It'd been two years since Octavia and Jack decided to take a break. Both of them were hit hard with the decision, though Jack more than Octavia. He was angry, but he didn't let her know that. Every song he wrote from then on out was about her, and there were a lot of them. Why Don't We got a full album out of them, and a few others by the boys and some other artists. They did a worldwide tour for the first time that lasted a full year with breaks for holidays. After that, they completely blew up.
Octavia went to college at Fashion Institute of Technology after getting accepted and receiving three scholarships that covered more than two-thirds of her tuition and a dorm on campus. She started a go-fund-me page and fundraised more than enough money to cover books and the rest of tuition. She took out what she needed and then turned the page into a fundraiser for starting up her own clothing line. That gained a lot more attention from fans and followers. It got to the point where she had to take down the page. She put the money in a savings account and thanked everyone in a long paragraph on Instagram.
While the boys were on tour, Octavia was in the process of perfecting her designs for her clothing line. She kept re-sketching and redesigning, but she didn't like anything she was producing enough to call them finished. Then, she started an internship with an older fashion designer who needed help at her office. Octavia's teacher recommended her for the internship along with four other students. Ultimately, Octavia was selected.
The designer was an older woman by the name of Margaret LeFlour. She started to get arthritis in her hands, so she couldn't hand sew anything anymore. So, she had Octavia do it for her. She also had Octavia cut fabric, draw and create patterns, review designs, take down messages, and get tea and food for the both of them. It was an unpaid internship, but Margaret felt that Octavia deserved something for all of her hard work, so Margaret paid for her breakfast and lunch every day. "It's my internship, so I can make up the rules as I go," she'd often say with a proud smile.
Margaret also helped Octavia with her clothing line designs. They worked together to perfect Octavia's ideas. By the end of the 10-month internship, her clothing line was finished. Margaret told her that she'd help Octavia find a factory that would produce her clothes. They found a factory that would do it with the right amount of money, which Octavia had in her savings account and then some from the go-fund-me page she created. So, production started. They did a few prototypes before actually committing to mass production.
Now they had to think about clothing cost. They had to profit from sales, make enough money to continue production or do another round of production, but materials, etc. They also had to make the price accessible to at least middle-class consumers. The price of clothes ranged from $25-$40, depending on how expensive it was to make the product.
Then, came the website and shipping. They hired someone to create a website with the extra money and opened up a new account to attach to the website. The factory provided a shipping service for few extra bucks, so they agreed to that.
Next, came the name. Octavia wanted to put her name on it, but she also wanted to honor Margaret for her overwhelming contribution to the line. So, she decided to call her brand "Blossom", but called the specific line "LeFlour". Margaret cried tears of absolute joy when Octavia told her the line was named after her.
After that, came the logo design, which the website designer had been waiting for. Octavia decided that the "Blossom" logo would just be the last half of her signature with a daisy in front of it, as an ode to Octavia's mother. "LeFlour" would be the word in typewriter font with an oval around it, under Margaret's request. She loved typewriter font and her brand had an oval around her name.
Lastly, they had models do a photo shoot to promote the release of the line. Octavia just had some close friends from school got to Margaret's office for the shoot. The whole process was filled with laughs and goof-ups, but they got some good shots of the clothes. Margaret offered to promote the line and get some adds wherever she could. So, Octavia finally announced that the clothes were up for order on her website.
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Oblossomart: Hello, Everyone! I have some very exciting news. MY FIRST CLOTHING LINE IS OUT AND AVAILABLE NOW! You can use the link in my bio to start ordering now! I could not have Don't with without @ Margaretleflour , who started off as my boss for an internship but became an extremely close friend to me. I loved working with her and am so thankful that she helped me perfect the designs I've been working on for years. She also helped me through the whole process of actually launching the line and brand. So, the line is named after her. Much love, Margaret! I hope you love the line! :)
73,842 comments User 1: THATS MY MOM! User 2: Why am I crying in the club tonight??? User 3: I love Margaret LeFlour! Omg! User 4: I just bought three things. :)) there goes my paycheck! User 5: umm... iconic??? Margaretleflour: You're like the daughter I never had, Octavia. I am proud of you with all of my being and I will continue to support you until the day I die! User 6: IM SOBBING! LOOK AT MARGARETS COMMENT! Mama.os.mama: The daisy before your name made me cry. I love you, baby! Press_ten_preston: THAT IS MY BEST FRIEND! Thank you for the free swag! User 7: Need a giveaway for us poor people! User 8: Trash User 9: @ Jackaverymusic peep the line! User 10: THIS B**** DID NOT JUST TAG JACK! User 9's comment has been deleted User 10's comment has been deleted User 11: Queen! Nat.the.gnat: Beautiful! User 12: New York queen is killing it! User 13: Do you even need to finish college anymore??? User 14: @ user 13 I did not donate 100 bucks to a go fund me page to pay for her tuition for her to quit. Thanksss User 15: My mom is so successful... wow. Jonahmarais: I just bought everything, Mama O! Not sorry about it. Corbynbesson: @ Jonahmarais Same. You better not wear anything the same day I do! Imzachherron: @ jonahmarais @ corbynbesson Oof. This is awkward... Seaveydaniel: @ jonahmarais @ imzachherron @ corbynbesson I thought we agreed we'd never be a band that dressed the same all the time... dang. User 16: Where is Jack, though??? User 16's comment has been deleted User 17: Mama O keeps deleting all the comments that mention Jack??? User 17's comment has been deleted Jackaverymusic: @ jonahmarais @ corbynbesson @ imzachherron @ seaveydaniel Well... I guess we should have communicated better... we could have shared the clothes. 😂 User 18: JACK! IM CRYING! User 18's comment has been deleted Oblossomart: @ whydontwemusic Y'all are too much! Miss you the most!
