One of the most common questions students ask once they graduate is: Now what? We spend four years taking classes, doing internships and participating in groups on campus, and those four years end up going by pretty quickly. Hopefully, by the time we graduate we have a job set up, a place to live and a purpose to work towards. LMU alumna D'Ana Smith ('17) immediately jumped on those questions after graduating and now owns her own denim company supporting a good cause, Purpose Denim.
Cory Hutchinson (CH): Tell me about Purpose Denim. What are the defining aspects of your company?
D’Ana Smith (DS): Purpose is a locally-crafted premium denim company. Everything is made here in L.A. — all of the materials, resources and everything involved in the making of the denim. I chose denim because I grew up with a mom who was very trendy and I would always steal her distressed jeans way before they were in style. I always grew up knowing that if you’re comfortable in what you’re wearing, that’s the best accessory that you need. On any given day — if I have nothing else to wear — black knee-rip jeans and a white t-shirt is my go-to outfit.
So, I knew that I wanted to make something that I really believe in and I wanted my efforts to go towards a charitable cause. I thought, at first, I could contribute towards different causes at the start of each quarter, but I went back to the foundation of the company — my mother and her influence. Then, I realized that I wanted 10 percent of all my proceeds to go towards single mothers in need. Personally, my parents are married, but my father is a workaholic and both my parents own their own businesses. Yet, while she was running her business, she stayed at home and she never missed anything that was a part of my life.
The company is kind of an honor to my mom and a thank you to her, but also to give back to the other moms who don’t have that opportunity. There are a lot of super-moms out there who don’t own their own companies — they can’t be at home with their kids, and there are a lot of moms out there who are struggling. Homelessness in L.A. amongst women is at the highest rate and most of those women have children, so I wanted to be able to help moms who are in a similar situation, but mostly different.
CH: What inspired you? How did you come to the idea for Purpose Denim?
DS: It was an idea that I had for a while, I started thinking about it in my sophomore year of college, but I thought, since I love jeans, it would be cool to start my own denim company. I always knew I wanted to call it Purpose Denim because, growing up, my mom instilled in me that, for everything you go through, God has a purpose for you and we all have a purpose here on this earth.
So, the name has always been there, but it’s the actual process of putting the irons in the fire that took some time, because I didn’t know exactly what it was that I wanted to do. I knew I wanted my company, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted in terms of the linear path: college, then maybe law school and then what kind of job did I want from there? I had a lot of really cool internships that started off in the sports marketing field because I liked it and I thought it’s where I wanted to go, but then I realized that I liked it, but I didn’t love it.
So, then, I moved into fashion and realized I was getting warmer in terms of getting closer to what I wanted to do. The thing about fashion, though, is that it’s an industry that’s really tough — God bless the people that can do it — but I didn’t like the people I was surrounded by [in the industry]. So, I took a break, and after my presidency in Alpha Phi, I decided to get an internship that I really enjoyed, so that’s when I started working at The Giving Keys company. I was so in love with this company and I loved being there, but there was no growth in the company.
As I was applying to graduate school, I sat down with my boss at the time and he told me that I needed to not be a part of somebody else’s day dream, but to focus on my own, and something just clicked in me. As much as I loved the job, I quit a week later and I decided to take the company that I knew I wanted to start and put all of my efforts into that. I went into graduate school at University of Southern California (USC) knowing that it offered a lot of great opportunities, but I trashed all of the internship emails and decided to focus on my company.
CH: As you mentioned, you’re at USC for graduate school. What’re you studying?
DS: I’m getting my master’s degree in strategic public relations (P.R.) at the Annenberg School. I wanted to take what I already learned at LMU — I was a communications studies major there — and the power and emphasis of communication and expand on it. To me, P.R. is such a silent form of marketing that people don’t realize is so important. It’s kind of one of those things where you always have to remind people that this is such a valid field in the business industry. I wanted to study something that I was good at and something that I could expand on to enhance my own company.
