Anna Streetman, Staff Writer
A young Kennesaw State University student entrepreneur is taking the fashion world by storm with his urban-wear clothing line.
Arsenio Nuckles is from Marietta, Ga., and is a senior at KSU studying sports management. He is also the creator and CEO of the PG-13 clothing company, a successful clothing line that has been sported by celebrities such as Julio Jones and Ludacris.
PG-13 was launched in June of 2011. The name PG-13 is unique because each letter and number has a significant meaning to Nuckles. The “P” stands for “Prettiboi”, Nuckles’ nickname. The “G” stands for G.A.N.G – an acronym for “God’s Angels Never Give up.” And the “13” is from the Bible verse Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Arsenio says he wants his brand to promote “creative designs, spiritual imagery and the shared idea that success can virtually come from anywhere.” Nuckles believes that people need to use the skills and talents God has blessed them with and put them to use.
Nuckles fell in love with art at a young age. When he was seven, one of his drawings was inducted into the Cobb County Museum at Marietta Square. He then started designing clothing when he was 15 years old. Nuckles likes to live by the phrase, “Build your own dreams, or help others build theirs.” When asked why he chose sports management as a major at KSU, he said, “Fashion is my passion but sports is my heart.”
Although he has achieved a lot of success, Nuckles also acknowledges the challenges of his job. He says that coming up with new products that costumers will like and buy is the toughest part. “I have to keep in mind that it’s not just what looks good to my eyes, but also the eyes of the potential customer,” he said.
Nuckles said that KSU has been a huge help to him with his business. He has taken advantage of KSU’s many accommodating programs on their Mac computers; Nuckles uses Photoshop, Illustrator and Adobe to help him with his graphic design. Nuckles also uses Kennesaw’s diverse and huge demographic of students to help promote his brand.
Nuckles names his fashion inspiration as Oswald Boateng. Boateng is an English fashion designer of Ghanaian descent who is known for tailoring suits. Nuckles says that although their styles are different, Boateng has a work ethic and business mind that inspired Nuckles.
His short-term goals for his clothing line are to extend its stores to Lenox and Cumberland Mall in Atlanta. Within 10 years, he would like to expand his brand globally and internationally.
Nuckles’ clothing ranges on average from $35 to $40. The clothing range carries sizes small to 3X.
The clothing can be found at Town Center Mall on Barrett Parkway, as well as online at its website, pg13clothing.com. PG-13 also has a Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook page, the links to which can be found on its website.
