Lionel Nichols is the founder of Mario & Lee where he designs exclusive 1 of 1 garments from the highest quality hand sourced fabrics, trims and notions. He has dressed celebrities such as Gunna and Mark John Jeffries and offers pieces for purchase at marioandlee.com.

Hearing Lionel tell his story in audio format is inspiring, but I highly recommend you check out his instagram below to visually grasp the unique pieces he has designed.

In our conversation, Lionel and I discuss how modeling led him to fashion, his process of designing with the end in mind, and how he plans for long-term success in his craft.