NBA star Chris Paul is the latest celebrity to support ShopLHP.com, with popular pieces selling out quickly.
The clothing line created by Howard University senior Tahir Murray promotes “Legacy, History and Pride.”
“With every LegacyHistoryPride™ sale, a portion of the proceeds specifically benefits the College or University through our Licensing Agreements,” according to Murray’s site.
I sat down with Murray, who is majoring in marketing, to find out more about his mission & his journey.
Q&A with Tahir Murray
ANNA-LYSA: How’s everything going right now in the middle of a pandemic?
TAHIR: It has been an interesting ride so far, just with 2020. Spent a lot of time just reflecting and just honing in on different hobbies of mine and just continuing to be a student of the industry.
I feel like this is the perfect time for people to come out of COVID a totally different person, to work on yourself, work on your craft, whatever it is. I see a lot of people picking up new things, new hobbies, new habits, which is great.
That’s the positive that I really try and see, in the midst of everything that’s going on.
How many classes do you have online?
I have six classes. Howard is completely virtual right now.
As your brand continues to get a lot of attention. How are you feeling about that?
It feels good. When I was working with my dad, he started a business called “Tradition Ever Since” and I was helping him out every now and then. I just became more integrated into the business and one thing, like I said before, I just continued being a student of the game. Something my dad has always taught me.
The more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know much at all. Something that’s…kind of big for me in my life, especially in this creative space. When I was doing work with him, he taught me a lot about professionalism and how to deal with really anybody and being able to just navigate…in any room you’re in.
For (Chris Paul) to use his platform to shine a light on not only my brand, but most importantly HBCU culture as a whole, has been really cool to see…the conversation that’s being had now. These are all the things that I’ve just been waiting for and dreaming of every single day.
So to see it all come to fruition now, it’s a blessing but I know the work is just now getting started. Got to keep going.
You went away to boarding school at 12 years old, walk me through this, walk me through your childhood to where you are now.
My grandfather, he came to the states in 1966 (from Trinidad) and he just wanted to provide opportunity for his family and what turned from a sneaker store later turned to him and my father doing business together (in New York) and getting the first Black-owned Nike account in the United States.
Growing up, I was pretty much living in the store, had every single pair of Jordans. Now looking back it, it’s just like, it’s crazy to see what they were doing as people of color…Black men in the industry. From there, we moved to Atlanta.
I was originally going to go to private school in Atlanta, for high school, that was something I always wanted to do. Then I went to go visit this boarding school…in Tennessee for a weekend and I just…fell in love with the camaraderie, I just really felt the energy and the community there.
So, I went and that was really just such a life changing experience, just being on my own at the age of 12/13 years old. Learned a lot about myself and friendship, the power of your network and keeping in touch with people.
All of that prepared me for Howard, for going to college and just who I am as a young man.
How did you come up with the name Legacy, History and Pride?
Legacy, History and Pride…they were three words that we always threw out when we were describing the industry and the business that we were doing in the collegiate space, specifically for HBCUs. It just kind of stuck. It’s something that we always said.
You talked a little bit about the American Dream, what do you think that means to you?
For me, it’s about freedom and just providing opportunity. My grandfather came to this country to provide opportunities for his family and when he built his store, in Queens, he gave so much opportunity and he gave so much energy to the people in that neighborhood.
So when he passed away, in April, it was just like so many people were reaching out to my family and was just like ‘you don’t know how much your grandfather meant to me but he was like my second dad or he was…a father figure to me.’ So, I really want to leave that impact with people, that’s my American Dream (building something and doing something and leaving something that’s bigger than yourself).
Watch the full interview below, to learn more about Murray’s lessons.
