Issuu

VALABASAS

"In

The Name Of GOD, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful"

OUR DNA: IT'S IN THE JEANS

Ifyou’veevercreatedapersonalconnectionwithyourwardrobe,youknow thatafashionchoiceismorethanjustapieceofclothing.Wechoosewhatwe weartotellotherswhowearebeforetheymeetus,showcasingourvoice,our values,andourintentions.

Inaworldincreasinglyconsumedbytrends,findingbrandsthatinspirea senseofcommunity,astory,andapersonaljourneycanseemlikean impossibletask.

This is the story of a brand that emerged from a dream and overcame numerouschallengesalongtheway.It’sastoryaboutthepossibilitiesof dreamingbigandconfrontingadversityhead-on.Letussharewithyouthe tenacitybehindourdesigns,theambitionsthatconquereddoubts,andthe passionthatbroughtustowherewearetoday.

Remember,evenasinglesparkofinspirationcanignitetheheartwith boundlesspossibilities.

THIS IS THE STORY OF VALABASAS "Worn to inspire."

“ALL OF YOU ARE SHEPHERDS, AND EACH ONE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS FLOCK.”

THOSE WHO HAVE A WHY, CAN BEAR ANY HOW

Yearspassed,butthedreamremainedaliveinMakhmoud’sheart. Inthechillydawnof1971,ayoungPalestinianimmigrantnamedMakhmoud AbrahamfoundhimselfaloneonthebustlingstreetsofNewYorkCityatjust14 yearsold.Hisjourneybeganasastreetvendor,sellinganythinghecouldgethishands on,fromumbrellastoradios,andlearningtheharshrealitiesofbusinessandsales witheachtransaction.Ashegrew,sodidhisfamilyresponsibilities,leadinghimtoset offacrosstheU.S.inaricketyvanfilledwithclothes,fosteringadreamofsomeday openinghisownstore.

In1987,hesettledinMemphis,Tennessee,withhisnewlyfoundedfamily hiswife andninechildren tofinallyopenhisdreamclothingstore,VillageMart.Hechose thispathinhopesofestablishingahomeandprovidingasaferandmorestablelifefor hisfamily,envisioningabetterupbringingthantheonehehadexperiencedasayoung streetvendor.Thiswasmyfather,arelentlessdreamerwillingtoputinthehardwork.

“THROUGH THE CHALLENGES POSED BY OUR COMPETITORS WE FOUND OUR STRENGTH.”

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

IntheearlydaysofVillageMart,myfourbrothersandI,despiteouryoung age,dedicatedourselvestounderstandingeveryfacetoftheretailbusiness. Wewantedtohelpourfatherbylearninghowtobettermeetthe community'sneedsandearnitsmuch-neededsupport.Intheprocess,we discoveredtheimportanceofbuildingcustomerrelationships,anadvantage thatwouldproveinvaluablelateron,althoughwedidn'trealizeitatthe time.

Hinderedbystrictbranddistributionrulesandlargerchainstoreswith morebuyingpower,ourbusinessfacedsignificantchallengesandwas activelyblockedfromgrowingwithinourcommunity.Despiteour efforts,thebusinessbegantostruggle,anditbecameclearthatweneeded help.

In1997,Ak,theeldestofmybrothers,madetheselflessdecisiontoforgoa collegeeducationanddedicatehimselftoourstrugglingbusiness.

“TRUE STRENGTH LIES IN THE SACRIFICES WE MAKE FOR OUR SHARED DREAMS, AS THE UNITY OF FAMILY FORTIFIES OUR RESOLVE TO OVERCOME ANY CHALLENGE ”

BONDS OF BROTHERS

InspiredbyAk’scommitment,myothersiblingsalsosteppedup, contributingafterschoolandduringsummerbreaksinhopesofkeeping ourfather’sdreamalive.Thentherewasme,Abraham,thethirdoldest brother.Ihaddevelopedakeeneyeforstreetweartrendsandwas particularlymotivatedtosecurein-demandbrandsforthestore.

Thispassionledtoasignificantdecisionofmyown:in1999,attheageof 16,Idroppedoutofhighschooltojoinmybrotherandfatherinthefamily businessfull-time.

Thesacrificeswemadeasafamilyunderscoredourunwavering dedicationtoourfather'svisionandlaidthegroundworkforour collectivejourneytowardsuccess.

"In a family, love and mercy unite them as one, like the parts of a single body

When one family member suffers, the entire family shares in the pain, feeling it deeply."

