Kimani Washington models his Midnight Blue “Limitless” Varsity Jacket from his VIVID ave. “Shoot 4 the Moon” collection. Courtesy of Camren White
For Kimani Washington, an unconventional path proved to be the most vivid one.
Washington said at just 4 years old, he held his pencil with an unusual grip — balanced between his middle and ring fingers — to produce lines and illustrations that were similarly atypical.
“I always had a crayon, or a pencil or something in my hands,” Washington said. “When I got to elementary school, everybody was drawing stick figures, but my stick figures actually had bodies, clothes and all sorts of details.”
Now a third-year at Ohio State, Washington said he hasn’t decided on a major quite yet; he has, however, transformed his childhood gift into an experimental clothing brand called VIVID ave. Washington’s father, Daniel Washington, said he knew early on that his son’s drawings would become more than just crayon on paper.
“He managed to draw really well, even though he wasn’t holding the pen properly,” Daniel Washington said. “I’m thinking that was an early indicator of his future creativity.”
Kimani Washington said VIVID ave. was conceptualized in December 2019, but became an official business in December 2020 when his parents purchased him the VIVID ave. LLC as a holiday gift. He said his goal in creating the business was to establish a platform that combats the defeatist society around him.
“All my designs have some sort of messaging intertwined in it to motivate and uplift, and that’s my primary goal because I feel like there’s a lot of pessimism going on right now,” Kimani Washington said. “We need more optimism, so I contribute what I can through dope clothing, which I feel is a cool way to utilize my platform — to be the difference and inspire others.”
Kimani Washington said this positive messaging is a major part of his brand, running all the way back to the creation of the VIVID ave. name.
“When you think of vivid, you think of bright and eccentric; you think of colors, just things out of the ordinary,” Kimani Washington said. “When you think of avenue, you either think of the things you do, options you have or you think of directions. So, just watered down, [VIVID Ave.] is ‘brighter directions.’”
Kimani Washington said VIVID ave. was also founded to help unify Columbus’ arts scene, drawing inspiration from organizations such as Odd Future — a Los Angeles-based music collective popularized by rappers like Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler, the Creator — and ASAP Mob, a hip-hop collective based in Harlem, New York, in the early 2000s.
“I wanted to create a collective of creatives where people could come together, support one another and take off together as we explored that creative horizon,” Kimani Washington said.
Though Kimani Washington said the collective aspect of his brand remains a work in progress, he still feels extremely excited about the art he gets to share via his clothing drops.
Kimani Washington models his Midnight Blue “Limitless” Varsity Jacket from his VIVID ave. “Shoot 4 the Moon” collection. Courtesy of Camren White
“My first drop was the peace collection, where I had various symbols of peace on the shirt,” Kimani Washington said. “My second drop was ‘Shoot for the Moon,’ which communicated that the sky isn’t the limit, it’s just the view.”
Daniel Washington said watching his son spread hopefulness through clothing has been a large source of pride.
“I’m most proud of his commitment. Some legs of this journey he had to walk alone, but he remained focused,” Daniel Washington said. “Some days, he didn’t get the type of response that he may have wanted from other people, but he remained faithful. Seeing the quality of his work in his clothing brand makes me smile because I know the level of commitment it took to see it come to pass.”
Kimani Washington, who completed his associate degree in digital design and graphics at Columbus State in 2024, said it wasn’t until coming to Ohio State that he decided to redirect his studies. More specifically, he decided to give the university’s exploratory program a chance, enrolling in a course titled “Business of Fashion and Retail.”
According to the Ohio State Undergraduate Admissions website, the exploratory program “provides a starting place for both students who want to take relevant coursework before committing to their major of interest and undecided students with multiple areas of interest and abilities who do not want to limit their options.”
Notably, Kimani Washington said taking “Business of Fashion and Retail” opened his eyes to the negative aspects of the industry at large, which he hopes to challenge with VIVID ave.
“It gave me insight on the processes of how things that are made in the fashion [industry] can get really ugly, regarding the treatment of people or designs being stolen,” Kimani Washington said. “It was insightful.”
Beyond academics, Kimani Washington said he has also learned a lot about himself through the development of his brand.
“[Creating VIVID ave.] taught me I need to be more patient and give myself more grace,” Kimani Washington said. “Over the process of running this company, there has been a lot of different trial and error, a lot of lessons learned, but the stress ultimately shows that I really care about this and am passionate.”
Kimani Washington said finding the “right” academic path has been stressful, but the opportunity to pursue his passion of building his brand has simultaneously shown him that everything has a way of working out.
“I’ve kind of been stressed by not knowing [my major], but I just think about my future a lot, and I just have to sit in today and quit worrying about tomorrow,” Kimani Washington said. “Once I’m comfortable with today, everything else will fall into place.”
Washington’s younger sister, Azziah Washington, said she feels inspired by her brother’s relentless positivity and drive.
“The aspect of Kimani that makes me most proud is his ability to never settle for less,” Azziah Washington said. “Kimani is extremely passionate about his talent and does everything in his power to make sure anything he puts his hands on is nothing less than perfect.”
In addition, Azziah Washington said she admires her brother’s determination to consistently improve what he creates.
“Kimani is a perfectionist,” Azziah Washington said. “He has an eye like no other and pays attention to the finest of details. With that being said, he’s constantly perfecting his craft and wondering what he can do to take his art to the next level.”
Washington’s mother, Amanda Perry-Washington, said she continues to be amazed at the work her son produces.
“Kimani made a drawing on a sketch pad come to life,” Amanda Perry-Washington said. “He was very determined to make sure his brand was different from any other. The quality of his work is exceptional, and I am beyond proud of my son.”
Kimani Washington said he doesn’t operate under a strict timeline with VIVID ave. clothing drops due to school-related responsibilities, but he plans to release several designs in the near future. Ultimately, he said sharing his art and passion with the world is what he was meant to do.
“My passion, desire and my true purpose is really to create,” Kimani Washington said.
More information about VIVID ave. can be found on the brand’s website.
