By Jack Tibbetts

Copyright derryjournal

Altan started from humble beginnings, selling his designer clothes online. Now he works from his own store in the Soundworks building on Great James’ Street. “I started it from my bedroom back in Covid,” said Altan, on the beginning of Drip Aid. “I didn’t have a job. I didn’t have furlough or any sort of income. So I started selling my clothes on the likes of Depop and Snapchat. I saved up a bit of money and got mentorship from other people who were doing what I wanted to be doing.” “It started spiralling in my mind, ‘maybe I could make a business out of this.’ After I saved up a bit of money I bought my first bulk order. As time went on fashion changes but I kept reinvesting in myself and reinvesting in new stock and learning. It was all trial and error, I never went to college to do business, I wasn’t great in school. “Once I started Drip Aid, I knew this is what I wanted to do,” he said. Drip Aid offers a range of activewear, streetwear, footwear, accessories, and other designer items from leading brands like Corteiz, Broken Planet, Denim Tears, and Nike. Altan said: “When you come in here, you are not looking to get something cheap, you are getting something nobody else has.” Despite building a successful business by himself Altan wants to achieve more with Drip Aid. He said: “I want to have a bigger shop and have employees and a bigger online presence. I don’t have a team; I’d like to take a step back in time.” He said he found the biggest challenge he faces is being consistent. “I’m not the most organised person. I’ve only started in the past year to get things into a system. The hardest thing is being consistent—trying to sort the website, buy stock, and record content. That’s stressful,” said Altan. The young entrepreneur humbly admitted that Drip Aid is doing well on the business front. He said: “I’m doing this full time now. I’m able to make an income for myself. I’m not making mad money. I’m able to grow the business every month, pay the bills and put money in my pocket, I’m not complaining.” After Christmas the young business owner is hoping to open up another shop in the town, as his flagship store. With the success of Drip Aid, the store has hosted some famous faces, such as Kneecap and Derry’s own James McClean. “It’s really cool, the likes of James McClean and Kneecap, they actually came in and spent some money. It was a good experience, I didn’t force them to come in, it was all natural. It’s a bit surreal,” he admits. Lastly, we asked Altan if he is proud of what he has achieved at such a young age. He said: “I’m proud of what I have achieved, but as I said I’m not where I want to be, I’m not relaxing yet.” Drip Aid can be found on 33C Great James Street. You can find Drip Aid’s online store here: https://www.dripaid.co.uk