Cloth Talk with Ricardo D'sean
Finding streetwear brands is easy, but finding a brand that knows how to stick to the script and provide good quality is challenging. Luckily for you, we found one brand that knows how to do that and more.
I found the clothing brand, Ricardo D'sean on Instagram, one look at their page and online store I was ready to cash out. The clothing brand is based out of DC providing not only quality but luxury streetwear. Find out more about the brand and what they have in store this upcoming season below.
When you first started your brand what hardship's did you face? The hardships I ran into were manufacturing, where I’m from there are a lot of print shops. Which is cool if you plan on being just a t-shirt brand. But I found that the lack of production houses kinda slowed me down.
Did any of your hardships or struggles have you questioning that this path may not be for you? Not in the past, mainly because I was able to adapt quickly. Now that there’s overhead and the company is growing at a consistent pace I have plenty of those days. Sometimes the business is slow so it catches me off guard mentally.
What's one essential piece of advice you would share with others who are creating fashion brands? The piece of advice I would offer is to stay consistent. Have a solid plan. And learn financial stability for the sake of your business. A lot of us weren’t taught that part.
We live in a fashion age where we are seeing brands ride the wave of fast fashion. What's your take on that scene? That whole subject is sensitive. I’ll say this, fast fashion is cool if the budget is there. The smaller brands that are selling clothes for the quick [and] sell out usually don’t care about quality so as the consumer you know the golden rule of “you get what you pay for.” I like the slow grind and love to make sure my stuff is worn for the time to come.
Which do you quality over quantity, and why? Quality any day. I believe the product should be able to be worn every day if needed. It should reflect the personal standard of what the person/people behind it believe in. I’d rather sell an $80-100 7.5oz milled t-shirt than a $15 Gildan for the hype. Longevity is key.
What motivate's you? My motivation comes from not having the best life as a youth and as, an adult. Me wanting to provide for my two kids. Me wanting to not let the people who are beside me fail. It’s never about anything but that. Everything else that comes after that will be a blessing that was due.
With Fall and Winter slowly approaching what can we expect from Ricardo D'sean? More pieces with certain intricate details that you will have to look for. A few collaboration pieces, and more dope products.
When creating new pieces where does your inspiration come from? My inspiration for designing comes from my life experiences and or the things that we are currently going through in the world. I don’t like to talk about politics much but my art through design helps me get my point across.
Ricardo D'sean is luxury streetwear, what made you adopt that title? The luxury streetwear tag came from me setting the standard on what my brand is. Its quality, storytelling, fitment, look, and what it makes the consumer feel like says nothing but that. It is luxury. It is streetwear.
Brands like Supreme and Undefeated are always collaborating with other brands. If given a chance what brand would you like to collab with? Honestly, one of the first brands out of our area that got my attention and I’d want to collab with would be The Hundreds [Bobby Hundreds]. He’s one of the few that are sticking to the script and still doing what he loves.
Most brands love the online presence they have and don't want to branch out and open up shop, whereas you guy has a store. What inspired that move? The store was me wanting to still be in contact with my customers. I’m a very personable person once you get to know me. So, I wanted a hub where it could be just that. It allows me to bring a lot of ideas to life. Offer free classes to the community, hold men's mental health summits, and gives job opportunities to those who believe in the brand. Being able to walk in your own space is pretty dope too.
One of your products read " Quality Goods Made fresh for the culture, and of the culture. Power in people, pride in craft. The beauty beyond chaos the light past destruction. " My question is why is it important to you to inspire the culture, and what is the culture to you? If I’m not inspiring the culture I don’t need to be here in this business. It’s to show the kids from a not-so-nice area that has a gift that it’s ok to take the other route. To be able to give my input in fashion from a place that’s often left out of the conversation is important. The streetwear culture to me is made of style, taste, community, and knowledge of where streetwear was and where it’s going. As long as it’s relatable to the people we're in a good place. I’m excited about the future of it.