Timothy Maurice

At the age of 32, emerging fashion sensation Timothy Maurice, with his self titled line and his 'Young Hollywood Look', is poised to take the international fashion world by storm.

Timothy Maurice is a country boy at heart. Growing up as an adolescent in Lancaster, Virginia Timothy planned to bypass college to follow in the footsteps of his father as a carpenter. It was only when a high school teacher, recognizing his innate talent in graphic arts and illustration, encouraged him to apply to art school. Timothy apprehensively submitted an application to Virginia Commonwealth University and was subsequently accepted to VCU and awarded a scholarship in Fine Arts.  University life was a new world for him and a far stretch from Lancaster. It was at VCU that Timothy began to fine tune his skills as a graphic artist and set the foundation for what would eventually be the Timothy Maurice signature style.

While a student at Virginia Commonwealth, Timothy created a comic book about the fast growing hip-hop music industry. He pitched the concept to several artists to be characters in his comic book series. Not only were they impressed with his comic book, but his designs caught their attention and people began to request shirts and tattoos with his character images. Always looking for a new way to market his project, Timothy created a line of t-shirts to promote the comics. In 1998, he attended the 'Hard Knock Life' tour in Hampton, Virginia headlined by hip hop superstar Jay-Z and other Def Jam artists including DMX, Red Man, Method Man, DJ Clue and Ja Rule.  It was at this concert, during a brief encounter with Grammy award winning artist Method Man that Timothy's life was changed forever.

Upon meeting Method Man, Timothy handed him one of his signature comic book shirts. The rapper immediately removed the shirt he was wearing and donned Timothy's character on stage in front of an audience of more than 10,000 fans. Quickly thereafter the tees attracted the interest of several others, including Dame Dash, former co-CEO of Roc-A-Fella Records.  The sudden popularity of his designs in the hip hop community prompted Timothy to leave school to continue to develop his line and shop the comic book in Atlanta, Georgia...the emerging hip hop capital of the South.

Upon arriving to Atlanta, Timothy used his connections to secure freelance graphic projects to make ends meet. He quickly became the go-to graphic artist for logos, fliers, and other small design projects. His logo designs grabbed the attention of some top names in the urban design industry including hip hop mogul P. Diddy's Sean John brand and the Konvict Clothing line launched by international hip-hop and R&B artist Akon. Sean John used several of his designs for their 2005 and 2006 collections and Konvict offered Timothy a permanent position in their organization. Realizing the success his designs were experiencing with popular clothing lines, Timothy was inspired to create his own unique brand where he could have more creative control. He initially considered selling his line to a larger design house but opted to go into business for himself. "...Knowing what was hot and knowing the trend, I then decided to pursue my own line more aggressively...if they can sell my clothes, I can do the same," said Timothy. "The line was ready, the line was hot, but I just didn't have the money to put it out."

The evolution of the premier Timothy Maurice line started in 2006 with some sketches on the wall of his Atlanta apartment.  Like Christian Audigier, Timothy wanted to corner a niche market and capitalize on its international marketability.  What resulted from tireless hours at the drawing board was a unique collection designed for an international appeal. "I dedicated twenty-four, seven to my project...I accomplished in three weeks what would take three months to do, everyday allows me to be me and create...I'm a creator", said Timothy.

Realizing it takes capital to gain, he used his talents as a graphic artist to put together a dynamic presentation to attract investors...it didn't take long. His passion and commitment to his craft blew them away and they signed on. Within a matter of months he had the funding he needed to bring his wall to life...the two-headed phoenix rose from the sketch and the Timothy Maurice collection was born. "My wall was covered with designs on paper with tacks," said Timothy Maurice. "It was like the investors waived a magic wand over my wall and turned it into reality...that's the only way I can say it...they waived a wand and I now have a full clothing line."

After the samples were created Timothy created a catalog with product shots to prepare to launch his line at the 2008 MAGIC Show in Las Vegas – this will be Timothy Maurice's first of many international fashion trade shows. His designs have traditionally targeted the 'Young Hollywood' demographic so product placement will be simple...put the line in the hands of the many artists, entertainers, athletes, and diverse individuals that he already has access to.
"I'm focused on creating a 'Designasty'," said Timothy. "In five years I see myself with a successful clothing line, a comic book series and the start up of an arts school." Like the slogan he chose for his line, Timothy Maurice believes that "Chances are not Given, they're Taken"...and he is out to take it all.