Today we speak to Craig Evans, founder of Y’allsome.
About Y’allsome:
Y’allsome is a Southern lifestyle brand that consists of products I design. Every product is made using Southern businesses and 15% of the net profits from every product sold helps Southern foster kids find permanent homes.
About my starting it:
I was born in Atlanta, grew up in Charlotte, and have been living back and forth between New York and Los Angeles for over a decade for my career as a Creative Director in advertising.
Living in New York and L.A. for those years exposed me to so many things, and opened my eyes to a lot of things that I might not have been exposed to by simply staying in the South. At the same time, it really opened my eyes to the South as well. I had always loved it, but sometimes you don’t really know how much you love something until it’s gone. Being in other regions really crystallized for me all the unique things that make the South what it is. Those are things you might take for granted or not even realized if they are always around you, but when they aren’t they become really noticeable. I guess sometimes you have to really step outside of something to be able to see it clearly.
Furthermore, I have always been most passionate about ideas and things that sought to be greater than themselves. Things that served a greater purpose if you will. Ideas that really have the power to change things and help people. So in my case, I wanted to create something that could also be a catalyst for good. This passion manifested itself in Y’allsome. It’s not an afterthought, or something that’s tacked on, it’s actually part of the idea and the brand as a whole.
As a creative person who was far away from home, it really became a natural expression for me to do something like Y’allsome that allowed me to creatively express the love I have for the South and to help others. I already worked on and created brands for other people, why not one for myself and the place I love?
I’m excited to say that I’ve officially made it back to the South and moved to Nashville in July. I’m looking forward to getting back to my roots and exploring all that Nashville has to offer.
About my personal style:
Jeans:
It took me a while to spend the money on jeans, because I always felt like expensive jeans were a bit too vain and unnecessary. When I met my wife Megan she made me realize it was worth it considering I basically wear jeans every freakin’ day. And I’m very grateful.
Shirts:
Used to be J. Crew, but since my job as a Creative Director involves looking nice at times without actually ‘dressing up’, these are casual shirts that are ‘nice’. And yeah, you can tell the difference.
Pants:
I’m straight-up denim. The only pants I wear are when I’m dressing up.
Suits:
Zegna fits me best.
Shoes:
For everyday work wear, I have several styles of Hudson shoes: the Cruise and Angus. For dressing up I go for To Boot New York.
Accessories:
No watches or jewelry.
Outerwear:
Digging the stuff from Folk Clothing. My fall/winter staple is a charcoal grey wool coat, very simple with clean lines.
Favorite Cologne:
nope.
Your favorite App:
Bands In Town. I don’t have the time to stay up on things and my workload changes by the day…and…I live in Nashville. So it’s great having something that tells me where and what is playing at a moment’s notice when that random night off pops up.
Favorite piece of technology:
Jawbone Jambox. I’ve taken this thing everywhere, from its semi-permanent place in my workshop to weekend getaways.
Next tech purchase:
Sony RX100 IV Camera. Kidded myself for years that I was gonna get out my larger SLR and learn how to really use its functions, but every single time I didn’t get it out because I didn’t want to carry it around. So I’m being honest with myself saying I need a point and shoot. A good one.
