Nagamalla embraces faith with clothing business

Aybika Kamil | The Chronicle

Out-of-touch and out-of-style. That is all Mason High School (MHS) junior Samantha Nagamalla saw when she searched for affordable Christian hoodies online. So, Nagamalla took the initiative to help others like her by creating Faithful Creations. 

Nagamalla researched marketing and business from last May to this past summer before starting Faithful Creations. She learned about things like cash flow, limited liability companies (LLCs) and manufacturers using online resources like YouTube. 

“I was doing a lot of research and kind of learning along the way as I set up my business,” Nagamalla said. “The peak of research was a few months ago but there’s still a lot more to come.”

 For the artistic portion of the process, Nagamalla had experience since she used to draw when she was younger. After getting the idea to make a Christian hoodie design, Nagamalla began the designing process using apps like Procreate and Canva. 

“I came up with multiple designs [to see] which one was the best and then I finally came up with a design that I was really happy with,” Nagamalla said. “It was cool to experiment with but it was really time-consuming since I had to come up with many different options.” 

Nagamalla said she wanted to put something on her hoodies that people would remember. 

“I wanted to give a message to people and make them feel something if they read it,” Nagamalla said. “I wanted it to be something impactful.”

In the end, Nagamalla decided on a Crown of Thorns design with a message that reads “Jesus is the Way”. She said she wanted to include Jesus in her design because she believes he represents Christianity well. 

“I feel like what [Jesus] did for us was really important,” Nagamalla said. “I did not really understand everything growing up, but now I do, and I just want to spread the gospel.” 

Nagamalla said she always wanted to show people that she is Christian and somehow display her faith. She said she has been passionate about preaching to others about Christianity but she was not ready to when she was younger. 

“When I was like 12, instead of just going to church, I wanted to skip to the fun part,” Nagamalla said. “That was always something that I wanted to do, but I wasn’t ready in my walk with God to just go out and do that because I needed to do some changing in myself.”

Nagamalla said she has formed a group of Christian friends who helped through her journey of making Christian hoodies and getting closer to her religion. Nagamalla said they have weekly Bible studies at her house. 

“A lot of people in my life started getting closer to God and they were impacting me so that’s what kind of helped me get closer,” Nagamalla said. “They really supported me with my business and encouraged me by giving me tips on posts and stuff to ensure everything looks good.”

MHS junior Evelynn Sarella met Nagamalla through family friends eight years ago. Sarella said their friend group connected more deeply with their conversations about Christianity. Sarella supported the making of Faithful Creations by being there for Nagamalla.

“It was a long process to get the right manufacturer and products and make [Nagamalla’s] vision come true,” Sarella said. “I think more than anything I wanted to support her and keep her encouraged.”

Faithful Creations’ demographic is a younger audience and Sarella said she thinks the hoodies are a good way to share their beliefs and start meaningful conversations about God. 

“I like the message [Nagamalla] is sending,” Sarella said. “These hoodies show her heart for God and I see her dedication in private but these hoodies are a way she spreads love to both the community and Christians.”

Nagamalla said she became a better version of herself as she worked to grow closer to her religion. 

“I felt like I was kinder and it gave me a new perspective on how I should look at things,” Nagamalla said. “I just found a lot of peace and a better mindset.”

Drawing inspiration from Christian apparel companies like Elevated Faith, Nagamalla wants to continue expanding and get Faithful Creations as big as other prominent brands one day. 

“[Elevated Faith] doesn’t just promote the clothing, they promote the lifestyle, which is really important to me,” Nagamalla said. “I care that my company succeeds, but not too much about the sales – it’s more about the message.”

At this point, Nagamalla said she has hope and feels peace thinking about her future regarding her faith and brand. 

“I’m ready to get more marketing started and just start my own adventure,” Nagamalla said. “I don’t know where that will take me, but I definitely want to focus a lot on it as it gets bigger.”