Xavier Entrepeneurial Society Hosts Fashion Pioneer Ms. April Walker

On Friday, November 21, 2014, Ms. April Walker, founder of the Walker Wear fashion brand and president of the April Walker Group, came to speak to the Xavier Entrepreneurial Society. In addition to developing her own companies, Ms. Walker has held management positions at fashion lines Phat Farm and And-1, and she has worked with companies such as Foot Locker and MTV. Additionally, she has worked as a consultant to various music and entertainment stars, including Queen Latifah, P. Diddy, Jay-Z, LL Cool J, RUN-DMC, the Notorious B.I.G., Tupac Shakur, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Shaquille O'Neal, and Mike Tyson.

Ms. Walker spoke to the club about the basics of starting up a business, as well as her experiences in the clothing and fashion industry. Ms. Walker ultimately focused on two verbs she believes are key to entrepreneurial success: expect and respect. Students were encouraged to expect success and to know that, with hard work, their entrepreneurial activities would bear fruit. That said, she also stressed that students should respect the process of achieving success, preparing themselves through careful planning and hard work.

The Entrepreneurial Society continues to seek guest speakers with valuable entrepreneurial and business experience. If you are interested in being a part of the Society, please contact moderator Mr. Michael Mule '04.