Poole Senior Derrick Dreier Launches Accessory Clothing Line
Derrick Dreier, a senior in business administration with a concentration in finance, has always been interested in fashion and apparel, even winning “Best Dressed” in high school. His passion and business background led him to create Visus, an accessories apparel line that was set to launch Feb. 28.
The name “Visus” derives from the Latin word for sight, a name that Dreier had been envisioning since high school.
“When meeting someone new, you want to make an impression before saying anything to them,” said Dreier, as he explained the inspiration behind the company name. “You can have a conversation just by how you present yourself and the way you look.”
Creating Visus
The line came to fruition in January 2018 when Dreier took an entrepreneurship class while studying abroad in Madrid, Spain, at La Universidad Pontifica de Comillas, where he designed a 27-page business plan for an apparel line. Over the course of the project, Dreier taught himself Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to digitize his designs for clothing apparel, including sweatshirts, skirts, pants and shirts.
Dreier soon discovered that the apparel line was unattainable after analyzing the five-year cash flow forecast from his project. He went back to the drawing board, with the determination to make his business plan a reality.
“I was thinking about it for a while, trying different ways I could use materials or the customizations and manufacturing for the clothing to make the apparel line work,” said Dreier. “Then, I came up with an idea for belts after researching a company in Oregon that would source the materials with minimal assembly on my end.”
The upcoming belt line will feature unisex and women’s belts where customers can enter their belt size, desired belt and buckle colors, waist size and how they want the belt to lay. Dreier has also taught himself to sew to create some of the stitchings for the smaller belts.
Using Poole Resources
Dreier has been very involved in Poole College of Management and NC State clubs since his freshman year. He has been a member of the Poole Student Philanthropy Council, Poole Council, Consult Your Community, the Data Analytics Club, the Finance Club and Sigma Nu fraternity. He knew utilizing his networks of peers and faculty could help bring the clothing line to fruition.
“I was introduced to the Poole Philanthropy Council by an older member of my fraternity and he helped me learn how to be more involved and be successful in Poole,” said Dreier. “I knew then that I wanted to increase my involvement and networking circles to become that mentor figure for someone else.”
Dreier accredits his BUS 351 course on predictive analytics for business with Sherry Fowler as his most memorable and resourceful class when it came to building his own business. He believes that the practical knowledge and experience has proved applicable in creating his brand.
The Future of Visus
Following graduation in May, Dreier will be relocating to Charlotte, North Carolina, to become a business technology analyst for Deloitte, a multinational organization, within their consulting practice. He plans to focus himself on the development of Visus while awaiting his September start date.
“If I want to keep this dream alive long-term, I realize I need help,” said Dreier. “So my goal between now and then, is to expand my team with individuals that share a common enthusiasm for fashion, and not only value- but advocate for and promote diversity, inclusion, and integrity.”
After the initial launch of the Visus “Prototype Belt” collections, will be the release of upscale, leather belts marketed towards young professionals, featuring custom-made branded buckles.
“From there, I want to branch out into other accessories,” said Dreier. “Then, I see Visus finally making that long-awaited leap into apparel.”
