Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity brothers Tajh Crutch and Archie Clay III made history as the first Black-owned luxury hat collection in the Nordstrom department store.
According to Black Enterprise, Crutch and Clay are co-founders of the brand WEAR BRIMS after they decided to dive into the fashion industry in 2016.
The brand is built on the virtues of family, faith, and confidence.
“WEAR BRIMS was inspired by my vision of building a legacy for our families for the future,” Clay said.
“When I reached out to Tajh, I knew he would be the creative genius to help bring this to life. So from there, we started the journey and building the #1 hat company in the world, but minority-owned was the goal because they aren’t any major big box hat companies that are minority-owned.”
Nordstrom isn’t the only department store carrying the WEAR BRIMS collection; the brand has also landed a partnership with Neiman Marcus.
Many celebrities have rocked the hat brand, such as, Eva Marcille, Keri Hilson, Chris Paul, Cedric the Entertainer and, Lance Gross. The spotlight caught the attention of Nordstrom and even secured them a place in Beyonce’s Directory of Black-owned Businesses.
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“It feels amazing and a major accomplishment for the brand but most importantly the individuals that support us,” Clay said. “It’s beautiful to know that big retailers like Nordstrom see value in our brand – it just makes us want to go harder and continue to push the boundaries of hat and fashion.”
“We look up to the individuals like Virgil, Jerry, Don, Kerby, Kanye, and Samuel Ross – These guys have shaped the BLACK LUXURY, and me and Tajh are excited to be a part of this.”
The Troy University and Tuskegee University alumni met in 2011 while they were new members of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. The two built an unshakable bond as fraternity brothers, leading them to be business partners as fashion designers.
“It’s amazing to see people of your color making moves in the industry that’s not controlled by us, and we at WEAR BRIMS want to continue to play a role in the growth of “Black luxury.” It’s important that we continue to empower young kids and let them know that they can create luxury as well,” Clay said.
WEAR BRIMS is excited to join the market of “Black luxury” and to see where the journey takes them.
