Joness LaSalle wearing the RVL Nylon Jacket. REVEL IN YOUR OWN STYLE
A conversation with Preston Frazier on authenticity, design, and what it takes to build a brand.

October 16, 2025

Writen by Miles James
Photographed by Miles James



“Revel in your own style. Be true to who you are. Never change or conform for anyone,” Preston tells us. It’s more than a tagline—it’s a lived philosophy, woven through every piece he and his co-owner, Cody Barnes, bring to life. Their Howard-born clothing brand, Revel, is rooted in authenticity, and what he calls “the everyday fly.”

Before Revel existed, there was Full Cup, the first spark of Preston’s entrepreneurial fire. He started it back in high school. “It meant a cup can never be half full, it’s always half empty,” he says, remembering how the idea was more hustle than art.

But once he got to Howard, surrounded by young Black creatives pushing boundaries in every direction, photographers, stylists, models, and designers who were all chasing their visions, something clicked. Fashion became more than profit. It became a language for expression and individuality.

It was also during his first year that Preston met his roommate, Cody Barnes—a Sophomore at the time with the same hunger to create. The two linked over their love for fashion and design, trading ideas with each other until those sketches started turning into something real. 




Their first Revel drop came in November of his freshman year. “I wanted to make something unique, something that had a catchy name, and something that people could always feel comfortable and fly in,” he explains. His pieces, from sweatsuits to tees, were made to fit the college rhythm, class at noon, pop-up at five, party by midnight. “You don’t have to have the best style or the best wardrobe,” he laughs. “But if you got the full set, throw on some J’s or slides—now you fly, now you cool.”
That first drop said everything Preston and Cody needed it to: Revel was about feeling like yourself. On Howard’s campus, where presentation is pride, Revel met students where they were. Over time, Revel became less of a logo and more of a reminder that community can start with what you wear.


During the design process, Preston’s research isn’t confined to a sketchbook. His process is observational; “I scroll through Instagram a lot,” he admits. “I try and look at what people like to see. Once I realized people liked aesthetically pleasing things, I was like, okay—I can design a set, find good models, find a good background, and have a good pose.”

He’s got an eye for composition, not just clothing. He’s always scanning, feeling textures and watching how people style themselves, listening to how they talk about fashion. “I’m always thinking about my next drop,” he says. “How can I elevate it? How can I stand out?”

To us, that creative curiosity is what keeps Revel fresh. 



“When I first have an idea, I usually just start designing,” he says. “Once I get to a certain point, I’ll pull images from Google or Pinterest and work from there.” Each design goes through multiple evolutions; “four or five tries,” he says, before something clicks. Then come the colorways and the small touches that give a piece its soul.

Only few people ever see his early drafts, a small circle he trusts to be brutally honest. “If it’s trash, they’ll tell me,” he laughs. He creates in Procreate and polishes in Photoshop, blending raw ideas with technical finesse.


Preston sighs when I ask what’s hardest about bringing an idea to life. “Okay, I would say the biggest challenge of bringing the clothes to life- I’mma add two parts to this too.” 

Miles James: “Okay.”

Preston: “And once you start getting your clothes made, you gotta ask this person can I see previous work, what you have done, or can I see other similar products you have made? Some people will straight up lie to your face just to get the bread-and now you’re in eightee hundred dollars, and now there’s no refund policy, and now you have ot hope and pray for the best that this person is’t gonna screw you over or mess with you money.”

Miles James: “Oh wow.”

Preston: “If you’re gonna start a brand, really take a look at who is making your clothes. Like, really look at what work have they done and try and build a relationship with them.”

Preston: “Some thats worked for me in the best is taking conversations off of whatever foreign app you may be using, and move them to WhatsApp. Now, they have an actual history of your message with dates and timestamps. You can even video chat. Now you have a sense of security and trust.”

Miles James: “That makes sense.”

Preston: “The second part I want to add is something I see a lot of clothing brands struggle with. Once you get the clothes in your hand, a lot of people expect the clothes to sell for themselves, but in reality that’s not the case.”

Preston: “Yeah, they could sell for themselves, you could just leave them in a box and not post anything. But the odds of them moving at the pace you want them to move is not going to be the case. Once I got my clothes in, I realized that people wanted to see photos, they wanted to see videos, people want to see behind the scenes, people want to see product pictures, people want to see your clothes displayed in cool, creative ways. So it’s like, engaging.”


Today, Revel stands as more than a brand. Preston Frazier and Cody Barnes built something that reflects not just Howard’s creative pulse, but a generation’s desire to define itself on its own terms. Their process and work reminds us that fashion can start small and still move it’s community.
For Preston, whether he’s sketching mockups in his dorm room, working with manufacturers over WhatsApp, or shooting promotional photos for Revel, Preston’s goal remains steady: “Be true to who you are. Never change or conform for anyone.”