Mekhael Tyson left his crime-ridden neighborhood of Baltimore two years ago to escape drugs, thugs and despair.
He was 16.
He moved in with his sister in Atlanta and, as he puts it, "had a dream."
In his vision, he walked into a huge building where he had his own office with clothing designs laid out on his table. It was a eureka moment, and he soon founded Flashy Eye Designs, an independent clothing line "aimed to be the first in the industry to create a positive message for its consumers, delivering a universal message that breaks stereotypes and ethnic boundaries - setting new standards in fashion."
Tyson began ordering T-shirts wholesale, and he spray painted custom designs on them. He soon started using a silk-screening process, while honing the eponymous black lightning bolt and eyeball motif that has come to dominate his collection of shirts, hats and hoodies.
"I've always been into fashion," Tyson says. "I just went for it. I put every penny I had into this."
Any celebs wearing his gear? Nah, not yet. "Once I get buzz," he says, "it'll kick in."
Now 18, Tyson speaks candidly about his Baltimore days. "I wanted to get out. There were a lot of drugs and heroin use in my neighborhood. It was a rough place. I was in a lot of fights." He admits he felt alienated. People called him weird and strange because he kept to himself.
When his older sister moved to Atlanta, she invited him down. "I've been blessed," he says.
His childhood narrative always seemed to involve an element of fashion. As a youngster, he would cut up pieces of old clothing and see what new things he could create. Later, people who knew him paid him to create clothing designs for them. So began his entrepreneurial route.
As of press time, he was just about to launch his online retail site. Meanwhile, you can check out his merchandise, available at Atlanta-area boutique stores, at http://flashyeye.info. Shirts will start at $20; hats $15; and hoodies $50.
"I'm doing the whole thing by myself," he says. "Hopefully, it will turn out well."
