Founder’s Personal Journey

About WayHard

Written by icy

As a kid, I always saw life as a game.
A game where you had to earn your place and collect coins, money, XP, stability. I knew early on that this game wasn’t going to be easy, but I was disciplined and optimistic. My parents told me to do my best in school, and I believed school would be the solution to winning the game.

As I grew older, I started to notice something.
Every year, while I became wiser, the odds felt more against me. I faced rejection early: low grades in primary school, struggling verbally, and always feeling one step behind.
Because of that, I took high school seriously and worked my way up
one level, but after graduating, I couldn’t get easy access to internships. Maybe I looked “too cool” for a 9-to-5. I still remember a CEO from an IT company telling me, “With that hairstyle (dreadlocks), you’ll never get a job.”

That was the moment I realized something important:
I didn’t fit into the system  and I stopped trying to.

I understood that the world doesn’t operate fairly. Instead of breaking me, that realization pushed me to become self-sufficient. I focused on learning high-level skills and doing what genuinely brought me joy, while earning my coins.That’s when videography entered my life. I networked, hustled, and slowly built long-lasting connections. I worked with top-tier directors & artists and genuinely felt like I was finally breaking through as a creative.

Then life hit me hard.

During lockdown, my father became seriously ill and was hospitalized. At the same time, I was working 12-hour days, chasing my biggest opportunities yet. I barely visited him. My only focus was becoming the best in my field  even at the cost of family. When things became life-threatening, I finally went to see him. He could barely talk. He had a hole in his throat to breathe.

Reality slowed me down instantly.

A week later, I arrived at the hospital with my mom and heard the words that changed everything:
“We’re sorry, your dad passed away.”

All I could think was: What now?
How do I keep going? How does life look without you? What responsibilities do I carry now?

I had to pause everything. Clients were notified. Work stopped. Life felt heavy.
For months, there was silence, no progress, no momentum. I wasn’t used to that. Survival mode kicked in. Bills kept coming. Opportunities came, but the excitement was gone. Then, during a rehearsal for a major concert, my camera fell and broke in two pieces.

That was my breaking point.

I couldn’t work. I couldn’t earn. I felt my mom’s sadness for me.
And I asked myself: Is it time to give up and get a job?

I tried. Multiple interviews. No luck.

Then I remembered something I had always done on the side: graphic design for a gaming platform. That became my last option. I disappeared for nine months with no fun, no distractions  just day and night on my laptop. I created a brand in the metaverse called Way2Hard, because I knew what I was about to do wouldn’t be easy, and there was no way back.

I saw a gap in quality and creativity. I filled it.
After 160 uploads, my item hit the first page. That’s when I realized the real potential. The brand grew into the biggest on the platform. People loved it. I was “famous” without being seen. For the first time, I felt appreciated for my work  and it was the most money I had ever made.

That experience taught me something crucial:

The distance between reality and your dreams is action.

What “hard” really means

Hard doesn’t just mean working more.
Hard is becoming the best version of yourself  on your terms.

It’s being proud of how far you’ve come and how you’re holding it down.
It’s confidence. It’s looking good. It’s feeling good.
It’s celebrating life with your people, going out, playing music, and enjoying the journey.

Work hard.
Play hard.
Look hard.

That balance is the real flex.

Why a CD

Music carried me through the hardest moments.
It felt like medicine when nothing else worked.

That’s why WayHard includes a CD in its branding.
We wouldn’t have endured the journey without music.
WayHard doesn’t exist without it.

Sustainability, WayHard 

For us, sustainability isn’t a trend, it's a mindset.

A WayHard piece is made to last 20 years or more.
Not just physically, but visually.
We don’t chase fast trends. We design pieces that still make sense years from now.

Real sustainability means:

• Strong fabrics
  
  
• Proper construction
  
  
• Timeless silhouettes
  
  
• Quality you can feel, not just read about
  
  

We believe the most sustainable clothing is the one you don’t have to replace.

Because if it doesn’t last
it doesn’t deserve to exist.

That’s sustainability for WayHard 

The WayHard way

WayHard was built through rejection, loss, discipline, and belief.
Not the easy way, the honest one.

It’s about going hard when life gets hard.
Creating your own lane.
And standing proud of who you are becoming.

That’s the hardest way  and the real WayHard.

Thank you for reading the founder’s story.
We hope it gave you something to hold onto.

When you wear WayHard, you wear the story.