Teen fashion designer launches second collection
When Gabriel Boote launched his streetwear brand at 16, it not only grabbed the attention of fans but also his bank, which shut down his account due to money laundering concerns.
Boote’s Archangel Apparel hoodie was so sought-after in 2022 that it sold out within 24 hours of its release, seeing 100 tops flying out the door, and the profits flooding in.
“The bank ended up shutting down my account because they thought I was money laundering,” he laughed.
More than a year on, Boote is at it again, recently releasing Archangel Apparel Fall collection, including a crewneck sweater, tees, denim shorts and hats.
Now 18, he’s no longer juggling high school exams with his fashion brand on the side. Instead, he’s moved from his home in Wakefield, Nelson to study fashion at Christchurch’s Ara, with the aim of transferring to a New York fashion school further down the track.
The overseas goal was prompted by wise words from his dad, also an entrepreneur. Experience would only get him so far, his father told him. If you’re going for a big job at a fashion house, the employer will always pick the candidate with a Bachelor in Fashion Design.
“I don’t want to be that guy that missed out on the biggest opportunity because of something I didn’t do.”
But completing assignments and running a business takes its toll. A month before launching his recent collection, Boote considered shutting the company down. Behind the cool social media photos, hundreds of followers, and tens of thousands of video views of his product, “there’s so much more that goes into it”, he said.
The mental load of running a company and the time it took saw little spare time for his girlfriend, friends and family, he said.
“And it’s not so much financial issues, it’s more getting your money to the right people at the right time, following contracts and deadlines, making sure you’re dealing with the right people – because there’s a lot of bad people in this industry who can take advantage of you.”
The hard work is paying off, though. It gives him a sense of achievement when he sees people in the street wearing his brand, and he gets a kick out of noticing Archangel Apparel being resold on TradeMe or Marketplace.
Boote’s initial aspiration was to be a rapper, brought up by a “cool Mum” and family who hailed from Rotuma, in the Pacific, who were into hip hop music. When he realised that the goal of being in the music industry was “unrealistic”, he pursued a career in the next best thing – fashion. “I was really into the sneaker culture, and that links a lot with fashion.”
During his years at high school, he said he always felt pressured to follow a more conventional career path, but he wanted to do something more creative.
And the people in his life have always backed his decision to buck the trend.
“I’m lucky I have a really good support network around me – family, girlfriend, and I have really amazing friends.”