The Brownmill Atelier is in the heart of downtown Newark, NJ. Their iconic storefront is a representation of their craftsmanship and a front door.
You all are building something bigger than just fashion. What is BrownMill?
Kwaku: BrownMill is a lifestyle brand. And when we say lifestyle, that includes every aspect of what life is to us. So, we’re talking fashion, education, wellness, health, family, and all that!
We started off making clothes, of course, but then we realized the impact that our attitudes and business approach had on other people, and we didn’t want to limit ourselves to just being a “fashion brand.” We’re building this lifestyle of excellence—a place of Black storytelling and a place where you can be educated. That’s why BrownMill is a lifestyle brand.
Why is Black History so important to BrownMill’s ethos?
Justis: My mother was really big on me knowing my history as a kid. So I was always reading some book on Frederick Douglass or Nat Turner.
Kwaku: I feel like the word “Black,” especially in America, has so many different definitions. I see it sometimes used to divide us. Like, Justis, he’s Black. I’m African; my parents are from Ghana, West Africa. Since we’re all blended from different cultures, we thought it would be cool to show there is unity in our Blackness by pulling in historical references to educate people.
"There is unity in our Blackness.”
Justis loves Caribbean and Reggae music. Of course, I love Afrobeats. We’ll play the standard hip hop, so when you come to our store, we just make it a safe space for everybody to unify. It makes the brand stronger.
You talk about the importance of your community. Why is that a pillar for you?
Justis: The community, for us, is priority. We started our brand at really young ages—14 or 15 years old. So, from the get-go, the community support was there and still is. With whatever we do, we try to include that in our programming, our product, and our narrative. We consistently give back and pay it forward.
We sponsor Urban Farm here in Newark. Seeing their growth from a concept to something that actually feeds the community has been amazing to see. We do a lot of programming in tandem with the city of Newark and different organizations here.
We throw a yearly block party celebrating our store anniversary, but also allow over 100 vendors to be able to sell their products and grow their businesses. We do a lot of kids’ programming with that as well. We realized our product is impact. The clothes are one thing, but it’s safe to say we’ve become a community pillar here.
Featured in Issue No. 5
For our second “Everywhere” issue, we meet Black entrepreneurs who are creating spaces for their communities. Each founder is cultivating an environment to fill a gap in their hometown that is reverberating around the world.
