"Council Day" By: David Andrews

Hillgrove is filled with students who take pride in what they do both inside and outside of school. From nationally ranked athlete Jaylen “Tank” McCollough to young composer Brandon Gasaway, the students here at Hillgrove work hard to be the best at their craft. One of the students that exemplify this trait most is Malik Hollins. Many people in this world are afraid of taking chances and betting on themselves, but Malik is the exact opposite. He is ready to take on whatever task the world has to offer him and, in return, give them everything he has  got.

Of course Malik’s main focus is his education, but he puts almost the same amount effort, if not more, towards his clothing line and his brand. Malik aspires to have his name in the same breath as Gucci, Chanel, and even Guess when mentioning the world’s greatest clothing brands, and he is certainly on track to do that with Counsil. Counsil is the name for the clothing line Malik created freshman year and just recently brought to life last semester. What makes Counsil different from a lot of other clothing lines is that it has no actual meaning behind it. It is strictly up to you to determine what it means and no one else. It promotes free thoughts and expression, things that a lot of other brands do not.

The face of the entire line are the notorious “Target Hoodies” that Malik used to represent being a target to society. Many people including Hillgrove Senior, Brandan Thomas, interpreted it as a symbol the death of many young black men in America. From the bullet holes it the hood to the target on the chest, the hoodie forces a lot of people to realize the struggles young black men go through on a day-to-day basis. The fear of leaving the house because if you walk out that door, you may never return due to the color of your skin. Being black, you have to live with people staring you down watching your every move because they think you are up to no good. You have to live with people locking their car doors and hiding their valuables as soon as you walk by because they think you might steal if. Even the smallest things such as wearing a hoodie automatically puts a target on your chest and that is the point Malik is trying to get across. Not just when you are black, but when you are successful as well you will be targeted by even the people you thought were your friends. That is why you have to be careful who you let in you “Counsil”.

Although Malik is doing his best to make his name known, it is impossible to do it alone. Luckily Malik has had tons of support from his family and friends like Austin Rucker, Hillgrove Alum, throughout the entire process. After speaking with Malik he said that Counsil can mean a lot of different things but what it all boils down to “your posse of fly individuals, no leaders,” and Malik certainly has his “counsil” set. They support him so much they even created a day in his honor called “Counsil Day” where everybody wears their Counsil gear. The person who created it was Hillgrove Senior, Orry Clements-Owens, and they following was unreal. Malik even had people asking him about hoodies the day of so they could be a part of it, but, sadly, he only does pre orders so make sure to get your gear before he runs out.

In fact, Malik even plans on retiring the late “Target Hoodies” so that when he is at the top he can turn then into a collectors item type thing, something that only the people who supported from jump would have. It acts as sort of a gift from him to his real supporters, showing them that not everyone can be a part of his “Counsil”. In his eyes the people who have one now when he’s unknown are special. They are an extension of himself and what Counsil Day really stands for, friendship.