🔒On Trend: Streetwear entrepreneurs find local success in brick-and-mortar

As her sister Ciahna Battle worked at the sewing machine, LaDrea Moss spoke about building her Mindless Thoughts fashion brand from a side gig run out of her car into a successful New Haven retail store.

“I got started from my trunk, actually,” Moss said of her business selling unique sweatshirts, T-shirts and sweatpants. “So, I just go to people’s houses, deliver the stuff, post it on Instagram that we just dropped. People give me their addresses and I pull up and drop it off.”

Founded in 2012, the brand grew gradually as an online store. Then, during the pandemic, Moss bought and renovated a building at 1296 State St., in the Cedar Hills neighborhood of New Haven with the intention of going in-person. She celebrated the store’s opening last June at an event with Mayor Justin Elicker and other city officials.

Battle helped Moss come up with the store’s signature “Geraldo” character logo and look — his face is in the shape of the state of Connecticut, with his hanging tongue marking the location of their hometown.

Another version of the logo represents Geraldo’s brain, with a seasonal variation shaped in the form of a flower.

The brand’s strong local roots help propel sales, Moss said. A former Hillhouse High School basketball star, Moss turned to fashion design after playing briefly in college and drew on her New Haven connections to grow the Mindless Thoughts brand.

“I’m very popular in my city because I played basketball, I’m involved in a lot of things,” Moss said. “I talk to everybody about it,” she said of her clothing line.

She’s also very active promoting the brand on social media, especially on Instagram and Twitter.

Mindless Thoughts’ style draws from and influences New Haven street fashion and has been adopted by celebrities including rappers Soulja Boy and Young M. A, and former Knicks player Iman Shumpert.

Moss’ advice to aspiring designers?

“I would say definitely pitch a logo out there, have a piece that’s going to be noticeable — a logo that’s going to be recognizable,” Moss said.

Global popularity

Streetwear, also known as urban wear and popular with young people of all backgrounds, is a growing retail fashion niche, according to international marketing agency Appnova.

The general category — which includes sneakers, apparel and accessories — is valued at $309 billion worldwide, with online searches for streetwear items increasing 157% since 2017, the agency said in a post.

In New Haven, streetwear increasingly takes the form of small boutiques featuring casual clothing, sneakers, skate fashion and accessories like hats, bags, patches and pins. Multiple stores have sprung up around town in recent years as consumers look for a more local and personalized experience, store owners say.

Larger retailers in the business include EbLens, a 23-store chain based in Torrington with a store on Whalley Avenue, and Snipes, a German retailer specializing in “hip hop and street culture” with nearly 700 stores worldwide, according to a company statement.

Last year Snipes bought Rhode Island-based streetwear chain Expressions, which operated a large store at 868 Chapel St., on the corner of the New Haven Green. That store is now a Snipes, with other area locations in Hamden and Waterbury.

Starting over in retail

Shakim Shabazz got his start selling hoodies and T-shirts at West Haven streetwear retailer Jimmy’s Clothing & Footwear before opening his own store three years ago, New Haven Apparel, at 801 Dixwell Ave.

A decade earlier, after a stint in prison, Shabazz was looking to turn his life around and realized he could leverage his fashion sense into a business. His brand soon started taking off online, with invitations to New York Fashion Week and other high-profile events.

With orders growing, Shabazz decided to open up a store in his home neighborhood of Dixwell.

“It was a no-brainer,” Shabazz said.

He now has space to print his own shirts and customize items, in addition to training local young people on how to operate the equipment. He also showcases other local designers.

“It’s like a brick-and-mortar for local entrepreneurs and local clothing brands, we help them get started,” Shabazz said.

He added that moving to a physical location has helped his brand.

“It’s easier for people to find me — they know where I’m at,” he said. “For the most part, I’m enjoying people coming inside the store and getting the full experience.”

Shabazz’s advice to aspiring designers?

“They should take a risk,” he said. “Do your research. And once you get your product, be consistent — and network.”

Both Moss and Shabazz are featured at an event this month for fashion startups seeking guidance at MakeHaven, the makerspace and entrepreneurial hub at 770 Chapel St.

The May 18 event, entitled “How to Build Your Own Clothing Brand,” will offer advice on design, manufacturing, marketing and branding, along with demonstrations of screen printing and embroidery.

Online to brick-and-mortar

Like many streetwear retailers, Alex Dakoulas, founder and owner of Strange Ways at 151 Orange St., got his start in e-commerce — in his case, designing unique pins and patches for young consumers seeking to customize their looks.

Dakoulas opened an online store in 2014, featuring products he honed after a decade working in graphic design for footwear giants Converse and Puma. Strong online sales led to his opening a storefront in New Haven’s Westville neighborhood, which featured his designs along with those of other independent creators.

“After five years, we realized we were getting foot traffic, people were coming in — we needed to grow. And so, we moved downtown,” Dakoulas said.

Strange Ways’ current location in Pitkin Plaza is four times larger than the Westville store and includes a performance/pop-up space and room for customization equipment.

The foot traffic sparked by growth in residential development downtown and in Wooster Square has brought new customers to his shop, Dakoulas said.

“There’s a trend of people saying that storefronts are dying and things like that,” Dakoulas said. “I do think if you’re doing something that’s unique, people are going to come out.”

Strange Ways’ product range has expanded to include hats, socks, bags, bath products and home goods, including high-end incense. He also sets aside space for local makers to showcase their wares.

“Everything we carry comes from independent artists and small brands,” Dakoulas said.

Dakoulas said the recent growth in streetwear and urban fashion retailers represents the desire of younger people to form a personal connection with makers and find local and unique goods.

“Streetwear is about expressing yourself versus following trends,” Dakoulas said. “You are wearing something that is about you, versus what you necessarily see in fashion magazines and what you’re told to wear.”

Dakoulas added that nearby businesses in New Haven's Ninth Square also cater to independent-minded shoppers, including The Devil's Gear Bike Shop, Plush skateboards and Bark & Vine, which sells plants and supplies.

“Ninth Square — it's kind of become this independent retail mecca,” Dakoulas said. “I only see that growing.”