Undergraduate Student Dresses Athletes for Success with Streetwear Business

When Milan Chaudhary ’26 began making shirts in high school for local school basketball teams, it was just a passion project. Fast forward four years later, and now his apparel company is changing the game.

At 19, Chaudhary is the founder and CEO of Brown Boy Nation (BBN) and an undergraduate marketing student at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. His company operates at the intersection of his passions for fashion and sports. Those interests and his marketing savvy have helped him collaborate with and sign roughly 50 high school and collegiate athletes to name, image and likeness deals.

Since founding BBN, Chaudhary’s designs have been donned by LeBron James’ son Bryce and spouse Savannah, Zerina Akers—a renowned personal stylist who has collaborated with celebrities such as Beyoncé, director Ava DuVernay and R&B duo Chloe x Halle—and many other college sports recruits within the greater Washington D.C. metro area.

His success is a snowball effect that started as a student at Damascus High School in Damascus, Md., making shirts for the school basketball team’s postseason run. Students at other schools took note and enlisted his services for their teams. Seeing the business’ potential on a small scale, Chaudhary was determined to keep the ball rolling.

“My brand at that point was something I was thinking about perpetually, ‘How am I going to take this to the next level?’” Chaudhary says. “It had always been a goal to work with my idols and provide them with something they can use, so I began thinking about a marketing strategy.”

One part of that strategy was creating custom shirts and graphics for athletes competing in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL), an AAU travel basketball circuit for top players aged 17 and under. Since its creation in 2010, it has been a proving ground for future NBA talents, including Devin Booker, Anthony Davis, Jamal Murray and Bradley Beal.

Chaudhary flew to a league event in Kentucky with designs in hand for members of LeBron James’ Strive for Greatness roster. After networking with staffers close to the team, the shirts and designs eventually found their way into the hands of members of the James family, who posted photos of themselves on social media with the shirts.

“From there, it was kind of a trend effect. I just kept producing content and graphics,” says Chaudhary. “But the one thing I always made sure of was that everyone got love and attention to detail because that’s what matters most to me.”

Upon enrolling at the University of Maryland, Chaudhary experienced fortuitous timing for his business as the college sports landscape adapted to the Supreme Court’s 2021 decision allowing NCAA athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness.

He employed the help of industry professionals to draft NIL contracts and immediately sought out potential collaborations with UMD athletes.

“We’re co-creating and co-marketing these products so athletes can profit off their brands,” says Chaudhary. “I make sure my athletes can capitalize the most on what they’re doing, which is why I offer a 50/50 profit split to the highest-earning athletes.”

In the classroom, Chaudhary incorporated management courses from the Smith School into his curriculum to gain insight into how he can continue effectively leading and innovating his business.

His experience with Smith professor J. Gerald Suarez, in particular, proved valuable in providing an environment to contemplate and envision a big-picture outlook for BBN while applying the more granular lessons learned to his daily operations.

“Dr. Suarez’s class helped me learn how to work with others and understand their perspectives, which is important to my business because I work with people from so many different backgrounds,” says Chaudhary. “I loved listening to what he said because I knew it would only make me better.”

Now, Chaudhary’s focus is on letting Brown Boy Nation live up to its name by continuing to expand its roster of athletes on a national level, as well as breaking into other industries like entertainment. He’s already making strides in that area as he is designing the merchandise for the Tribeca Film Festival’s “De Niro Con,” a three-day fan event in celebration of Robert De Niro’s 80th birthday set to take place in April 2024.

In the meantime, Chaudhary acknowledges that there is much left to accomplish in his UMD experience, but he hopes that his story inspires other student entrepreneurs to make the most of their time on campus.

“I think of the University of Maryland as a place where opportunities present themselves,” says Chaudhary. “When you reach out and try to ask for them, you might surprise yourself with how much you can accomplish.”