By Dennis Richmond Jr.
People of all ages are creating content daily in hopes of becoming famous. Social media is perhaps one of the easiest ways this happens- but it doesn’t happen for everyone. Mariano Montague, better known as @Mari_Nine4Teen, is a Creative Entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of Angelic Earthling, a Black-Owned New York-based clothing brand. As of today, Mariano is an internet celebrity.
Mariano “Mari,” who has roots in both Jamaica and Trinidad, is a 22-year-old young man who started his clothing brand during the height of the COVID-19 Pandemic. “I was bored, I was jobless, and I wanted to do something,” he said. Like many entrepreneurs trying to break into the fashion world, things started off slow for Mari. Despite the snail pace of Angelic Earthling, he didn’t give up.
“The type of clothes I make go hand-in-hand with Hip-Hop/Rap music,” he went on to say. “That’s where the creativity comes from.” I was surprised to learn that Mari looks at the world as clothes and colors. I smiled as I spoke with him because it seemed as though he could see things that I couldn’t. “The underground rap that’s coming up right now is very grunge, dark colors, and oversized. But it could be colorful too.” He went on to describe how he sees people based on what they wear.
Mari found Hip-Hop/Rap music at Roosevelt High School in Yonkers c.2014. One of his biggest inspirations is rapper Lil Yachty, an artist who replied to one of his tweets over four years ago. That tweet garnered well over 100 likes on Twitter. A few days ago, Mari blew up on TikTok after posting a video of rapper and singer SoFaygo wearing his brand. “I had a feeling that [the video] was going to do pretty good. The next day I was just completely shook.” In less than a week, the video is creeping up to 2 million views. People would pay for that.
Now that Angelic Earthling has garnered global attention, people are reaching out from places like Canada and Germany. Young men across Yonkers are singing Mariano’s praises. Devon Hossack, 22, said that Mariano’s recent success “is a good feeling. He’s motivated and determined.” As far as his ambition, he stuck with his gut, and he kept grinding.” As far as Angelic Earthling, Devon said, “It’s different.” Marcus Heron, 19, said that Mariano’s shorts were “good comfortable shorts.” Both Marcus and Devon are Angelic Earthling customers.
I asked Mari if he’d be willing to share any advice. He did, and what he said was short and sweet.
“If you have an idea, just go for it.”
He also shared something exclusive with me. He’s working on Angelic Earthling masks.
Follow Mariano on Social Media: @Mari_Nine4Teen
Make A Purchase Today: www.angelicearthling.com
