Page 7 - MidWeek - April 20, 2022

APRIL 20, 2022 MIDWEEK 7
Born in 2002, Lexton Butay-Joseph is used to the reactions he receives when clients learn his age. The newly turned 20-year-old carries himself well as the owner of not one but two local businesses: Off Hawai‘i Clothing and Off Ha- wai‘i Detailing.
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“A lot of people are sur- prised,” he says with a laugh. “I didn’t realize how surprised they would be. I would say 99% of the time when I talk to somebody and they realize how old I am, they are like, ‘When I was your age, I wasn’t doing that, I was buying drinks and partying. I wasn’t setting myself up for life.’”
With a desire to walk off the beaten path — his brand’s slogan is “be different” after all — Butay-Joseph established his clothing company when he was a senior at Wai‘anae High School. Following graduation, it was time to think about what his next move was going to be.
Twenty-year-old Lexton Butay-Joseph owns and operates Off Hawai‘i Clothing (top) and Off Hawai‘i Detailing (above). LAWRENCE TABUDLO PHOTOS
“During the pandemic, I was thinking about what I want to do for the next five or 10 years and asking where I see my- self,” he says.
I could do this as a business. It’s not that hard. I could do it every single day,’” he recalls. “I invested all the money I had, which was a little less than $3,000 from my gradu- ation drive by, into supplies, chemicals, equipments, class- es — whatever I needed to do detailing. I didn’t know if I was going to succeed but it has, and I’m not saying it’s perfect or the best, but I try to work hard and sustain that and build something of my own.”
mation) and current services include interior and exterior detailing and ceramic coating, with more services to come in the future, including tint. Plus, he teases a winter and spring collection for his clothing brand, slated to debut this fall.
“What opened my eyes is that I felt like we’re all stuck in a pattern and the pattern is go to school, get a job and retire, and you see that everywhere,” he continues. “That’s the loop, and I felt like there was no cre- ativity in that. There’s more that we can do as human be- ings, more than doing the same routine over and over again.”
Pondering his next chapter — his 20s — Butay-Joseph hopes to be “financially free” and provide support for other local kids who are just like him.
With his brain swirling with ideas, Butay-Joseph decided to take his mind off things and wash his mom’s truck. That’s when he had a light-bulb mo- ment.
With dedication and honest hard work at the forefront of everything he does, Butay-Jo- seph, who was working out of his garage for the first couple of years, recently acquired a warehouse in Kapolei.
“I really want to have a class or nonprofit where I can help other people pursue that dream that they have that they’ve al- ways wanted to but couldn’t have access to the funds or the planning or the software or technology,” he says. “It’s a great privilege to be able to have this opportunity to do all of these kinds of things and I definitely see myself giving opportunities to someone else.”
“I thought, ‘Wait, I think
Appointments are avail- able throughout the week (visit @offhawaii_detailing on Instagram for more infor-