Royce White is not just a basketball player for Iowa State University’s men’s basketball team. He is also an entrepreneur. Music, art, entertainment and the Internet are all under White’s business umbrella. His most recent project is starting a clothing line called “Black Rose.”

Q: What made you decide to start your own clothing line?

A: Growing up, I just always had a thing for fashion. I like fashion. My son’s mother actually is a model, so she really-you know we met when I was around 15, 16, and she really got me into fashion. Where I really thought that I wanted to get into it as a business form. And also just along with the other things I do, such as music and entertainment and stuff like that, fashion is just another facet of all those industries.

Q: What is the style you’re aiming for?

A: I’d say real – well not formal – but kind of casual. A casual look. You know, prototype like a Polo or some of the more casual styles of – I would say Polo is the best, or like a Lacoste. Somewhere in that area. Right in the middle. But then there’s also going to be a urban section of the fashion line, so there’s going to be casual and then there’s going to be dress and then there’s going to be the urban style.

Q: Who or what are your influences?

A: You know, myself. Just what I like to wear and what other people like to wear. It’s all about a demand thing, and what people like to wear and what’s hot. You have to stay with what’s hot and what’s current when you’re in the fashion industry. But also you have to find a way to slide your style in there and slide your little tweak on what’s going on in the fashion world right now. So that’s just what I’m doing right now, figuring out what everybody else is liking to wear and what’s high fashion right now mixed with what I want to do.

Q: What all have you done with the line so far?

A: Just got samples, samples from designers. Young designers, really young. We wanted to shoot for that, real young designers. The next generation of who’s going to be designing the next big thing, whether it be – who knows, somebody brings back some vintage style that’s really old, but they bring it back in a really unique way, or just finding designers that are submitting things that are really unique looking and also could be very trendy.

Q: What are your plans or goals with the line?

A: I think the same thing that goes with all the businesses that I have is to become competitive with the major, the other major companies in the industry. Just becoming competitive as a clothing line and that’s pretty much my goal in all my business work.

Q: What has the reaction been like from friends and family?

A: They’re excited. My friends and family, they support me in anything I do, and they understand I have a niche for business. Whatever I try – I always come up and say that I’m trying something new and they just believe in it. Because like I said, it’s all about supply and demand. So if you can get people to know about your clothing line or whatever it is you’re going to sell, that’s half the battle right there. And that’s something I’m good at doing.