TOGETHER WE RISE

Ourjourneytaughtusthatsuccessisacollectiveendeavor,rooteddeeply infamilybondsandmutualsupport.Wecametounderstandthatone brother'striumphwasavictoryforusall,justasone’sstumble reverberatedthroughouttheentireteam.Thesynergyofouralliancewas ourstrength,witheachofusdevelopingandcontributinguniqueskills —frombuyingandaccountingtostoredesignandmanagement. Together,weworkedtirelessly,drivenbyanunwaveringdedicationto keepthefamilybusinessalive. Thisphilosophyofcollaborationshapedourapproachtoeverything,from hiringemployeestosearchingformanufacturersforourfuturebrand.We soughtoutindividualswhoembodiedthesamespiritofteamworkand familyvaluesthathadbeenthecornerstoneofourgrowth.This commitmenttosuccessandmutualrespectwasnotjustourstrategybut theverysoulofourenterprise.

"Taking the ﬁrst step towards inspiration is tough. But with patience and persistence, we ﬁnd joy in the journey."

YOU GAVE ME NO CHOICE

In our relentless pursuit of customer satisfaction, our family encountered repeated rejectionsfrommainstreambrandsunwillingtostocktheirhighlycovetedproductsin oursmall-townshop.Apivotalmomentoccurredin2017whenIventuredbackto New York City, the epicenter of streetwear, where my father’s journey had begun nearly50yearsprior.Iwastherealone,hopingtoacquireamajorclothingbrandfor my family's store. Once again, I faced rejection and returned empty-handed. This defeat was different, resonating deeply with my brothers and kindling a newfound determination.Thetimehadnowcometoseizetheinitiativeandlaunchourlongenvisionedbrand.

Thisbecamethebirthof9-57.Thenameheldspecialsignificance:the"9"represented theninesiblings,and"57"commemorated1957,theyearbothofourparentswere born.Ourvisionforthebrandwasonethatnotonlyconnecteddirectlywiththe customerbutalsoinspiredthemtotakeactionandchallengethemselves.Ithadtobe abrandthatwasbothinnovativeanduncompromisinginquality.

“When challenges arise, remember that each setback is a stepping stone towards your vision. Keep moving forward."

DIDN'T EXPECT THAT

In2017,theofficial9-57brandlaunchedwitheagereyes,optingto producedomesticallyinAmericatocloselyoverseeoperations. However,ourlackofexperienceinmanufacturingquicklybecame apparent.Overtwotumultuousyears,weencounteredaslewofissues: poorquality,incorrectmeasurements,colordiscrepancies,and cripplingproductiondelays.

Thefinalblowcamewhenourprimarymanufacturer'ssudden bankruptcyleftusfinanciallydrained.Forcedtostartagainfrom scratch,wewerequicktopointfingersandreluctanttoadmitour shortcomings,untilwerealizedthatthewhispersofdefeatthreatenedto extinguishouronceindomitablevision.Werefusedtosuccumbto failure,understandingthattrueinspirationcannotbestifled itcan onlybereborn.

"Failure fuels growth - if you know what to do with it."

LIKE A PHOENIX

Fromtheashesofdefeat,weembarkedonamorepersonalventure,abrandnamed simply 'Valabasas.' The ‘V’ symbolized the Roman numeral five, representing my fourbrothersandmyself,with‘Alabasas’referringtotheArabicwordforclothing. Wedecidedtoadoptthestrategyofinternationalproduction,beginninginChina. Thistime,wewerecommittedtofindingtherightmanufacturingpartner:apartner fullyalignedwithourbrand’svisionanddedicatedtotruecraftsmanship.

OurfirsttripintothesprawlingmarketsofChina,inApril2019,feltlikenavigatinga labyrinthoffamiliarpitfalls,fromflawedproductstounreliablepartners.Wewere disheartened.Thissetbackresonateddeeply,akintothefeelingsourfathermighthave hadwhenhefirstventuredintoanewcountry.Despiteourinitialfailure,wepressed on,returninginJuly2019withrenewedresolve,onlytocomehomeempty-handed onceagain.Althoughtravelingwascostlyandrequiredsignificanttimeawayfrom family,weembarkedonathirdtripinSeptember2019.Thistime,ourperseverance finallypaidoff,andwefoundwhatwewerelookingfor:areliablepartnerwho alignedwithourvisionandallowedustogrowourexpertiseaswemovedforward withourbusiness.