CH: I imagine being in school still and trying to run your own company can be a lot, because you’re balancing two very different worlds. Is it one of those things that becomes a welcomed challenge?
D.S.: Yes, it’s definitely one of those things that takes up a lot of time, but I also know that it’s incredibly beneficial. I believe in myself and I know that my company will be great, but I also know that things happen. So if, for whatever reason, Purpose doesn’t turn out to be what I hope, I know that I have this master’s degree and that I’m opening myself up to a network of people that will be great resources — either for Purpose or whatever professional sphere that I choose to go into. If nothing else, I’ve created an incredible foundation of people that surround me, but yes, it’s definitely a challenge. I wasn’t really ready for graduate school, but I got in and I told myself that I was going to make it work, so that’s how I’ve come to the place that I’m at now.
CH: So, jumping out of the educational sphere, what’re some of the biggest challenges of being your own boss?
DS: I’ve always been the kind of person that doesn’t like to work, and that’s very true, but I think it really translated into: I don’t like to work for other people. If I’m doing something that I’m really passionate about, then it doesn’t really feel like I’m working - it feels like I’m working towards this end goal. Everything that I do is on-brand for my company, but the hardest part of being my own boss is that there’s no one to answer to. Even though my mom helps me with a lot of things, it’s mainly just me. I don’t have anyone to evaluate business moves or being on-brand. With everything I do, I have to play devil’s advocate with myself and make decisions that don’t hold me and my company’s growth back. However, as Purpose grows, I’m excited to expand my company into having a team and interacting with different strengths, as well as displaying my own strengths in P.R. and pursuing my goals.
CH: Reflecting upon where you were at LMU and the things that you were dreaming about, what do you think was the most practical lesson you learned — either in or out of the classroom?
DS: At LMU, I learned the importance of community and the people that you surround yourself with — not necessarily related to Purpose, but just for life in general. I noticed that, in my classes at USC, there’s nothing quite like the community at LMU. While the classes at USC are just as small — if not smaller — the way that you walk into the library or the coffee shops at LMU is not the same at USC.
The biggest learning curve, however, was my time as the president of Alpha Phi. It made me realize that every failure or misstep is nothing but a lesson learned. Instead of looking at those moments as a setback, it’s important to see them as a stepping stone. I was the first black president that LMU’s chapter of Alpha Phi ever had, and so I faced a lot of racial issues and adversity in being different. I believed more in the acceptance of everyone rather than making a really pretty recruitment video, so I dealt with a lot of backlash, but I learned that even if you’re different and you have to push the envelope for change, it’s okay. You don’t have to always be cushy and accepted by everyone, but if you’re fighting for something that involves the greater good of other people, then it’s worth it.
CH: What’s the most important piece of advice you have for current students at LMU — whether they’re thinking of starting their own business, just getting their bids from rushing Greek Life or thinking about their future in any way?
DS: Be open. Be open to exploration, to your mind changing and to trying things and maybe failing at them because you never know until you try. I applied to USC not knowing what I was doing or what my next step was, but it’s about taking the chance. I took my GRE at the very last chance, not having studied, but I knew that I wanted to try and things ended up working out. I’m blessed that things worked out, but you have to be open to the possibility that things don’t always work out. You never know what is right for you if you don’t give yourself the allowance to try and do new things. I think we’re always so set in our ways — whether it’s recruitment, freshman year or picking a major because you wanted to do a certain job — that we don’t open ourselves up to opportunities that might be available.
CH: Is there anything else that you’d like to add?
DS: Not related to my company, I would just say to appreciate what you have around you and appreciate LMU for what it is. I remember being there and thinking of LMU like high school, just bigger. Now that I’m at this giant university — and I love this change — I do miss the fact that I could walk to The Lair and see so many different faces and know those people and connect with them. I’m happy to be at USC for what I’m studying, but the sense of community that I experienced at LMU is never going to be the same anywhere else, and that’s something that I think everyone there should cherish.
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