What Ouigi Theodore Of The Brooklyn Circus Has Learned After 15 Years In Fashion
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By Cassell Ferere originally published on Forbes.com
Ouigi Theodore saw a need for refinement among the urban sartorial community. Growing up in Brooklyn, NY, during the ‘90s, at the height of Hip-Hop, exposed the young Theodore to experiences that became counterproductive to his existence in the community. He would travel, and open up his world, as a problem solver finding solutions to his survival. He was raised and inspired by his aunt Maude Nicolas, and grandmother, who took him at the age of 15 years old after his mother passed away. Maude Nicolas had been a classy and well-traveled person herself, encouraging the best of Theodore.
Portrait of Brooklyn Circus founder and creative director, Ouigi Theodore, 2011, by Cassell Ferere.
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Theodore, a graphic designer by trade and multidisciplinary designer at heart, would find himself in Brooklyn and on the offensive, with a solution that would distinguish the men of his community. Travel opened up Theodore’s ability to problem-solve, “trying to survive - to become a genius problem solver - creating a counter-culture to what I grew up [with] in Brooklyn.”
The Brooklyn Circus retail space has occupied a quiet street in Brooklyn for 15 years now. The staple 'BKc' has been an unwavering distinction as a house-of-prep for the inner city. The discipline, community, and the initiative to travel, would become the pillars of Theodore's design aesthetic. He notes, “as much as we are trying to change - change how you present yourself,” pointing to the stark sartorial language of The Brooklyn Circus to other streetwear brands at the time.
Ironically, the entertainment suggested in the 'Circus' portion of the name is evidence of discipline, community, and traveling. The circus embraces people living on the fringe of society, more relatable to youth culture. Those who are different in this society are susceptible to its entrapping nature, similarly reflecting the Hip-Hop music Ouigi Theodore gravitated toward along with his peers at an early age. “[There are] aspects of Hip-Hop we have to encounter” to refine the community, he notes. And as he founded the Brooklyn Circus, Theodore would fight for his place within the world.
NEW YORK, NY - JULY 12: (L-R) Ouigi Theodore and Sharifa Murdock attend the Brett Johnson New York Fashion Week Men's S/S 2017 Presentation at Skylight Clarkson Sq on July 12, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
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The “gangster rap from the ‘90s, has [now] evolved into the drill” rap of today, noted by the Haitian-American designer, and Brooklyn native. In hindsight, The Brooklyn Circus is the counter to the negative connotations of that, built through a legacy that comes from the exploration of the world.
Theodore spent his early adulthood traveling to places in Europe and Asia, to find himself back in Brooklyn constructing the cosmopolitan “Circus” at the age of 27. He would open the store through the pillars he established for his community to “grow through fashion and culture, sharing and embracing” differences. He continues, “we are different and that’s ok. Like Hip-Hop, [it’s] odd selves fighting for a place. The ‘Circus’ makes it ok, as long as it’s disciplined, [and involves] community.”
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