When Hamed decided to change his mindset, he quickly discovered that some of the best things in life are free. As he became more aware of the world around him – and all its problems, it became clear that there was a need for change in order for growth to exist, something that’s tried-and-true to his story. 

With Rich & Rotten, an LA-based lifestyle clothing brand, Hamed has found purpose. He’s on a mission, eager to bridge the gap between passion and profits. “I’ve realized that there’s so many rich things in life: love, friends, happiness,” he shares. “A lot of these things have nothing to do with wealth or money.”

From fashion to community, Hamed’s driven by a desire to impact others. It’s hard trying to understand his altruistic approach, but this mindset has influenced, shaped, and formed Rich & Rotten from the start. 

Most recently, Rich & Rotten played host to a celebrity mixer to kickoff BET Awards Week in Los Angeles, California. The event featured prominent artists, tastemakers, and influencers in the music and entertainment space, including Jourdin Pauline, D Smoke, Baby Stone Gorillas, and more. 

Dirty Glove Bastard had the opportunity to speak with Rich & Rotten’s CEO about the importance of community, collaborating in the fashion industry, finding purpose, and more. 

What does Rich & Rotten mean to you? 

Rich & Rotten came about out of the struggles and experiences of my own life. All of that, collectively, is what helped me come up with the name. Through all of my trials and tribulations, ups and downs, incarceration and wrong decisions, growing, I’ve realized that there’s so many rich things in life: love, friends, happiness. A lot of these things have nothing to do with wealth or money, but the world itself is a very rotten place. It’s a lot of things you have to go through to get where you want in life, and it’s not easy. A lot of wrong decisions, a lot of learning, a lot of mistakes. Where I’m at in life now, you kind of need both to really enjoy and understand. If it’s only one way, you’ll never grasp what life is about.

That’s a profound way of thinking. 

When I got to an age where I was able to sit down and decide what I really wanted to do, I realized that if you’re only chasing the money first, it’s hard to get it. You have to have a reason behind why you want that money. If my reason was to try and help as many people as I can who are going through the same things, or stuck in a certain place because their past is holding them back, I want to try and help those people out. Your past doesn’t define you. You can get out of that and create a beautiful, rich life for yourself. Once you realize what your passion is, then you’re going to need money. The plan is to continue to grow and inspire the next generation and let them know that life is full of riches and those mistakes you made don’t define you. That’s our mission.    

It feels like Rich & Rotten is a movement just as much as it’s a lifestyle brand. 

I try to use fashion as the canvas for my life’s experiences. I found a unique way to create dope fashion but keep people aware of what’s going on, and teach them a few things with our quotes and the way we do our designs. Not just looking at clothes as something dope to wear, but something that they can relate to, too. We’re trying to make it a movement where it’s not just apparel. We want you to gain something other than what you’re wearing. We want people to wear that message proudly and hopefully share it with the next person. 

How receptive are you to collaborating with other brands that share the same interest as you? 

There’s always decisions you want to make for the growth of your business, but because this is a close-knit brand, with one owner, I’m really mindful. Till this day, we’ve never done a collaboration, for multiple reasons. If I collaborate with someone, I want them to be on the same page. I don’t want to do a collaboration just because it’s gonna make me a little bit of money, or put more eyes on the brand. I wanna do collaborations that help the community, something that’s going to help us both grow in other ways than our pockets.

Is community a big part of who you are? 

Yes. I’m not the guy to have a video camera following me around while I’m doing good deeds, but we’ve done it. We’ve gone downtown to Echo Park and given out blankets to the homeless. We’ve done stuff with Project Paper Bag, who goes downtown and feeds the homeless and has been for years now. We’ve done things with Covenant House (of California) where we’ve donated to them, they have an amazing program going on over there. I would love to do more. I’ve been doing this for 10 years by myself. 

Throughout your 10-year run in the business, what’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far? 

When you finally find something that you’re passionate about, it’s easy to keep going because you love the process, and this is truly my passion. Not clothing itself, but being in a position to help other people. There’s beauty in struggle, and I’ve realized throughout my life that nothing is forever. You gotta constantly keep going at it no matter what you’re going through. Even through the pandemic when the whole world was shutting down, I was still waking up at seven in the morning and preparing myself for when the world opened back up. It goes back to what I said earlier, nothing can be one way forever [laughs].