Who is behind the brand and why was it started?

Hello, I am Jonathan Makonnen the Founder of UNFAZED. I was born and raised in the Bay Area and I am a UC Berkeley grad and a Cancer survivor. These are the two of the things I am most proud of up to this point in my life (until September 9th when my baby girl is due!). I have always had visions of making a positive impact in this world, which led me to starting UNFAZED. I noticed most of the bigger brands that my friends and I  wore, didn't really mean anything or represent anything with substance, which is why this brand was started in 2015. I wanted to create a brand that not only had an essential message, but still had a cool meaning at the same time. I also wanted to have a brand that was inclusive, could fit into many different categories and had no expiration date in terms of relevancy. 

Why is this campaign important to me?

This campaign is important to me for many reasons, mainly because UNFAZED focuses on a message that we all need to know about. That message is to have a strong mindset when adversity comes your way. UNFAZED expresses that message through our clothing, which is a constant reminder to be strong and push through any challenges you encounter. 

What will the contributors help me achieve with this campaign?

With this campaign, contributors will help me achieve the goal of being able to impact people by spreading the message through our gear on a broader scale. It will also help with expanding the brand by purchasing more products with more options. Being able to reach the goal of a minimum of $25,000 will allow the brand to buy products in bigger bulk which will help drive the cost of goods down significantly.

What perks will you get and what else can you expect?

Starting with the 2nd perk, all customers will receive UNFAZED products, as well as an UNFAZED bracelet. 

In addition to that, starting with the 2nd perk and on is what I am most excited about. There will be BETWEEN 1-10 PAIRS OF SOCKS DONATED TO KIDS IN NEED on each order. There are two organizations the socks will go to: Love Never Fails https://www.loveneverfailsus.com/ and Onyxx Village Connection https://www.onyxxvillageconnection.org/. Each perk details how many socks will be donated to these organizations. For example, if you were to choose our $100 perk, 1 Pair of socks will be donated and if you chose our $1000 perk, 10 pairs of socks will be donated. 

There will be socks as part of the perks for you, so please don't get that confused with what will be donated to kids in need, but it will be clearly stated on each perk. 

Once you get to bigger rewards, you will see a 20% discount associated with them. There will be a unique discount code that is created and emailed to you for 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months. You will be able to use this code as many times as you would like on our site: https://officialunfazed.com/ .

The Impact

I believe this project is valuable to the world because we all need to know about the UNFAZED mindset because we all fight adversity on a daily basis, especially our youth. My personal definition of UNFAZED which is on some of the perks states, "Having a mindset that no matter what obstacles you encounter, you will achieve success or overcome adversity." Without a doubt, this is a mindset that needs to be used consistently and it happens to be on apparel. There are many brands these days that don't have any substance and might be cool "temporarily" but UNFAZED is a brand that is cool, has substance, and will forever be relevant. This word is very powerful and popular especially on social media, specifically on Tiktok where it has been used over 51 million times. We believe with the right approach we can tap into millions of people and help them live the best life they can by being UNFAZED. 

Risks & Challenges

As an entrepreneur there are many risks and challenges , but when you are doing something you have a passion for that becomes an afterthought. But to be transparent, throughout this journey the obstacles I may continue to face if this goal isn't reached is continuing to bootstrap my business. 

Other Ways You Can Help

If you are not able to contribute monetarily that is perfectly fine, something that I would ask you do instead is just spread the word to friends and family and even on social media. This is something that is completely FREE to do and means just as much as you paying for a perk...REALLY IT DOES.

We truly believe that UNFAZED is a brand like no other. We fit into many categories, we have a positive message, and our mission of trying to be the best version of ourselves at all times is what keeps us going.

These numbers of mentions on social media are organic and it led to the many connections of high profile individuals you see rocking our merch.

We know there is potential for blacks to join in the successes of other brands because we are the driving forces of why many brands are generating BILLIONS of dollars annually. Our goal is to change the narrative and show we can have a brand of someone that looks like us.

Here are a couple of Professional Athletes who have supported UNFAZED!

Here we have Stephen Jackson, wearing our popular Definition of UNFAZED hoodie. Stephen was an outstanding NBA player and he is most notably known as the driving force for justice with for his friend George Floyd.

David was seen on NFL Thursday Night Football wearing our UNFAZED King of the Jungle t-shirt. 

Mari Cornejo has been a supporter of the brand for a couple years now. She is a Professional Boxer and loves to wear our merch as you see here while she gets her work in at the gym.

Brian "Boom" Kelleher, is an MMA fighter who always goes to battle thinking of being UNFAZED. He is rocking one of our classic crewneck sweater designs.