Mar 13, 20222 min read

Co-signed: E Pluribus Unum

Updated: Mar 20, 2022

Every Sunday we’ll be highlighting up and coming brands/creatives. Introducing Co-signed by The Pep Talk.

This week we’re highlighting E Pluribus Unum created by Shaquille Fredricks: Fashion designer and visionary putting his twist on classic American fashion; drawing inspiration from iconic brands like Polo Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, and Harley-Davidson.

E Pluribus Unum can be described as historic, timeless, and modern. Shaquille Fredricks was born and raised in Queens, New York with a passion to create. When he was younger his mom directed that passion towards engineering; which to him is the highest form of creating. In high school, he started to grow a strong interest in history, specifically American history. On the train, and in the city is where he fell in love with fashion. If you take all of those experiences and throw them together, you get E Pluribus Unum. The brand ultimately came into fruition during his undergraduate career at Howard University.

"Back in high school, I felt like I never saw a brand that made people reflect or think about America in more ways than one. Polo and Hilfiger made me think about White America even though they had the black community in NY on lock. Harley Davidson only spoke about the biker community and any other brands just didn’t say the things I felt like they should’ve been saying. At the time I never saw a brand that said “here's what America is, take it or leave it” and I felt like I could speak to that coming from the mixing pot that is NY." -Shaquille Fredricks

E Pluribus Unum is the culmination of a historic concept and ideology, timeless imagery, and modern fits and cuts.

Here at The Pep Talk, we like to ask the people we’re featuring where they see their business going, “skies the limit” is what we like to say when asking them their plans for the future. Here’s what Shaq had to say about his plans for E Pluribus Unum-

"Well, I see EPU being on Ssense, Farfetch, doing collaborations with artists, and other brands. I see EPU having trunk shows and temporary physical and interactive virtual art sites. I see collaborations with car companies, skating brands, and tech companies. And I have ideas for all of them already."

Shaq is an inspiration to us because of his limitless imagination and creativity in making his brand a reality. His attention to detail is unmatched and he's been able to develop a brand while also working full-time as an engineer. This is a reminder to always give your passions the attention they deserve and to let your imagination run wild. EPU continues to evolve as a brand like no other, and Shaq has used his personal love for fashion to develop new styles and trends adored by his supporters.