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3 lessons this Utah Valley fashion CEO learned after having triplets
In 2020, Braiden Day, CEO of local Utah menswear brand Odion, and his wife added triplets to their already family of three before their oldest daughter was even two. Having four kids under two while also running a growing fashion house was and is definitely busy. Day’s life is a juggling act of being a working dad and CEO of Odion. At one point, he was even balancing a full-time class load at BYU, working 40 hours at Odion, and raising his children. Day said, “Having to balance all those different things is difficult, rewarding but difficult. I’m very passionate about building Odion and getting it to where I see the vision. It makes it all worth it.”
Odion Menswear was recently rebranded from Modern Missionary, which Day and his team thought put limitations on what products customers thought they provided. Odion carries a wide range of boys and mens formal wear for events like church, prom, weddings, baptisms, and yes, missions. “When people did come in to buy a suit for a prom or for a wedding they loved the experience but we weren’t getting them in because we had ‘missionary’ in the name that was closing off that market,” Day said. Day and his team love that Odion is a powerful, nondescript name and they have seen a lot of growth in their customer reach since the change.
Managing a company rebrand and a growing business, while simultaneously managing snacks and bedtimes AND never missing a BYU football game, has taught Day some important lessons. He’s learned that these are the three core values for how to
Lesson 1: Confidence
Day knows that confidence is needed in every situation and that’s what his clothing offers his customers: confidence when they walk into a room. “If a man is wearing a suit, it’s usually because he’s in a situation where he wants to feel and look good for a special event. And if he feels confident in how he presents himself, he’s able to show up as his best self. Our mission at Odion is to help that man unleash that confidence by wearing clothes that are sleek and timeless.” While Day has learned to imbue confidence in men and boys that shop at Odion, he’s also learned that growing his customer base, impressing investors and acing a class presentation takes confidence too. “Confidence in yourself and your vision is the crucial component most investors are looking for.”
Lesson 2: Comfort
Confidence comes from being comfortable in your own skin. And you can’t be comfortable if your suit doesn’t fit right. Day and his team at Odion have spent many a sleepless night ensuring that all Odion suits, shirts, shoes, and down to the smallest accessories, are not only ‘en vogue’ but easy to move around in and fit impeccably. Odion is a brand for the every man who wants to wrestle his kids after church or get down and groovy on the dance floor at his best friend’s wedding reception or the every boy who wants to run around with his friends after his baptism. Day modeled this after his own life — as a busy dad chasing after four toddlers, he didn’t want to feel boxy and awkward in a suit. Odion guarantees that comfort, ease and functionality in every product they sell.
Lesson 3: Passion
To add to his busy schedule, Day has been a devoted BYU football fan since his childhood. The BYU fandom runs deep in his blood and has been passed down for generations in his family. Day can recall memories of going on Labor Day trips with his family and lugging a satellite dish to make sure he would be able to watch or listen to the games. There are very few games that he has missed since he was five years old.
This love for the game has extended into his love for menswear. When you’re passionate about something, it’s easy to let that passion bleed into other facets of life. Day has learned the power that passion has in creating Odion’s success. At Odion, passion for excellent product as well as customer service has set the brand apart to its loyal customer base.
Each location — Orem, Draper, Riverton and Bountiful — is meticulously curated for the best shopping experience and employed with the cream-of-the-crop personnel. “Making sure our customers feel welcomed and comfortable and can find what they need right away is so important to us. We want each customer to leave with a suit that fits their individual body perfectly. We want them to keep these suits for years — and even pass them down as heirlooms,” Day said.
“Odion has the potential to be really powerful in the lives of a lot of people,” stated Day. It has been powerful in his own life and has shown him the impact that a life full of passion can have. Day has implemented the lessons he has learned as a working father and has focused Odion on principles of confidence, passion, and comfort. This is what each person can expect as they make a purchase from Odion for any occasion.
