Josh Naphtali Yazdian, often referred to as Persian Drizzy by his ten thousand Instagram followers, has made a name for himself at Indiana University. The Drake doppelganger created a fashion line, called Yaz Apparel, that has swept the Bloomington campus. It started as a DIY project made from a paisley pillow case and old t-shirt. Now, Yazdien’s dorm room has turned into a fashion line of hoodies manufactured in California for the masses. Following the footsteps of his nickname sake, Persian Drizzy started from the bottom by taping printed fabrics onto the sleeves of sweatshirts for his friends and is now here with professionally sewn apparel, sold internationally.
Yazdian, born and raised in Nashville, Tenn., is currently a sophomore student and brother of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity at IUB studying apparel merchandising. Contrary to his state stereotype, you will never find the entrepreneur in cowboy boots. He describes his fashion style as “street clothing,” preferring to dress comfortably in a way that still manages to expresses his personality. Yaz Apparel has found its niche audience within the skaters, hip hop kids, and “people who aren’t shy who want to express themselves," Yazdian said.
“When you wear Yaz Apparel you set the impression that you want to make. Fabric isn’t just fabric; when you put it on your back it becomes a persona that you can take on. The animal print may show off your wild side, while the Disney print can exude a more childish personality,” Yazdian says. “I just want people to enjoy themselves and enjoy what they wear,” he adds.
Yazdian’s road to success, literally, began on the road. Bored on his way back to school, from a road trip to Nashville over fall break, the then amateur designer decided to make an Instagram account (@YazApparel) to showcase his newest clothing. While it was primarily made to reach out to larger audiences and clothing manufacturers, Yazdien’s password to his famous @PersianDrizzy account had been changed by a few of his friends and he wanted a way back into the world of Instagram. Rachel Sirotkin, one of the passengers in the car with Persian Drizzy when he created the account, recalled thinking that her friend’s business had the potential to gain some success on campus, but not much more than that.
Contrary to Sirotkin’s belief, several months after publishing the account, Yazdian was receiving orders from fans all over the world in America, Germany, Belgium and Israel for his famous statement hoodies. In order to keep up with the influx of orders, he came into contact with his cousin in California who hooked him up with a manufacturer to professionally create Yaz Apparel originals.
“My handmade sweatshirts were made from adhesive tape and glue. Who wants to wear something that they can’t wash? It’s not professional. I never want to give my customers less than 100 percent,” says Yazdian.
While his rise to fame appeared to happen effortlessly, a lot of time, determination and dedication went into the creation of the unique brand. After receiving various compliments on the original IU football shirt, with the Yaz Apparel paisley print he wore to a tailgate, Yazdian went to the fine arts department to learn how to use a needle and thread.
“The first sleeve took me three hours to finish sewing by hand, but then the next sleeve only took me an hour. My friends, especially Ari Yosef, supported me and pushed me to work harder, so I did.”
Although being “insta-famous” helped him develop a large scale fan base for his clothing company, Josh Yazdian believed he was much more than just a Drake look alike.
“I turned 20 this year and it was time for me to grow up,” Yazdian says. “The Persian Drizzy account meant nothing. I was captioning and taking pictures that just weren’t Josh; it was more Drake. I didn’t like the person I was becoming. Yaz Apparel was a new start for me.”
Yaz Apparel might be a new start for more than just its founder. Yazdian’s future goal is to be able to give a free sweatshirt, for every sweatshirt purchased, to those in need of clothing.
“It’s not about making money, it’s about putting clothes on people’s backs,” Drizzy explains, “So many people don’t have jobs, it’s really sad. Indiana is cold and, unfortunately, some people can’t afford to buy the right clothing to keep them warm.”
Yaz Apparel is so much more than a college student’s attempt in making enough money to drop out of school. It’s a way for people to effortlessly express themselves through a unique work of art.
Orders for sweatshirts can be placed at YazApparel.com.
