimed topicHe says he learned to sew in March 2022 and launched in August with a hand-sewn wool sweater.
An intentional launch
⏱ Untimed topicHe says he wanted first impressions to be intentional and handmade, not a screen-printed T-shirt.
Creative brief questions
⏱ Untimed topicHe says he answers hard questions before choosing a graphic or tagline, and drops ideas he cannot answer for.
Helping people feel creative
⏱ Untimed topicHe says one avenue of the brand is convincing everyone they are creative, since believing it brings confidence.
Heritage and structure
⏱ Untimed topicHe says his Osage upbringing, with structured gatherings and rituals, shaped his detailed, particular approach.
Keys to success
⏱ Untimed topicHe credits being observant, building a network and being a representative that others can look up to.
Core Frameworks & Ideas
Creative brief - the guest's process
Ask questions about meaning before choosing the visual or phrase.
Convince everyone they are creative - the guest's brand idea
Belief in your creativity builds confidence.
Observe, network, represent - the guest's success factors
Pay attention to detail, build relationships and be a role model.
Actionable Next Steps
- ✓Check the guest's sales and award claims against the brand's own announcements.
- ✓Write a short creative brief of questions your next product or campaign must answer.
- ✓Think of a person you could involve from your family or community in your next project.
- ✓Treat the advice as the guest's own experience, not a guarantee.
Notable Quotes
“if you believe you're creative you'll be more confident”
“everything I do is indigenous”
“it takes so many people to make one of my ideas come to life”
The One Thing to Remember
The guest argues that a handmade, intentional launch, a questioning creative process and a strong network helped him build a clothing brand that celebrates creativity and heritage.