On Friday, July 2^nd The Bronx Brand celebrated six years of showcasing Bronx creativity. Founded in 2015 by Michael and Tiarra Hamlett, The Bronx Brand aims to highlight Bronx culture, creatives, and community through streetwear, art, and accessories.

We believe The Bronx is the mecca of culture, through the birth of hip-hop, and has created generations of tastemakers, innovators, and leaders. The Bronx Brand was born from a desire to highlight this vibrant culture through our streetwear line. We strive to be a catalyst for cultural change and inspire the next generation of Bronx creatives, of all mediums, through our platform. We’re passionate about our home and believe it’s time for The Bronx to boldly reclaim its place as a leader in creativity and innovation.

The Bronx Brand Platform

Since its founding, The Bronx Brand has been driven by a desire to uplift the Bronx creative community by partnering with Bronx artists.

Creatives are onboarded to The Bronx Brand platform and can sell their original designs and artwork, under a royalty-split agreement. The creative earns directly from every purchase without worrying about overhead, production costs, marketing, or fulfillment.  All orders are fulfilled in a made-to-order model at no cost to the artist.

The Bronx Brand has been able to work with 15+ creatives and sell their pieces on the site, in addition to a wide selection of in-house designs.  These 15 creatives have earned collectively more than $11,000 – which is a direct reinvestment in the Bronx community.

This unique relationship is unseen of within the apparel industry and certainly a standalone in The Bronx.  Not only does it set the standard for how living artists can, and should, be supported, it helps raise awareness of The Bronx’s diverse cultural and artistic scene.

The Bronx Brand Ecosystem

In 2016, The Bronx Brand launched The Bronx Magazine as a central hub for Bronx writers. The magazine, in line with everything under The Bronx Brand ecosystem, continues to compensate all contributors.  Every writer for the magazine receives a $15 payment per published piece and all pieces – poetry, non-fiction, interviews, fiction, short stories, reviews, etc – are accepted, in addition to photo series and photo journals.

Creatives, regardless of their medium, deserve to be compensated for their work. And compensation should not be ‘exposure.’ Not only does ‘exposure’ devalue a creative’s work, but we have to remember that people have bills and expenses. If a business or platform is not paying someone for a contribution – an article, a design, photos, whatever it is – that’s exploitation and not something we want to be a part of. – Mike Hamlett, co-founder

As of July 2021, The Bronx Magazine has published over 200 pieces from 75+ contributors.  In January 2020, a print version of the magazine was available but the magazine has since shifted back towards a digital-only presence.

In 2019, The Bronx Brand launched a podcast network, recently rebranded as The Voluble Network.  The Voluble Network has one podcast on its network so far, Creative Hustle.  Creative Hustle is hosted by Josh DWH and interviews Bronx creatives – actors, artists, designers, musicians – about their journey as creatives, hurdles and challenges, and inspiration for their work. More podcast series are in the works and anticipated for a fall 2021 release.

Anniversary Party on July 17th!

The Bronx Brand will be celebrating SIX years of showcasing Bronx creativity on Saturday, July 17th at Port Morris Distillery in the South Bronx.  The event is free and open to the public 21+ and will feature live tattoos on-site by Art By Jar, screen printing by KayLove’s The Love Lab, artisanal goods from Agust and Ambar and The Makers Brand Co., as well as drinks (Pitorro, of course!) and food by The Jibarito Shack.