Clad Astra

Photos by Emma Highfill, Rose Wheat Photography

How do you show your pride in your community? Some of us shout it out, some of us write about it, and some of us clad ourselves in clothes that make a statement.  

Clad Astra is all about high quality clothing with eye-catching, Topeka-positive designs. Co-owners S.J. Hazim and Thad Lockard teamed up to make clothing that would boost community pride, just by being worn.   

“We want to make community-based clothing for positive vibes that we ourselves would wear,” Lockard said. “Not hokey, not a novelty. Fashion-forward pieces that will become favorites.” 

Hazim and Lockard believe that “repping” your community with clothing is a great way to show that you’re proud, without saying a word. 

“We wanted to make it easy to promote the community,” Hazim said. “There are a lot of introverts out there. They need a way to promote without having to say it out loud. You’re seeing community pride without anyone having to say those words. And when people start showing pride, that inspires others to get involved, too.” 

Lockard said the idea for Clad Astra was sparked by the City of Topeka’s new flag, in April of 2019. 

“I was thinking about how cool it would be to have some clothing and merch based around that design,” Lockard said.  

By fall of that year, Lockard had thought of several business ideas, but he hesitated to jump in with a traditional business model. In October, Lockard sent a hat that he had designed to Hazim as a way to thank him. Hazim loved the hat and pitched the idea of working together to make a clothing company a reality. A short two months later, Clad Astra launched their first clothing and accessories line with a fashion show of community influencers.  

“S.J. goes out and makes things happen,” Lockard said. “He’s willing to take chances. I’m cautious and slow in my approach, and S.J. is much more confident. He kickstarted everything and took it to a different level.” 

Hazim’s leap of faith is not one that everyone would take. He planned a fashion show and reached out to models from the community, including Danielle Norwood and Melissa Brunner.  

“We booked the date and the models, but we had hardly any designs at all,” Hazim said. “We had about a month to figure it out.” 

Hazim also took a financial risk. 

“I didn’t have a lot of savings to invest, so the money was going to fall on me if we didn’t sell these clothes,” Hazim said. “I didn’t let that stop me or slow me down, though, because I had a feeling that this could work.” 

Lockard had originally planned to step back from the business after helping to get it off of the ground, but he felt invested and decided that he wanted to be a part of seeing his vision fully realized.  

“I begged him to stay on,” Hazim said, “I’ll admit it. I knew that I needed him to be a part of this. He came up with the name and the concept, and I respect his ability and work ethic. We have two totally different personalities, and Clad Astra needs both.” 

Hazim and Lockard have a good partnership that allows both men to focus on their strengths as they grow their company. 

Lockard is focused and diligent, willing to put in long nights when it’s necessary to get the work done. He created the company’s website and keeps it up to date. He has not run a business before, but he does have about 10 years of experience in apparel purchasing for businesses. This has given him valuable insights that softened his learning curve. He was excited by the opportunity to focus on quality over economy. 

“Clad Astra can do things that I’ve wanted to do, nicer ideas that cost more,” Lockard said. “Premium, high end and worthwhile. This is worth doing right.” 

The face masks sold by Clad Astra are a good example. They are not cheap to produce, but Lockard was committed to a quality product, which meant a bigger investment.  

“We did not want to be in the business of low quality PPE,” Lockard said. “We wanted to make sure we were meeting the high standards, that it’s high quality and we could confirm where it came from.” 

Lockard says that Hazim brings authenticity and energy to the business, and that everything Hazim does is to a high standard. Hazim loves getting to know people and he has a big network in Topeka, both online and in person. Using social media to promote the business came naturally to him. 

“Before COVID-19, I would often visit people to deliver their orders personally,” Hazim said, “and I would post pictures on social media. We didn’t really come up with a marketing plan so much as Thad adds new product, and then I share it. I make sure that I post a lot.” 

“S.J. is the director of more better,” Lockard said, laughing. “He takes what I do and makes it more better.”  

The team has a lot of success to celebrate. Sales have exceeded expectations, and they’ve shipped Clad Astra to other states and even overseas. Facial masks and hats are currently their most popular items.  

Hazim and Lockard believe that Clad Astra’s community positivity is a model that other communities can follow. 

“We can provide a roadmap and help others,” Hazim said. “We had humble beginnings and started out not knowing if we’d be left holding the bag. Now we’re giving back to the community and ordering more product to meet demand.” 

Find Clad Astra online at www.cladastra.com or on facebook. 

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