Charles Magee began his creative journey in 2014. The young visionary began lugging around gigantic sketchbooks during his time at Maryland University. Magee was influenced by his uncle who was heavily connected in the community and introduced himself as well as his cousin to a prominent investor looking for a profitable venture. His uncle encouraged them to start thinking of business models to present to this investor who eventually became his mentor.

First, they considered entering the clothing industry; however, this idea was eventually rejected due to not wanting to have a ‘crab in the barrel’ mentality. Charles and his cousin eventually settled on backpacks due to a growing interest in investing in backpacks themselves. He reminisces- “I will never forget getting my first MCM backpack for Christmas. My parents spent eight hundred dollars on the bag, and this was one of the first times I tasted luxury.” Magee
realized the growing market in that area and switched gears in that direction.

After transferring to Cincinnati State University, he started working with Tandi Leather that were teaching instructional classes on how to make belts, wallets, phone cases and backpacks. The instructor taught him briefly how to build a simple template, but Charles quickly accumulated advanced skill. He devoted every Tuesday practicing the craft having never picking up a sewing needle in his life. Magee estimates sketching over two hundred backpack sketches
over the course of just a few months.

Eventually, Charles’ first bag was created in just three months. Realizing his creative abilities, Charles withdrew from school and moved to Atlanta to further pursue his entrepreneurial dreams. There, he found a manufacturer to mass produce his bags to his increasingly growing client base. He resulted to odd jobs along the way to pay for his growing business. After only three years of dominating the Atlanta market, Charles Mag LLC has expanded their client base nationwide. He has dedicated himself to socially conscious art and using his platform to promote social change. Most recently, the entrepreneur has collaborated with local artists, the Decatur Art Alliance, and local donors to fund mural art in the local area echoing his mission statement of inclusivity, art, and equity.