Stephanie Slader, an Ashland University student, has started her own personal clothing brand called “Sun on My Skin”.

The brand offers several different forms of fashion, including long-sleeve and short sleeve shirts, hats and more.

“I have always thought that starting and owning a business would be really cool,” Slader said. “I had a feeling of what the business was like after my freshman year, it was just actually having the time to start it and figure out what I need to do.”

Slader, a fashion merchandising and marketing major at Ashland, had the initial idea of starting her own brand come to her in an unusual time for many in the state and the county: quarantine.

“It ended up really being a blessing because in that period, I, like a lot of people, were not really doing anything at all,” Slader said. “I wondered what I could be doing in order to make money on the side during all of this and I came up with ‘Sun on My Skin’ shortly after.”

Slader came up with the name of the brand when talking with her friends in preparation for a spring break trip last year, saying “I am just so excited to feel the warmth and the sun on my skin”. 

“During quarantine, I would crave the sun and wrap myself up in hoodies and blankets to feel warm on those cold nights,” Slader said. “Later on one of those nights, I was talking to my parents and brain-storming ideas and I thought ‘What about Sun on My Skin’? Then, the rest is history.”

Slader says that she has seen an incredible amount of support from both friends and family since the brand has been started.

“The support has been absolutely unreal,” Slader said. “My mom and dad are so supportive of what I do and even family like my aunts, uncles and cousins all are incredibly supportive. Even my former teammates and coaches on the women’s soccer team, which I had to step away from, were and still have been so supportive and helpful.”

“It has gotten to the point where sometimes I will walk around campus and see an article of clothing with my brand on it and be stopped and told that they love that piece of clothing,” Slader said. “I always thank them for their support. It is totally unreal.”

As someone who started their own personal clothing brand, Slader offers some words of advice for those wishing to do the same.

“My biggest advice would be to learn,” Slader said. “Learn about taxes, seller’s permit, different resources you may need and other things like that. I would dive deep into things like that. Even though things like that are what I learn in my classes in my major, I am always willing to learn more and more in this industry.”

Slader says that right now, the main website for the clothing brand is on the social media app Instagram, where users can search “sun.on.my.skin”. Slader does also say that since Instagram, where several flash sales take place, is not always the most convenient, the brand also has an Etsy page that is stocked and up to date for those wishing to purchase articles of clothing related to the brand.