Milwaukee Entrepreneur Changes the Way People View Hustlers Through Brand
Jurrele McDonald’s promotes hard work and dedication through his apparel line HU$TLE/R. (Picture by Lily Shea Photography/Carvd N Stone)
Hustling is a natural element to survival that a lot of us have experienced. Whether you were hustling to get an assignment done by 11:59 or selling merchandise at a pop-up shop event, the act of putting in hard work to achieve a goal is something we can all relate to.
For Jurrele McDonald, being a hustler is the way he’s becoming successful. Inspired by the reality of life outside of college, McDonald created his clothing brand HU$TLE/R Apparel in 2020 with co-founder Dez and has sold over 2,500 pieces since then.
While attending college in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he noticed that on campus students were mainly focused on classes and getting the full college experience, but outside of that was the hustle of the real world.
Jurrele McDonald. ( Picture by Lily Shea Photography/Carvd N Stone)
“Hustling has a negative connotation to it, but honestly every entrepreneur is a hustler,” McDonald said. Whether you work creating million-dollar artwork and selling it, or you have a clothing brand, or you’re a photographer, those are all hustles. We’re all hustlers.”
This also explains the uniqueness of the brand’s logo.
“That’s why there’s a dash between hustle and hustler because there’s a two in one meaning. You know, you got the ‘hustle’, which is whatever it is that a person does. And then you got the ‘hustler’, which is that person as an individual,” he said.
Prior to becoming the co-founder of HU$TLE/R, he used his pastimes to perfect his craft. McDonald would design clothes for his avatars on various video games before he started designing in real life. As his digital designing progressed, he began creating local graphic designs for his friends around his neighborhood.
“I started to improve and learn the tricks of the trade as time went by,” said McDonald.
Although HU$TLE/R is McDonald’s most prominent clothing line, it wasn’t his first. During his first year in college, McDonald remembers how the jobs that were available on campus didn’t really appeal to him. In order to create a steady stream of income, McDonald teamed up with his friend Steve Bradford to create their own clothing line UTILIZE TIME 24.
What started off as something positive that people could wear to class, quickly blossomed into a demanding and thriving brand.
“People started going to the gym in it, some people started stepping out and going to parties in it,” said McDonald. “But really it began as just a daily affirmation that you can get up and throw on for class.”
UTILIZE TIME 24 was not just a brand, it was a symbol of the 24 hours we each have in a day, encouraging people to utilize their time wisely and to be as productive as possible.
Soon after, the dynamic duo started doing “Dope or Nope” nights on campus. These events consisted of open mics with performances from local artists and pop up shops with other entrepreneurs, which significantly boosted the demand for the brand. Overtime, while still keeping UTILIZE TIME 24 alive, both designers pursued individual avenues of entrepreneurship and thus, HU$TLE/R was born.
HU$TLE/R Apparel. (Picture by Lily Shea Photography/Carvd N Stone)
McDonald has always been a fan of fashion. With a crazy personal sneaker and wardrobe collection himself, he used to find it difficult to find new outfits that caught his attention in stores. He recalls times where he would go to the malls or stores around the city and come out empty-handed. As this outcome became more frequent, McDonald decided to create his own looks for himself.
“I was like you know what, I’m just gonna make my own clothes,” he said
McDonald encourages upcoming fashion designers to utilize their time wisely and to take note of everything that goes on with their business. He believes that these things allow for one to be successful; he also emphasizes the importance of thinking big.
“Try not to think of yourself as a small business. You need to have the attitude that you are a million-dollar company every day waking up. Then you gotta secure what you need to stay consistent,” said McDonald. “The things that you’re doing aren’t small. You’re doing the same thing bigger companies do. You may not have as much capital behind it but you’re doing the same things.”
To purchase HU$TLE/R Apparel, click here.