"Let them draw inspiration from us; we welcome it As they follow the path we've forged, we remain focused, challenging ourselves with humility, knowing there is still an abundance of inspiration waiting to be unearthed.”

WOULD IT STACK RIGHT? I’LL TRY ANYWAYS

Asourbrandtookshape,werecognizedtheimportanceofinfusingthecore elementsofstreetwearwithourownuniquevoice.Ihadaparticularpassion for innovation and began designing jeans adorned with distinct embellishments addingstrapstocargopants,blendingdiversecolorpalettes, andmore,allwhilemaintainingunwaveringqualityforourcustomers.This creative journey eventually gave birth to the STACKED JEAN, a bold reinterpretationofclassicflarepantswithasecrettwistofitsown.

Competitors in the space voiced mocking skepticism about these unusual designs,particularlythestackedpant.Theycontendedthatourdesignswere unconventionalandwouldn'tresonatewiththestreetwearscene.However,as thebrandgainedtraction,demandsurged,propellingourbusinessforward andearningusrecognitionaspioneersofstackeddenim.Soonafter,thevery criticswhodoubtedtheviabilityofournewstylefoundthemselvescompelled toemulateitascustomerdemandsoared.

"WEAR YOUR INSPIRATION PROUDLY. IT BEGINS AT THE HEART AND IT CAN GUIDE YOU FURTHER THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE. START WHERE YOU ARE AND BE DETERMINED ENOUGH TO EMBRACE THE JOURNEY AHEAD"

A JOURNEY HAS NO END

Asourdesignswereembraced,wedecidedtoadorneachpairofourjeanswith quotesofinspirationandproudlydisplaythephrase'DesignedinMemphis'on everytag.Wewantedtoshowcasethecitythatembracedusanddemonstratethat innovationcancomefromanywhere.Aswegrew,ourcustomers,drawntothe ethosofourbrandandthebeliefitinstilledinthem,cravedmorefromusand pushedustobranchintoothercategoriessuchast-shirts,jackets,outerwear,and shoes.OurjourneybeganonthestreetsofNewYork,butourambitionhasalways beenglobal,whichiswhywecontinuouslyevolveandstrivetoredefine streetwear.

Letthisbooklettranscendamerenarrative.Letitbeaninvitationtorelentlessly chaseyouraspirations,embracetheunknown,viewfailuresasguidinglights,and allowcriticismtobolsteryourresolve.Donotbeintimidatedbythegiantsofthis world,fortheyareashumanasyouare.Challengeyourself,enrichyour community,andpursuethedreamsthatcomefromtheinspirationwithinyou.

Thejourneybeginswithyourcommitment.

"True greatness stems from selﬂessly using one's talents to uplift humanity and forge a lasting legacy of change."

Chaz Courtney

ADJUST YOUR MASK BEFORE ASSISTING OTHERS

We share our story to inspire action and learning through narrative Influenced by figures like Muhammad Ali, whose greatness extended beyond his achievements in the ring, we strive to positively impact our community beyond our clothing In collaboration with local enterprises such as The Superior Shop, we've conducted charity drives, including food distributions and back-to-school events providing essential supplies

We view every creation as an artistic expression, encouraging everyone to explore their creativity, and strive to provide our community with opportunities to create. We recently launched a denim design contest that started with 200 participants, leading to 15 finalists, and ultimately one winner who collaborated directly with Valabasas to produce and sell their own design, benefiting a charity of their choice

In our eyes, our community's parents, artists, and many others—often unsung heroes—are vital sources of inspiration. They may not always be in the spotlight, but they are the pillars that drive us forward now, just as our father once did for us. Their presence and stories inspire and remind us that anything is possible when you take a leap of faith in pursuit of your aspirations.

"Gratitude and teamwork fuel every step forward, transforming vision into reality and turning a group of individuals into a community of achievers."

THANK YOU

Aswehavegrown,wehaveneverforgottenourorigins,andwe extendourdeepestgratitudefirsttoGodandthentoyou,foryour incrediblesupport.Valabasashasbeenbuiltwiththehardworkand dedicationofafamilythatextendsfarbeyondbloodties.Oursincere appreciationgoesouttoournewfoundtribe fromthedesignteam andproductionagentstothelogisticsteam,salesrepresentatives,retail partners,ourmarketingteam,andourcreativedirector. Eachofyouhasplayedacrucialroleinspreadingourmessageof inspiration;withoutyourdedicationandtalent,thiswouldnotbe possible.

Youareessentialaswecontinuetobuildabrandforthefuture. Thankyouforbeingwithusonthisjourney.