We are so excited to share that we've been featured in Flaunt Magazine. We are honored to be recognized for what we've added to streetwear culture, in one of the top fashion magazines in the world. The article covers our brand history and also addresses the countless bootlegs. We appreciate everyone who has supported us, and we are excited for what the future holds!
Written by Jorge Lucena
Try and remember back to the world pre-Instagram, pre-Off-White, pre-high-fashion collaborating with streetwear, and when Tumblr was the “IT” fashion social media app. Streetwear and fashion were a very different landscape than today, but one brand was ahead of its time and helped usher in what streetwear is today. This brand is Freshiam, helmed by Tunde Ogunnoiki.
For most, this might be the first time hearing about this brand, but more than likely, you’ve seen their pieces and their influence. Started almost 12 years ago in a small apartment in Atlanta, Tunde wanted to make high-concept pieces in a streetwear context. He pulled inspiration from his childhood growing up in Nigeria, being around his grandmother’s bridal shop, his mother’s luxury boutique, and his mentor, Dosa Kim, while apprenticing to become a fine artist to create Freshiams base aesthetic. One thing Tunde never imagined was being copied or bootlegged. He thought this was reserved for luxury brands, but he was in for a rude awakening.
The first piece bootlegged was the “FUKK” hat from the first collection, “STATE.OF.MIND.” The collection was a set of 10 hats including; “FRSH”, “NOPE”, “GONE”, “SAVE”, “MAD”, “+F.I.A+”, “CVL”, “FUKK”, ‘3rd EYE graphic’, and “EVOL” to go against the then-current state of fashion headwear. Each letter is cut from a treated bamboo fleece and sewn to the front of each hat with a typeface Tunde created. Each hat was meant to reflect the state of mind the wearer wanted to project.
The “FUKK” hat was the most sought-after “fashion snapback hat,” just after the famous Don C leather brim strap-back hats of popular sports teams. It also didn’t help that Rihanna became a huge supporter of the brand, wearing the hat courtside at Lebron James’s last game with the Miami Heat and following them on Instagram. As the orders started to flow, Tunde could barely keep up with fulfillment given that each hat was made by hand in their Atlanta based design studio.