Six Black-Owned Fashion Collections in St. Louis
Our city is filled with amazing people and beautiful clothes. We love supporting brands that share a passion for secondhand style like Lily Kiti, who will open her modern “sustaina-hoe” vintage studio in the Spring. Or Profield Reserve, a shop that supplies new, vintage-inspired clothing and curates original designs in every piece. The people behind these brands give us inspiration to be bold with every find. Sustainability isn't just about materials for us, it's also about supporting community. If you have a goal to be more sustainable in 2021, here's a roundup of our favorite local Black-owned fashion collections.
“Chris, Ramon, and Rachel are the owners and curators of the brand and flagship store Profield Reserve, located at 2309 Cherokee Street. Together, we wanted to create something that is appealing to vintage buyers and modern trendsetters alike.
Chris, lead designer for Profield Reserve, approaches design in a way that brings a very nostalgic feeling to the table. Even though we do not offer used vintage items, we want our shoppers to look past the newness of the products and picture how they may look, feel, and function years down the road. We want you to be able to create your own story that will forever be attached to the garments and goods from our store, and if they are discarded at some point, our goal is that they end up at vintage stores, which will create a very long lifespan for the products we offer. Our belief is that classic wear and goods will always be in style!”
“Dirty Blossom is evolving into a lifestyle brand focusing on floral design, home goods and handpicked vintage clothing. This online shop mirrors everyday minimalism inspired by rare characteristics of St. Louis, MO and fast paced city life of unique neighborhoods around the world. Dirty Blossom also hosts intimate pop-up shops in various cities instilling the beauty of floral design and sustainability.”
“Established in the summer of 2018, NOIR USA is a curated collection of men’s vintage clothing and accessories with a focus on sustainability. We offer vintage goods including t-shirts, sweatshirts, vintage denim jeans and jackets. Our curation is heavily focused on Black Culture and CounterCulture of the 70s and Hip-Hop Culture of the 90s. Our mission is to embody and represent Black Culture while being sustainable.
Our goal is to bring awareness in the reselling / thrift community about Black Culture and knowing the importance of inclusiveness and not misappropriating Black Culture for the sake of monetary gains. Our storied pieces in our collections are an integral part of Black Culture we feel that aren’t represented in the best light. Our biggest goal is to see every community represented in our beloved thrift community.”
“The Brandin Vaughn Collection is an experience that is sophisticated, elegant and with an edge. I invite you to go on this journey with me changing the world one stitch at a time by empowering people with confidence through each BVC garment.
The Brandin Vaughn collection’s Women's wear line is designed and manufactured in-house and embodies sophisticated elegance with an edge. Recognizing the art and skill of sewing is lost among the black community and youth, and BVC doubles as an instruction center and employs youth of all backgrounds; teaching them how to run a fashion house starting with the foundation of sewing.”
“I created the biz in the beginning of quarantine to help people still feel themselves without leaving the house. Just for me personally, I know that getting dressed and ready changes my mood even while just being in the house. My shoppable studio is a space where I work, photograph, and will have people come in and shop. It’s like a one on one situation where you can come alone or bring a friend and have fun, find pieces, take pictures, a comfy place for everyone to come hang and vibe. Still getting a shopping experience through a lockdown.
I absolutely love what I do and I love helping people and talking to them about style and home ideas. Less about the items, and more about the feeling it provides. The studio will open in the Spring in The Grove.”
Body Heat vintage collection that focuses on unique, hand-picked vintage tees and other clothing items (think workwear vibes like Carhartt) and handmade colorful fabric dyed garments like hoodies, sweatpants and tees with printed sayings like “things are just better when I’m alone,” and “everything is jazz.”
You can shop Body Heat on their Instagram page, and the items that aren’t posted and sold on Instagram are stocked periodically in local vintage shop Mesa Home on Cherokee St.
