4 minute read
We Don't Need Any New "New" Sh*t
BY CYNTHIA VASQUEZ
We are living in a world where instant gratification and efficiency rule supreme. Especially in the realm of fashion, consumerism is at an all-time high. Whether it’s the latest pair of Balenciaga sneakers, new styles from Zara, or the latest trends released by any other popular fashion brands, many companies have turned to a new solution to keep up with the demand of fast-fashion.
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“We’re working on this new concept called the world doesn’t need any new ‘new’ sh*t,” says Kwaku Agyemang, one of the co-founders of the fashion brand known as the BrownMill Company. Unlike most modern-day apparel brands, the company’s main focus is on creating its apparel through upcycled fabrics and clothing.
Fashion currently presents a limited amount of environmentally-conscious clothing lines. They are the companies that do not receive nearly as much publicity and promotion as mega-chains like Forever 21, H&M, and online boutique stores like Missguided or SHEIN. However, that does not mean they remain completely in the shadows or are not making any impact through their creative work.
Cue in BrownMill, a company that focuses on eco-friendly clothing manufacturing and production. Founded in 2009 by three young men from Piscataway New Jersey, they found a side hustle that proved successful when they were only in middle school.
“I joined my freshman year of high school,” explains Kwaku. “Then they included me as a founder. We started making bow ties out of my cofounder’s mom’s old dresses, old t-shirts, and different things. We never had money to buy new fabric. As we started to spend, we realized there’s not really a reason to buy new fabric. People have so [many] old clothes they don’t use, and that’s just as good to use as fabric.” Walking what they talked, they turned the lemons they already possessed into a local Black business.
Their overall style gives off an urban-minimalist ambiance mixed with a vintage essence. They make clothing that people hailing from urban areas will naturally gravitate toward, still adding their own subtle yet signature appearance that has the clothes look as if it were a rare find.
The brand now extends beyond their hometown as well. In recent years, the team has received considerable recognition alongside the East Coast. Throughout the past couple of years, they’ve hosted a plethora of pop-up shops throughout the DMV (the Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia area) and at universities such as Morgan State University and Howard University to name a couple. They’ve also made appearances at fashion shows hosted by other universities like Princeton, and were featured in Yale University’s Collective Liberation publication.
Yet, when you take a closer look at the messages they communicate through their clothing and marketing, they are not only focused on manufacturing a global fashion trademark. The fashion brand wants to foster a lifestyle and creative hub that connects with the people of their community. Eventually, they hope to extend the messages they’ve told the urban community on an international level. Their main goal is to connect people through their creative ventures.
In recent years, they’ve partnered with local non-profits such as the Hyacinth Aids Foundation in New Brunswick, NJ, as well their own community-development project; the BrownMill Pick-Up Games series. Throughout the summer the company hosted a series of basketball games for kids in Piscataway every Sunday. After starting it as a fun initiative to engage with youth and mentor them through sports, it turned into a weekly activity and actual game.
“We were like, ‘Why don’t we turn this into an actual game?’ We created the jerseys [and] shirts for it,” Kwaku says about their unplanned but great turnout. “For the rest of the summer, we would rent out the park, bring out speakers, play some music, bring out chairs. We’d get donations from different companies in Piscataway, things like water and food for the kids, and we’d just have basketball games.” The town’s mayor eventually became involved and revamped the basketball courts by replacing all the rims and nets.
“Just being socially-aware, and up-to-date on the different things going on in our communities. It’s really going to set us apart from different brands.” In terms of fashion-related projects, they plan to host another chain of pop-up shows. Their specific destinations include Brooklyn, Washington D.C., and either Los Angeles or San Francisco. Financial support from company executives affiliated with Goldman Sachs is also in the works.
They aim to reduce textile waste by a drastic amount through working specifically with jeans and denim. As textile waste is the second-largest water pollutant, they have decided to work alongside fast-fashion companies such as Levi’s and Forever 21. Each participating company will donate denim products to the company, and BrownMill’s team will then reinvent the fabrics into high-fashion pieces.
BrownMill is a company that was started from nothing more than an idea. It stemmed from a place that did not seem like the most ideal foundation, but when is a situation ever ideal? Through being innovative, artistic, and pragmatic with their funds four young men were capable of creating an ecologically-conducive business venture. One that experiences a greater return and only generates profit.
The common belief is that to make it in fashion, you must have the money to start the project. This is arguably the case for all start-ups, but through thinking outside-of-the-box Kwaku and his team made it work. They’re setting a new precedent for fashion and the Black community. One that shows social responsibility and engagement can coincide with making money.
Instagram: @brownmillcompany
