HOW I BUILT CROWNEDGEAR INTO A MULTI-MILLIONAIRE COMPANY 11 YEARS AGO

Crowned Gear was born in 2014 from discipline and a clear vision: creative simplicity that

helps people look like the best version of themselves— just like I did wearing my first design

to prom. In the beginning before we had suppliers, my tailors and I made and delivered every

piece ourselves, powered by belief and by customers who kept coming back even on days I

went quiet. In 2020, consistent design and relentless posting put us on the global stage

where those orders funded our first bulk production and led us to launch operations in

Nigeria. Since then, Ayra Starr, Rema, Mayorkun, L.A.X, Zlatan, and many more have worn the

crown, and still do.

THE CROWNEDGEAR STORY: Building a Multi-Million Dollar Brand From Nothing

CrownedGear began with my art journal when I made early samples by hand, ran on

pre-orders, and never stopped designing. Today there are 20,000+ ideas in the vault, refined

with my team, and we add more every day. The elevation stemmed from genuine

co-signs — artists I grew up with wore the pieces and carried CrownedGear across social

media. Our pieces are known for what they are – clean minimal lines and a luxe finish rooted

in African street culture made to be durable.

11 YEARS OF GRIND: How I Turned CrownedGear Into a Multi-Millionaire Brand From

Scratch

The grind was real. I founded CrownedGear in 2014 while I was a student, from working with

my tailors on small batches, and shipping pre-orders one by one. I paused in 2017 as I

approached finals, then returned in 2020 with a tight strategy. I kept designing and sold

custom orders to day-one CrownedGear members, and when lockdown demand surged,

those sales funded our first production at scale which drove the substantial results that led

to our successful global outing.

BUILDING CROWNEDGEAR: My Journey From Zero to a Multi-Millionaire Brand

From the streets of Lagos to South Africa, to London and beyond, our growth proves

CrownedGear resonates globally and is a blueprint executed with clear vision. It wasn’t easy

when suppliers failed and cash tightened, but I leaned on my belief that nothing lasts forever

and things would eventually work out as we scale while staying ourselves. Eleven years in,

we still deliver creative and clean pieces people live in, so the crown belongs to anyone who

chooses to wear it. Explore our collection at www.crownedgear.com and join the Burti

community.