For Mariama Davis, her Jeep Wrangler is more than just a vehicle. She named it "her love story" for the love of the Jeep culture- a culture she says only Jeep enthusiasts understand.
"Jeep people are different… we literally wear something to show we’re part of the culture," said Davis. "It could be a keychain or a shirt or a hat."
It's one thing to wear the apparel, but it's another thing to design it yourself. But that's exactly what Davis did. In the midst of the pandemic, she came up with the concept of designing merchandise to reflect the diversity among Jeep fans.
"I had been looking for apparel for me as a Jeep owner and I couldn’t find anything that reflected me as a Black woman," Davis said. "So I came up with an idea… Jeep apparel, Melanin Edition… basically apparel for Melanated Jeepers."
Davis began working with a graphic designer, and eventually, with the company Apparel Redefined out of Crestwood. The company embroiders her designs onto hats and prints them onto T-shirts. As soon as she began selling them on the e-commerce platform Etsy, her sales took off.
"A group in South Africa ended up buying my apparel… that made my heart smile," said Davis.
Jeep, the company, noticed her work and reached out to her in early January. Those conversations eventually led to Jeep officially licensing the Melanated Jeep apparel line.
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"We are excited to have her be a part of our licensing program," said Kim Adams House, who leads the merchandising and licensing efforts for Jeep. "Especially when we saw her design that had the seven slot grill and the various hues that represent not just the Jeep brand, but it's full culture, of multiculturalism - we knew we had something special."
Davis' apparel line is now of one of more than 145 lifestyle licensees around the world. It's selling on Jeep's official Amazon store and the company plans to make an official announcement in the coming weeks.
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It's a dream come true for Davis and one she says took immense sacrifice.
"To come from the inner city of Chicago and be here… I give thanks to God," said Davis. "This has been a three-year journey… regardless of people not believing in you, people thinking you’re crazy, that you won't be able to do it… well, I did it! I did it."
