Socially conscious, community focused and unapologetically real are just a few adjectives that describe the creative team behind America Hates Us, a Brooklyn-based contemporary lifestyle brand marrying activism and fashion.
“We have a tangible voice,” said Tareq G. Brown, one of the innovators behind the brand, to NewsOne at the America Hates Us pop-up shop and day party celebrating its one-year anniversary in Brooklyn on Aug. 5. “A shirt is a piece of art to communicate with others.”
Brown, along with his childhood friends and business partners Brandon Rivera and Danielle Achong, have built a business uplifting millennials, oppressed and disenfranchised groups and local community members in New York City. The group’s second America Hates United States pop-up shop on Aug. 5 drew more than two dozen folks despite the Brooklyn heat, with laughter mixing with chatter and music for an exciting event. Visitors, who bobbed their heads to musical throwbacks from Aaliyah and more, drank and danced in between browsing dope gear with political and cultural statements such as “White Lies Matter” and “Make America Hate Again,” a statement flipping the false ‘Make America Great Again” narrative touted by Donald Trump.
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The pop-up event was lit, with the number of attendees proving that Brown and his team have created a business that mobilizes communities around social justice topics. “We want to spark cultural conversations,” said Brown at a time when Black Millennials are taking to the streets in long-simmering frustration against racism and videotaping incidents of hatred.
Rivera also added that the brand is creating politically conscious attire that people can wear on the streets, not just at protests.
Looking to the future, the brand’s creative team wants to expand internationally, Brown added. They are also working on creating merchandise addressing police brutality after the deaths of Michael Brown, Sandra Bland and more Black men and women at the hands of cops in recent years.
But the group also wants to honor their local and community roots. Their first pop-up in May raised more than $300 for Planned Parenthood, Filter Water for Flint and the American Civic Liberties Union. The team also served food and gave prizes to attendees in May. At their recent pop-up, they raised more than $250 for NYC-based girls-empowerment organization GEMS. Check out the brand’s first video below:
SOURCE: America Hates Us
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America Hates Us Is Unapologetic, Uplifting And Unifying Folks In Brooklyn was originally published on newsone.com
