Meet Justin Okosi

Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Okosi. 

Hi Justin, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I started my business while living in St. Louis. After the Mike Brown and Treyvon Martin incidents, I wanted to do something to make a difference in the community. I always knew that wearing a suit commands a certain level of respect and people will treat you differently. When going to court one day, I decided to wear a suit. My father taught me to always wear a suit or present myself well when taking care of important business. When I arrived at court, the way I was treated was incredible. Everyone I came across addressed me as counsel even though I wasn’t. Even the judge mistook me for an attorney once I was inside the courtroom. This was the day that I knew what I could do to make a change. People and more specifically black men should not be judged by the clothes that they wear. I’m not advocating wearing a suit every day but depending on the situation or the environment that you are in, wearing a suit can make a difference in how people judge you and treat you. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I would love to say that it had been a smooth ride but it had not. When I first started, I had no clientele. In my first six months, I had one client. It was very discouraging because I knew that what I had to offer was essential. I had to invest in some marketing, I had to make free suits for some individuals, and so on. Once I did start getting clientele, the difficulties still didn’t stop. During the pandemic, logistics was a major issue. I had to deal with fabric shortages, delays in shipments, and tons of cancellations by clients. Loss in revenue during prom and wedding season was huge. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am the founder of ISOKO. Isoko is a bespoke clothier specializing in bespoke suits for men and women. We also make custom overcoats, dress shirts, skirts, bomber jackets and etc. what sets Isoko apart from other clothiers is our relationship with our clients. We don’t look at our clients as customers. We look at our clients are friends and family and we treat them as such. We learn who our clients are as individuals, we learn about their families, their hobbies, and so on. We pride ourselves on building great and long-lasting relationships with our friends. We are most proud of our “BCD” (Beyond the Call of Duty) mentality. We do everything we can to make our clients happy and trust me, we have done some very unconventional things. 

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
The biggest lesson I learned was that I cannot control everything. When issues with shipping occur, I tend to over-exert myself and do what is necessary to meet my client’s goal and I do. But often that leaves me drained and stressed. To combat this, we have extended our time frame from the normal 4 weeks to 6 weeks. 

Pricing:

• Pricing ranges from 700-1600.
• Fused technology 700+
• Half canvas 950+
• Full canvas 1200+
• Bespoke 1600+

Contact Info:

• Email: jokosi43@me.com
• Website: Isokoic.com
• Instagram: @isoko_im