Tag: Too Black Guys

By David South

The Financial Post Magazine (Toronto, Canada), May 1992

They’ve sold their hip clothing designs out of their basement and out of the back of their car. Now the young designers and marketers behind Toronto’s Too Black Guys can boast that their wares are being sold out of film-maker Spike Lee’s shop in Brooklyn, as well as five other funky U.S. stores from Washington to L.A.

Neither of the co-owners studied fashion – Adrian, 24, holds a BA in economics and Robert, 23, studied marketing at community college. Still, they have designed their own T-shirts, jeans, baseball caps and sweatshirts, and the message is at least as important as the medium. 

“They forgot to ask my name and called me negro,” reads a typical shirt. Earl Smith, the manager at Lee’s Brooklyn shop, says he loves the clothes but adds that customers often ask his staff to explain what the thought-provoking garments mean.

More fashion and culture stories here:

Afropolitan: African Fashion Scene Bursting with Energy

Shoes with Sole: Ethiopian Web Success Story

Nollywood: Booming Nigerian Film Industry

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ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5311-1052.

© David South Consulting 2021