Today we’d like to introduce you to Cara Johnson-Graves.
Hi Cara, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My journey began in Baltimore at Morgan State University, where I started my collegiate path and developed a deep understanding of identity, community, and responsibility. Being shaped within an HBCU environment was transformative. It instilled pride, cultural awareness, and a commitment to creating work that serves something bigger than ourselves.
EPIC Everyday was born from a simple but powerful realization: today’s children are more diverse than ever, yet the products and stories made for them often don’t reflect that reality. More than half of children in the U.S. come from multicultural backgrounds, yet representation across kids apparel, accessories, gear, and home goods has historically lagged. That absence matters, because children begin forming confidence and self-worth through the everyday items they see, wear, and carry.
What started as a small, self-funded idea has grown into a purpose-driven kids lifestyle brand focused on affirmation, joy, and representation. Through thoughtfully designed products, character-driven storytelling, and community partnerships, EPIC Everyday exists to ensure children, especially Black and multicultural children, grow up knowing they are seen, celebrated, and never ordinary.
At its heart, our story is about legacy as love in action: honoring where we come from while building something meaningful for the next generation.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, and from the beginning, we knew it wouldn’t be. We had the audacity to dream big early on, while also understanding that entrepreneurship comes with real risk, real uncertainty, and constant twists and turns.
We launched EPIC Everyday just six months before the COVID-19 pandemic, initially focused on school and travel accessories for kids. Almost immediately, the world changed. Schools closed, travel paused, and the landscape we planned for disappeared. Because we had already anticipated risk and built flexibility into our thinking, we were able to move quickly, conducting a deeper risk analysis and making the decision to pivot. That moment led us to expand into accessories, apparel, and home goods for kids and families, allowing the brand to meet people where they were and grow with intention.
The journey has felt a lot like a rollercoaster. The highs are incredibly high like seeing children connect with our products, watching families feel seen, and finding global resonance in places like Mauritius, the Canary Islands, Dubai, and Paphos. The lows come just as fast, especially as an emerging brand navigating limited resources, visibility challenges, and an industry that has historically lagged in representation. But what keeps you getting back on the ride is your why.
Our why has always been clear. Children everywhere, from Baltimore to Berlin to Barcelona, deserve to see joy that reflects them and inspires confidence. That belief fuels the courage to continue, even when the ride gets uncomfortable. We often return to a quote by Winston Churchill that captures this perfectly: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
At its core, EPIC Everyday is a purpose-driven kids lifestyle brand built on resilience, representation, and imagination as proof that when entrepreneurs lead with intention and heart, even the wildest rides can create lasting impact.
As you know, we’re big fans of EPIC Everyday. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
EPIC Everyday started with a question that kept coming back to me: what if the everyday things children interact with could actively support how they understand themselves and their emotions? Not in a loud or instructional way, but in quiet, consistent moments such as the backpack they grab every morning, the hoodie they reach for when they need comfort, the items that become part of their routines and memories. Those everyday touchpoints are powerful, and we saw an opportunity to turn them into tools that gently reinforce social-emotional learning by nurturing confidence, self-awareness, empathy, and belonging. That question became the foundation for building something intentional, rooted in care, and designed to grow with children rather than chase trends.
Today, EPIC Everyday is a kids’ lifestyle brand centered on creating products that live at the intersection of function, design, and emotional connection. We create apparel, accessories, and home goods designed to be used daily with purpose. Our work supports children as they develop a sense of identity and emotional confidence, encouraging creativity, imagination, and self-expression through products that feel joyful without being superficial. We’re known for infusing meaning into everyday essentials, making sure they serve both a practical role and a deeper one.
The audience we serve matters deeply to us. Children are constantly absorbing messages about who they are and where they fit, often before they have the language to articulate those feelings. Families and caregivers are looking for brands that understand that responsibility and take it seriously. EPIC Everyday exists to support those families by offering products that feel thoughtful, inclusive, and emotionally aware. Offering purpose-driven gifts and gear parents can feel good about bringing into their homes and children can grow into with pride.
What makes EPIC Everyday different is our long view. We didn’t build this brand to follow what was popular in the moment, we built it to last. From the start, we thought about legacy, about how brands live inside childhood memories, and about the role representation plays when it’s embedded naturally rather than highlighted as a selling point. Our decisions are guided by values first, even when that means slower growth, tougher choices, or learning things the hard way.
Entrepreneurship has been anything but linear. There have been moments of excitement and momentum, followed quickly by challenges that required adaptability and restraint. Building EPIC Everyday meant learning when to push forward and when to pause, when to expand and when to refine. Those moments taught us that resilience isn’t just about surviving difficulty. It’s about staying aligned with your purpose when shortcuts are tempting.
What I’m most proud of is that EPIC Everyday has grown into something children and families connect with emotionally, not just transactionally. It’s become a brand that invites imagination, fosters confidence, and creates space for children to feel comfortable being exactly who they are. That sense of trust and connection is something we protect fiercely.
At its core, EPIC Everyday exists to meet children in the quiet, everyday moments that shape who they become. Moments where confidence is built, identity is affirmed, and belonging begins to feel natural. Through intentional design, community, and storytelling, we’re creating products and experiences that grow alongside children and remind them that their voice matters and who they are is worth celebrating. Because when children are affirmed early, they carry that belief with them for life, and that’s how everyday moments become the foundation for a future that is Never Ordinary, Always EPIC!
What are your plans for the future?
Looking ahead, the future of EPIC Everyday is centered on intentional growth, thoughtful innovation, and deeper impact. We’re focused on evolving from a product-based brand into a fully realized kids lifestyle ecosystem, one that grows with children and continues to meet families in meaningful, everyday ways.
In the near term, we’re expanding our product offerings with new accessories, apparel, and home goods designed for busy, adventurous lives. These additions are rooted in the same principles that built the brand: functional design, cultural intention, and representation that feels authentic rather than performative. We’re also preparing for broader wholesale and licensing opportunities that allow EPIC Everyday to reach more families while staying true to our core values- community, connections, & culture!
Creatively, storytelling is a major focus. We’re developing original, character-driven content and exploring digital innovation that brings our characters to life beyond physical products. This includes visual storytelling and interactive experiences that support social-emotional learning and help children build confidence, imagination, and a strong sense of self.
Partnerships are another key area of growth. We’re building long-term collaborations with community organizations, educators, and corporate social responsibility leaders to expand access and amplify impact. These relationships allow EPIC Everyday to serve not just as a brand, but as a trusted platform for positive influence in children’s lives.
At its core, our vision is about scale with purpose. Growth for us isn’t about becoming bigger, it’s about becoming more intentional, more impactful, and more enduring. As one of our founders often shares:
“EPIC Everyday was built on the belief that positive self-reflection should be part of a child’s everyday life, not an occasional moment. As a kids lifestyle brand rooted in confidence, creativity, and community, our future is about scaling with purpose through inclusive products, character-driven storytelling, and partnerships that help children everywhere feel seen, celebrated, and empowered to intrinsically believe who they already are.”
We’re building EPIC Everyday for longevity, a brand children can grow up with, families can trust, and partners can believe in. Filling a void and shaping the future of kids consumer culture where authenticity, innovation, and value-led leadership are the standard, not the exception.
Pricing:
- Ranges from $15-$55
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shopepiceveryday.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/epiceverydayofficial/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/epiceverydayofficial/
