“Everybody just seems to take life so fast and not enjoy the moment that they’re in. They should stay calm, live slow, live for the moment and plan for tomorrow.“
This philosophy inspired LSU sports administration senior Matthew Destouet and two of his friends to create their clothing line, Live Slow.
Founded about a year ago at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Live Slow is a unisex brand specializing in screen printed graphic tees and accessories. The merchandise is characterized by the ever-present Live Slow brand name printed on the tees and jewelry with fleur-de-lis accents and LSU colors. Now that Destouet has brought Live Slow apparel to Baton Rouge, he said 65 percent of Live Slow sales come from LSU students and 25 percent comes from Southern University students.
Destouet attributes the success of their brand to the help of social media sites like Twitter and Instagram as well as word of mouth. Destouet described the customer demographic as 18- to 25-year-olds in college campuses throughout Louisiana and Texas.
In hopes of getting the word out about its clothing line, Live Slow has put on promotional events and will be featured in numerous fashion shows this fall at Goldwings Boutique in Lafayette.
While Live Slow is still relatively new, Destouet is optimistic about the future outlook of the brand. There are many new developments in store, he said, including a line coming out for toddlers and babies in the next couple of months.
In the next two years, he hopes to have kiosks in the Mall of Louisiana to sell Live Slow
merchandise. Ultimately, Destouet said he hopes to open a brick and mortar storefront one day. However, for now he will continue to live the philosophy of taking life one day at a time.
“We will build on what we have right now, keep getting our name out … and trying to see where it takes us.” Destouet said.