Bakari, Chataji and Amani Hankins stand in front of a Bleed Your Youth merchandise stand (Justin Banks / FAMUAN).
For three brothers attending Florida A&M University, Bleed Your Youth is more than a clothing brand. It is a platform for expressing their experiences as black men, reclaiming creativity and encouraging people to recover from the struggles that affect their lives.
Officially launched in late July, the brand was created to offer a perspective its founders felt was missing from the fashion industry. Bakari, Chataji and Amani Hankins share ownership of the business, which they describe as a recovery club rather than simply a clothing company.
The name of the brand comes from a poem that Bakari Hankins wrote in his personal time.
“It really came from a poem that I wrote, and I wanted to really talk about the gentrification and the creativity being stripped from our Black youth,” Hankins said.
The name reflects what Hankins described as the experiences Black men face in America. Rather than allowing those experiences to define them, the brothers use the brand to represent freedom of expression and the ability to create their own paths. That philosophy extends beyond the clothing itself.
Chataji Hankins said the brothers see the brand as something that addresses the personal struggles people encounter.
“We feel as if our clothes are a means to represent us recovering from all the different things in which we get consumed by,” Hankins said. “You know, the lust, the greed, the alcoholism and the different things that can bleed on you.”
Amani Hankins also emphasized that the brand is intended to be more than a traditional fashion label.
“Bleed Your Youth is not like a regular brand. It’s like a world, it’s not just clothes,” Hankins said.
Although the brothers share a vision for the company, building a business has presented financial challenges. Bakari Hankins mentioned that financial barriers make developing the brand a difficult challenge.
“One of the main challenges that we face is not having the funds to market and get the amount of inventory we need,” Hankins said. It takes a lot of money and a lot of times we just don’t have it, but either way we make it work.”
The brothers’ determination to pursue something they love has helped them approach challenges as part of the process rather than reasons to give up. Their relationship as brothers also plays a significant role in how they operate the business.
Bakari Hankins said their shared history and family values have shaped their decision to build the company together.
“The three of us work because they’re my blood brothers,” Hankins said. “I wouldn’t be who I am without them, and they can probably say the same thing.”
Hankins said their upbringing reinforced the importance of entrepreneurship and working together as a family.
“Growing up, my family stressed starting our own business and doing things ourselves that showcase our creativity,” Hankins said. “They were very prominent about doing things together as a family, no matter how it is.”
For the three brothers, the business represents an opportunity to pursue their creative ambitions while building something together. As they continue developing the brand, their goal extends beyond selling clothing to sharing a message that reflects their experiences and the meaning behind its name.