“Lottery Love” Creator Spotlight: Hawk Okpokwasili’25

By Osegie Osayimwen ’23 | Edited by Iris Wong ’23

Get lucky in love and style with Lottery Love: where fashion is your winning ticket! Sophomore Hawk Okpokwasili ’25 sat down with Beyond the Valley to share more about his clothing brand Lottery Love. Inspired by the concept of love by chance, he hopes his work inspires people to take a moment and be thankful for the relationships they have as it all happens for a reason.

Some of this interview’s quotes and contents have been slightly edited and redacted for clarity and concision.*

OO: “Hawk, introduce yourself.”

HO: “Hi, I’m Hawk Okpokwasili, I’m a sophomore.”

OO: “Thanks, Hawk. Can you first introduce your brand and talk about what inspired you to create it?”

HO: “My brand is named Lottery Love. The name is based on the idea of “love by chance,” that love is a gamble sometimes, and also the question “What are you willing to risk for love?” In terms of what inspired me to create it, I’ve always been a creative kid, I just never really knew what I wanted to put my creative mind towards, because it wasn’t painting, drawing, or anything like that. I’ve always been very thoughtful about what I wear, so I wanted to think of a brand where I could create clothes that I would want to rock.”

OO: “You speak about the brand being centered around this idea of “love by chance,” so are you talking about romantic love?”

HO: “I guess you could say that. Romantic love, for sure. But, honestly, not only romantic love. We love between friends, family; sometimes you just run into people and you form relationships way deeper than you ever thought you could form. And those always happen for a reason—there’s a reason for everything, and these always happen by chance.

OO: “Yeah, I’ve thought about stuff similar to that as well. All your friends, all your relationships, are all just a product of proximity, whether that be your school, the place you live, or whatever. Statistically, it’s very improbable that you would have ever met that person, so you do kind of have to get lucky.”

HO: “Exactly.”

OO: “The message of your brand, why did it resonate with you so strongly to create a brand based off of it?”

HO: “ everyone needs to be reminded that they should be grateful for the people that they have in their lives, because it’s really all a result of chance. things that you could have done in your life differently that would’ve changed your path and those relationships could’ve never formed. And, at the same time, even though it’s by chance, it’s also by no coincidence.”

OO: “What do you mean by that?”

HO: “What I mean is that everything happens for a reason. So the events leading up to it, the fact it’s by chance, it’s for a reason, it’s not a coincidence.”

OO: “So, given the statistical improbability that said relationship would have ever formed, the relationship occurring in itself means that it was truly meant to be?”

HO: “Yes, exactly.”

OO: “Why is fashion a big part of your life?”

HO: “Fashion is a big part of my life because it's a way for me to express myself without really saying anything. can wear something a little out of the ordinary to be bold, and the people who understand fashion can look at you and see what you’re trying to express through what you wear. And, it’s also a way to differentiate yourself from the others around you. Being bold in your fashion choices, not really caring what others think except yourself, it’s a good thing. Just like in life, you might be scared to do certain things because you're afraid of what other people think, but you shouldn't—just be you and commit to doing what you want to do. So I think fashion really teaches you a very valuable life lesson, which is to be you regardless of what others say or think.”

OO: “What age did you start getting into fashion?” into my clothing. And, of course, it’s evolved and gotten to a more sophisticated place since then, but it really started summer before freshman year.”

OO: “What are your goals for your brand?”

HO: “I want to expand the brand. I want to make enough profit from selling t-shirts that I can move to bigger things like hoodies and jackets. Also, instead of just making graphics [t-shirts], I want to start making more unique pieces. I want to get to a point where I’m making stuff that’s out of the ordinary.”

OO: “Like some MSCHF boots type of stuff?”

HO: “Yeah, almost like some Foam Runner type of stuff. Stuff that people see and they’re kind of like, “What the f*ck is he wearing?”

OO: “What have been the biggest challenges of founding your brand?”

HO: “I'd say just commitment honestly. Of course, you're going to be a little afraid to start thinking, ‘What if I don’t get enough sales,’ and this and that. But, you just got to start and build yourself a foundation. Of course, you're going to start and you're going to lose money. It costs money to get a Shopify account, it costs money to get samples, it costs money to access platforms to draw designs, but you gotta bet on yourself and just go for it really—because if you don't go for it now, you might regret not going for it later. But, if you really just commit to it, then you're gonna get that money back in no time. And, since I’m 18, I had to create my Shopify account with my dad’s information, and I had to converse with him too about my plan for the brand. However, I will say, it’s definitely been all worth it, and I’m glad I took the risk.”

OO: “What has been the biggest triumph in the founding of your brand?”

HO: “First two days, I did $500 in sales [of the t-shirts]. The numbers surprised me—I was expecting less. But, it was very satisfying and motivated me to continue doing what I’m doing. So, I came out with about $200 in profit, which is all going to go towards samples and designs.”

OO: “How would you describe your own personal style?”

HO: “I’d say mostly streetwear, [dressing] pretty boldly. A little sophisticated.”

OO: “In your opinion, who in the Deerfield community has commendable fashion sense and style?”

HO: “I’d say Josephine [Louis] ‘23. She has some really good style that you don’t see a lot of people wearing, and you can tell she puts serious thought into her clothing. I’d also say Osegie [Osayimwen] ‘23, Tom Spater ‘23, Songa [Rwamcuyo ‘23], and Campbell [Fealy] ‘24. Oh, and Kiefer Ebling ‘25, he’s definitely up there in the sophomore class.”

OO: “Hawk, who’s your biggest fashion inspiration?”

HO: “Myself. Kidding—I’d probably say Shai Gilgeous-Alexander [an NBA player for the Oklahoma City Thunder]. Even though I don’t dress exactly like him, I get inspiration from his boldness, doing things other people won’t do. He’s not afraid to be different, despite knowing a lot of eyes will be on him. And, with the way Shai dresses, I think it’s important to note there’s a difference between dressing differently for the sake of dressing differently, and dressing differently because of who you are and how you express yourself. Shai does the latter. If you can set yourself apart and be unique from others for yourself, that’s when you’re actually different.”

OO; “Do you consider yourself different?

HO: “I do consider myself different, in a multitude of ways. Not just my brand, but the way I carry myself, what I do, the activities I pursue. Me as a person, as a character, I consider myself unique. I think everyone should consider themselves unique as well, because there’s only one you.”

OO: “Last question—what role do you think fashion will play in your future, at Deerfield and beyond?”

HO: “I want to start my own club based on clothing entrepreneurship, I want to be a part of BeyondTheValley as well. But, I’m just trying to take it how it goes, and just seeing where that takes me. I know everything happens for a reason, and what happens will happen.”

Note: Any opinions and statements shared are attributed to individuals and do not represent those of BeyondTheValley unless explicitly stated.