Cover Story - 4 local luxe streetwear brands to watch

Antique Society Homme

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There’s nothing contradictory about describing your design aesthetic as “gothic streetwear coutour” if you’re Antione Price. The 24-year-old designer who grew up in Bankhead got his initial training at Bauder College, where he begged instructors to teach him menswear even though it wasn’t a course offering. So he supplemented his education by studying the work of high-end designers such as Versace, Valentino, and Phillip Lim. Price’s summer collection, Life in Rogue, features an intentional overdose on the color red in the form of playful, allover print jerseys, boxer shorts, polos, and long-sleeved tees. His love for the color comes in part from Basquiat, who always put red in his paintings, Price says. “Plus, red makes people want to shop.” Today he counts 2Chainz and Trinidad James amongst his clientele and ships his custom-made apparel to fashion capitals abroad, including Milan and Paris. But his dream is to make his hometown a fashion-forward locale. “It’s on its way,” he says. “That’s why I’m trying to stay here and teach my people.” www.antiquesocietyhomme.com

Cease + Desist

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Ever since Biggie Smalls rapped about his diamond-encrusted “Jesus piece,” Queens, New York native Kimberly Hall has been obsessed with hip-hop’s most-celebrated pendant. So it’s no surprise that Digi Jesus, a sold-out pendant designed to look like a 8-bit digital facsimile of the classic Jesus jewelry, remains a signature item of her Cease + Desist brand. After moving to Atlanta six years ago, Hall worked for five years as a sales associate and buyer at Atlanta streetwear and shoe boutique Wish. Today her “newborn” brand is “a mixture of high-end with a little street element to it,” she says. Her luxury “extendo” tees combine silk-lined gold zippers with paisley bandana patterns. Currently available in boutiques in New York, North Carolina, Philly, Cali, and Japan, Hall owes the bulk of her 400 units shipped worldwide per month to celebrities — including super producer Swizz Beats — flexing on Instagram. “The shout-outs get you followers and then they go to the website and buy.” Of course, Digi Jesus probably deserves some praise, too. www.fckalabel.com

Jeanocide

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A pair of custom leather pants from Jeanocide might run you $600. But 28-year-old creative director Fred Foster still plants his high-street fusion squarely within urban culture. The Ghanaian native, who’s been in business going on three years, got his start studying high-end brands like Givenchy. Today he averages 50 custom orders and ships about 300-400 shirts per month to 15 stores across the U.S., Japan, and in London. “Our whole idea behind the brand is to create a superior product,” says Foster, who conceived the brand’s name as an obvious play off “genocide.” Innovation, however, is his key to eliminating competition. In the past year, Foster’s seen his signature allover print tees featuring Renaissance-era artwork, Greek gods, and angels become the streetwear trend du jour. “There are originators and there are imitators. It doesn’t bother me,” says Foster, whose celebrity client list includes Ciara, Chris Brown, even twerk-a-holic Miley Cyrus. “It just lets me know we’re always a step ahead.” www.thejeanocide.com

Jus Fly | Justo Volando

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As a high school student, DeMario Tatum made a custom backpack so fly he named it just that. With some convincing from his two brothers, DeCarlo and Jeremiah, the Jus Fly streetwear brand was born in 2008. But when the brothers expanded into cut-and-sew, the resulting luxe line required a distinct identity. So they came up with the name Justo Volando — Spanish for “just fly.” When dealing with luxury brands, “the main thing is the way it’s portrayed and perceived,” says company CFO DeCarlo. Today, they run both brands separately, and the couture line is gaining momentum. Signature Justo Volando pieces include a kente-cloth bomber jacket (worn by celebrities such as Ludacris) and handcrafted leather belts, sold exclusively for $275 in G. Gilbert women’s boutique on Howell Mill Rd. But the brothers’ next move could be their best: They’re currently in negotiations to feature Justo Volando in Atlanta’s definitive haberdasher, Sid Mashburn.?www.justovolando.tumblr.com.