LUVD| Embrace Individualism, Pursue Your Dreams, Live Selflessly
Written By: Jameson Ketchum

ormer Holding onto Hope front man Cory Okeefe abandoned the allure of the stage and can now be found heading up the clothing line/community LUVD.com. Honestly following where God has called him, Okeefe spoke with Hopecore.com recently about his intense passion for his new endeavor. Visit LUVD.com today.

Give us some background on yourself and what led to creating LUVD?

Cory Okeefe: I am just a dude with a whole lot of heart who grew up loving music, clothing, design, and the arts in general. Fast forward to 2009 and I was attending college full time in Los Angeles, CA. It was a Thursday and I had gotten a phone call from my old boss offering me a job at the major record label I interned at the previous semester. The following morning an old friend called me offering the band I was in (Holding Onto Hope) a contract with his new label called Come&Live. So I was in a bit of predicament. Do I take this amazing job opportunity, or sell everything, move home, and make no money traveling the country shouting stories in a mic over some heavy music.  I chose the later, and it turned into a two year journey that led me to finding out so much about myself, what really matters in this short life we live, and what myself as well as people near and far all need to be told on a daily basis. With a background in clothing and the help from some amazingly talented friends…. LUVD was born on June 7th 2011.

What is the message behind the LUVD? What makes you more than a clothing line?

CO: LUVD is a brand encouraging people to be themselves, pursue their passions, and live a lifestyle of giving. Currently, clothing is the canvas for the message. In the future that canvas will develop and we will spreading LUVD propaganda through various platforms.

On the giving end, you are able to choose the cause that a portion of each sale goes to. We are currently partnered with four causes that work to end various global issues. Check the cause page for details on each. (luvd.com/cause) LUVD also creates collaboration products with different causes / brands, giving 50% of proceeds from those items to the causes they support. So we are excited to influence and promote the idea of community and family within all aspects of what we do. We want to showcase and bring to the forefront people doing awesome things across the globe, showing people that it is easy to give!  It is not about the quantity you give or how you give, it is about being apart of something greater then yourself. Millions of people giving a little, makes a lot of a difference.

What do you want people to gain from being a part of LUVD?

CO: We are marketed to, told what to do, pressured, have feelings, and emotions every single day. But what we choose to believe about ourselves and our current situation – that’s our choice. Every day when we wake up no matter whats going on or what chapter we are at in the book of our lives, we can choose what to believe that day, what to prioritize, how to spend our money, how to treat the people we come in contact with. These daily choices, some large and some small, they have the ability to change the outcome of our entire lives. LUVD is asking the question… What story are you believing? The approval of your peers? The pressure of living up to expectations? We at  LUVD desire to encourage people in the right direction. To embrace their individualism, pursue their passions, and put others above themselves – it’s encouraging people to live a life that matters. To take the first step and embrace the journey.

What do you personally gain from creating something such as this?

CO: I love everything about clothing, design, music, people, community, dreaming, imagining and so on….so it satisfies all of who I am created to be. I guess that means I am able to spend my time pursuing something that I absolutely love and really believe in. Talking to people that join LUVD in growing its message is so encouraging! Someone who buys a shirt, puts a sticker on their car, or just posts a tweet about it. Everyone is apart of this!! Honestly, it’s one huge family and i love it!

I have already had the privilege of meeting so many awesome people who are doing such amazing things all over the globe. Getting to support them and work together with a common goal of truly valuing every human being on this planet. It is all I could ever ask for.

What does the future hold for LUVD?

CO: I have tried to answer this question before, but within the first five seconds my brain begins this never ending race of ideas and I have to stop myself before I type a five page document.  We have so many ideas and there are so many possibilities, it stokes me out even thinking about it!

We just want to spread the message in every way we possibly can. We have plans to create products, website functionality, community features, collaborations, video campaigns and oh so much more.  We will continue to partner with great charities and be developing new ways to support their efforts. So in short… we have many exciting things on the horizon that we unfortunately cannot say at this time, the only way to experience them is to stay tuned at www.luvd.com.  facebook.com/liveluvd or twitter.com/liveluvd

Thanks for reading my ramblings and checking out what we are doing. You are only as happy as you want to be. Know that you have value and gifts that can inspire and change the life of another person. Be confident, be yourself, LIVE LUVD!

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