“Insecurities aren’t real, they were implanted in us.”

Throughout the school, you may notice people wearing t-shirts with that quote on it. You may have seen Mr. Dustin or your friends/peers wearing it. 

This t-shirt was made by Arleny Abreu, a senior at Brien McMahon. She created a clothing brand called Mindful Couture, whose objective is to create clothes that people can wear with intent. “I feel like there’s a lot of clothing nowadays that aren’t mindful, intentional. A lot of these clothing brands are aesthetic or basic but have no meaning to it,” says Arleny.  

However, with her brand, she wanted to take a turn on that. “I just really want to help people because I want to add more for mental health. I feel like there are a lot of teenagers, especially in our building, going through trust issues, lack of self-esteem, and insecurities. I’m so big on reaching your higher self because I feel like all of these problems, we could change with the power of the mind.” 

This brand started up last school year around February but officially happened in May. She was part of a program called Youth Business Initiative or YBI which actually held a teen Shark Tank. Participating in this Shark Tank helped start up her business as she won second place with $500. 

“I took those funds. I started my TikTok I started my Instagram. I found a manufacturer, I used the school computer and used a replica of Photoshop to make my phenomenal shirt.” 

Arleny noted that watching videos on YouTube and taking business classes at Brien McMahon helped her get started. 

“I take entrepreneurship classes here at McMahon. I watch a lot of YouTubers who are based on spirituality and mental health.” 

Starting a business in high school is never easy. “I’m in high school, I work a 4-9, like, it’s hard, balancing family life, social life, my own time for myself, and I do not have a team, but I would love to find the right people to expand my business.” 

She plans on taking her business to the next level by social networking, pop-up shops in New York, and working on her online store. To find her website click on the link attached: https://mindfulcouture.com/ 

As she continues on moving forward with her business Arleny reveals that she has many ideas for her business that many will love. “I want to come up with tracksuits for the girlies, hoodies, and so much more.” However, from a business perspective, she would not be able to until she sells more shirts. 

“I feel like when it comes to my clothing brand I want to put things into my clothing that people don’t talk about; insecurities, meditation. I don’t see many brands that are putting that on a shirt. And I really want when people walk by that they’re like, wait, nobody’s talking about that? Like that’s fire and it’s physically appealing. I want the statements on my clothing to be eye-catching.”

To follow Arleny’s journey with her business follow her different social media (TikTok & Instagram) @mindfulcouture to see what the future has in store for Mindful Couture.