think about one thing in your life that means the world to you. something you love to pieces. if you thought of a person, i love that! truly i do, but for the purpose of this think about something you take pride in - it could be a hobby, item, or project. something that you have put time and effort in. okay, you have it? now stop thinking about it. switch gears and think about babies. they are fun, cute, at times messy (well actually quite often), and most importantly loved. I don’t have kids, but my blog, my blog is my baby and for you i hope whatever you thought of you think similarly of or at least can make the connection. like babies need taken care of so does my blog. for the past three years not only have i had pay attention and give it time, but what i noticed was that i was protective of it,,, nervous of change. see i was always protective, because my blog has my heart and soul in it! so when i thought about the idea of collaborating with someone else i was not sure if i should go for it or simply keep to my regular posts. what if i didn’t receive engagement or worse yet what if the new audience didn’t like what i had to share. would my baby be okay? and most importantly would i be okay with this change? but the idea wouldn’t go away. even after months of just sitting with it something in me believed that i should go for it. why? because there are so many voices in this world; people who have stories to be told and advice to give and i love the idea of creating and continuing to grow this little community we have here. and? and the fact is that even though as much as you want to protect your baby/ies, they won’t always be babies. babies grow unto children and children to teens and teens to adults and you know that really is not a bad thing. it’s growth and growth is beautiful. with growth comes new opportunities and maybe just maybe this new addition to my blog and website is another step in the process to reaching those others goals we discussed at the beginning of the year. so after i was sure this was the path for me the only thing holding me back was who? who would i collaborate with? especially seeing that this would be the first collaboration and first interview. it had to be special.

then like all good “and then it hit me” moments i came back across solescence, a brand i remember having loved from the moment i found out about the meaning behind it. after refreshing up on what made the brand i realized that this was who i wanted to interview first; Abby Advincula the founder of solescence - a brand that represents community and helping others out. full circle from my post completion who? i think so.

i introduce to you,,, Abby!

tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Abby Advincula. I grew up as a military kid and lived in Heidelberg, Germany before I moved to Washington state. I definitely believe my interest in fashion came from living out in Europe but my love for sneakers was basically a birthright thanks to my dad. My dad is also a sneaker enthusiast but not about the hype stuff. He just loves shoes that he likes, which I appreciate him for because I can say the same as well. Shoes have definitely been a big part of my life. From when my dad gifted me my first pair of sneakers, a connection between me and my high school sweetheart, to having my first manager job at companies like Foot Locker and Lady Footlocker. Now I have a brand (Solescence) that was inspired for my love of community and sneakers.

Where I find my true source of love and happiness is from the sole/soul, figuratively and literally. If you ever heard about me, the first thing to mind is always sneakers. I couldn’t be anymore proud of that. Something that I love that my dad passed on to me and now I want to create a community out of is one of the most heartwarming things I’ve done so far and it’s amazing to see how many people support my brand. I wouldn’t be here today without my community, I love everyone who has watched my journey, every step of the way.

how long have you had your brand?

Solescence has been up and running for 2 years. Our 3 year anniversary will be in November!

what is the meaning behind solescence? how did you come up with it?

Solescence is a combination of the words “sole” & “fluorescence”. I went through a lot of trial and error when it came to coming up with a name for my brand. I knew it had to feel right.

Sole is defined as the undersurface of the foot. Each and everyone of us wake up everyday stepping into our lives striving for a goal, an achievement, a dream. Fluorescence is defined to emanate a glow or shine. Many of my dreams derive from sneakers. But Solescence is not a brand where you have to love sneakers to represent our movement. If you have a dream, a goal, a passion that motivates you that’s all there is to it.

Solescence is about building community with others who are on a journey to putting their passions first and connecting those of us who have succeeded to making our dreams come true. One step at a time.

what has it been like building your brand? the process? the experience?

It’s been fun. Definitely hard, but I didn’t expect to be easy either. At first, I had no idea where to start. But then I had friends who had started a brand and guided me to the right direction. I went looking for a vendor who would print the first bulk of hoodies. From there, my first round of preorders for hoodies went from 12 to 24 then 40 and now growing more and more every order.

The experience is thrilling as well as heartwarming. Everytime I have someone place an order or ask about the brand, I light up and get excited to tell what the brand is about!

what has been the most challenging thing about having your own brand?

The most challenging thing about having my own brand is having to do everything myself right now. I manage everything from social media, vendors, shipping and fulfillment, and founder of the brand. But it’s worth it. Being able to challenge myself to learn different skill sets in order for the brand to operate has been amazing.

what is the most rewarding thing about having your own brand?

The most rewarding thing about having my own brand is seeing it come to life but also seeing the brand being recognized around our community and now outside of the PNW. We have grown where we have representatives of the brand in different parts of the U.S. and it warms my heart to see the continuous support from my friends and family as well as people I have not met from social media as well!

what would you say to those who are wanting to start their own business, but are a bit hesitant to do so?

Do it. Don’t hesitate. Don’t wait. If it doesn’t work the first time, keep trying. Don’t give up. Brands change designs, typography, logos...it’s evolutionary. Constantly changing. What shouldn’t change is the reason why you wanted the brand to start in the first place. So go for it, don’t not do it just because you think people may not like it or understand. You’d be surprised by how many people will support and see your vision once it comes to life. As long as you are passionate about your brand, everyone else will see it and everything else will follow. Never forget why you started the brand and never forget where your heart was when you first thought of creating a brand.

It’s all heart at the end of the day.

what can we expect to see coming from solescence in the future? do you have any projects in the works?

Solescence has so much in store. It’s been a challenge with COVID-19 and other things around the world putting businesses to a halt. But we’re back on track and excited for everyone to see what’s to come. I have a couple of projects in the works and can’t wait for everyone to see them!

so you beautiful people you if you are thinking about your goals; whether that is wanting to start pursuing them or trying a new route, go for it! trust your gut and when the going gets tough do not stop, keep trying!