In April, Haitian-born, FIT-educated designer and entrepreneur Ouigi Theodore opened the second New York location of his streetwear brand The Brooklyn Circus on Canal Street in SoHo. Four years earlier, he closed up his San Francisco location after a 10-year run in order to focus on the Brooklyn flagship and recently expanded with a new store near Manhattan’s most iconic fashion districts.
“We are big fans of brick-and-mortar, in-person engagement, that experience,” Theodore told Sourcing Journal. “And I think that’s the relation between streetwear and luxury, right? Both are based on experience; both are based on access or lack of access, and both are aspirational. You think of punk, rock, hip hop, skate—all of that is aspirational, because the guy is dressing like the punk dude or the skate kid because he wishes he could skate, ride BMX, be that cool kid.”
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In his 20 years as a designer, Theodore has collaborated with the likes of Gap and Lee, but The Brooklyn Circus recently combined forces with upstart New York streetwear brand KillOffSeason for a two-day pop-up at the Canal Street store.
Kwasi Kessie, O’Brian, and Steven Othello, who turned their combined monograms KOS into the brand name KillOffSeason, launched their label’s first sample run in 2021 after previously publishing Laced Magazine, a shoe and streetwear publication. That’s where they met Theodore at the opening of the flagship The Brooklyn Circus store and “instantly had this connection with fashion, but also with philosophy,” O’Brian said.
KillOffSeason’s seminal line carried at the popup is inspired by decades of boxing fashion—such as Mike Tyson’s famous black silk trunks, except made from leather.
“We wanted to elevate it to make it leather… and from an athleisure aspect being able to transition from the ring or running to a date night or a meeting,” O’Brian said. “We wanted to create that kind of energy around our garments.”
Leather may not be the most breathable material, but O’Brian said the leather that goes into KillOffSeason’s $325 trunks offers something different.
“Our trunks actually have a breathable mesh lining on the inside and you wouldn’t believe how lightweight they are,” he said, adding that that the leather is sourced from and manufactured in India.
Kessie said the history of leather in streetwear dials back to New York in a specific way.
“When you wanted to give fly in New York City you wore a leather piece,” he said. “Whether it was fall or winter, if you wanted to show up and show out, you wore leather. It was like a status symbol, as well.”
In the years since The Brooklyn Circus opened its flagship store, it has expanded West and into collaborations with bigger names, which have allowed the brand to reduce prices thanks to greater quantities.
“This collaboration is important because I’ve known the guys for so long and it’s been an absolute pleasure to see their growth,” Theodore said of working with KillOffSeason. “The new Brooklyn Circus Canal space is the perfect place to host this launch as we also welcome KillOffSeason into the Global Village. This is magical and a long time coming.“
Theodore launched The Global Village collective of likeminded designers from apparel to footwear, interior design and architecture who are working to build a more sustainable future.
Within The Global Village, Theodore started his 100-Year Plan, a visionary fashion line that aims to “tell stories of the future by incorporating elements of the past,” thereby helping to heal past injustices.
A white denim jacket signed with well-wishes for the line hangs in the storefront window of the Canal Street store.
“Growing up in America as a Black or Brown person, what does that mean? And how do you create that space where the world can feel like, hey, we can be part of that,” Theodore said. “So that’s when I realized it’s taken us 400 years of oppression and all these other things… the new system needs to be added to things and it’s going to take us, at a minimum, 100 years to get to that.”
