The New York Times Presents: The Brooklyn Circus (BKc) = The Revolution Will Be Editiorialized.

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The Bearded Dandy of Brooklyn

By ALEX WILLIAMS
Published: January 4, 2011


OUIGI THEODORE, the founder of the Brooklyn Circus, a retro-urban fashion boutique and label, has heard it all before: dandy, preppy, Anglophile, fop. Still, he was flummoxed when a customer walked into his boutique a year ago, took one look at the bow ties and straw boaters for sale, and declared it the height of “steampunk.”


Mr. Theodore, 35, had to Google the word to find out that it referred to a neo-Victorian style built around gas-lamp-era suits, starched collars and gold watch fobs.

“It’s a mix of old and new, so I guess that’s the comparison,” he said as he took a break from chatting up customers in his boutique on a recent Friday. He wore a pair of Mark McNairy red-and-black wool trousers and a newsboy cap, accessorized with a Balinese scarf, silver Navajo rings and a camouflage German military jacket. The look was Jelly Roll Morton, channeling Hendrix.

Whatever you call it, Mr. Theodore has cultivated a unique style that has won him applause not only among the fashion pundits of Brooklyn, but also from streetwise fans as far away as Europe and Japan.

His fashion quest, besides making a buck, is to elevate a side of black urban culture that goes beyond the baggy jeans and sneakers that still define hip-hop. “Our goal is to refine the image of urban America,” Mr. Theodore said. “My dream is to see guys hanging on the corner in suits.”

He’s making strides. The original Brooklyn Circus store, which opened in Boerum Hill in 2006, has become a must-go for tourists in skinny jeans from places like Seoul, Berlin and Johannesburg.

Since then, he’s opened a second shop in San Francisco; a store-within-a-store at Sir & Madame in Chicago; and a pop-up shop in Stockholm. He also sells to 25 specialty shops in Japan. And the man behind the brand? He has become a recognizable figure on the streets of Brooklyn and has established himself as something of a trend forecaster for advertising and marketing companies looking for what’s next. Mr. Theodore has consulted on campaigns for Hennessy, Toyota and Casio G-Shock, he said. And last spring, he was a featured speaker at the PSFK Conference, a trend-forecasting summit in New York.

Whatever the setting, his message remains the same: open your mind about what youth-oriented black street fashion can be."

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CHRIS LIVE AKA SHAKER SAYS: A lot has changed since my GODbrother, the infamous S.B., introduced me to Quigi some 10 years ago. Ramsey Racing transitioned from clandestine party promoters to become Brooklyn Circus - a brand that is now rapidly revolutionizing the way that America views the corner store couture ethos that we abide by here @ Livestyle.

Recently, preeminent newspaper of record, The New York Times, caught up with the popular traveling fashion hippodrome to chronicle this lifestyle company's unique bi-coastal gone global panache. The revolution may NOT be televised, but it will be editorialized ... lol. Brooklyn does it again!

The Premium Label Grenade "No. 5" T-Shirt = All Is Fair In L.O.V.E. x War-drobe.

Available Online Here: Balancelifestyles.Com

CHRIS LIVE AKA SHAKER SAYS: A few years back, after having spent the majority of the Summer swimming in an ocean of streetwear just off the coast of "Cool", my forward thinking friends and I gathered along the sandy shore to watch the tide of fly-by-night t-shirt brands come crashing down. We have not boarded a Jitney and ventured back to that once popular retreat ever since.

Lyrical lambasting aside, as streetwear became too much of a #TrendingTopic and seemingly EVERYONE haphazardly launched a line of ironically titled tees, I packed up belongings and moved to higher and flyer ground (NOTE: Brands such as Brooklyn Circus, Supreme, Stussy and other innovative purveyors of exclusivity do not apply as they transcend any trendy "streetwear" nomenclature). That having been said, as the days get longer and our sleeves get shorter, it is a must that I freshen my palate for the new season.

Even with my heightened aesthetic taste, I am relatively "low maintenance" - especially during the Summer months. At any given time my post-Winter wardrobe will consist of 4 camouflage shorts (NOTE: I'm sorry homie, but I haven't seen a pair of jean shorts that I would let touch me in like 4 years ... lol) and copious amounts of sneakers, t-shirts and polo tops. This is where the Premium Label Grenade "No. 5" T-Shirt comes into play. The beautiful minds behind Premium Label have made a name for themselves as the go-to tops-shop for t-shirts, crewnecks and hoodies featuring rapscallion re-renderings of glamorous haute couture runway models and the legendary logos of high-end fashion houses like Gucci and Chanel.

Although small percentage of their designs border on the terribly tacky side of corny (1 unfortunate t-shirt incorporates the abhorrent common colloquial language crutch that is the often misused word "swagger") this brilliant Chanel "No. 5" flipping tee makes me want to pull the pin on this bad boy ASAP! The $24 price tag might not be a problem, however, finding this premium product still in stock might be ... lol. Get yours.

The Brooklyn Circus (BKc) "Biggie Jesus" Polo = All Praises Due To The Most Fly!

Available Online Here: Thebkcircus.Com x @ the 3 BKc Locations Nationwide.

CHRIS LIVE AKA SHAKER SAYS: Having successfully transitioned into elevated fashion and moving well passed his days promoting parties and slinging wears with the O.G. Ramsey Racing team (How many of yall remember that?), Quiggi, has become a progressive P.T. Barnum of sorts and has taken his burgeoning Brooklyn Circus (Bkc) brand global. Hey, that's just how niggas from Kings County do! LOL.

Alas, while Y.O.U. can take the boy out of the hood and dress him up in smart fedoras, snazzy suspenders and reversible bow-ties, Y.O.U. cannot take the hood out of him. Now, if it's proof that Y.O.U. need, then it's proof Y.O.U. shall get. Allow me to submit into evidence the ingenious BKc "Biggie Jesus" Polo. Although not a brand spanking new offering from BKc, this polo is a must have for Summer 2010.

I mean, ANY music fan worth his or her salt knows that it was the late, great Biggie Smalls who introduced the hustler-chic diamond flooded "Jesus piece" to the masses (A Brief History Of Violence Note: The "Jesus piece" was actually popularized 1st in the streets by a real person named "Jesus" - a Brooklyn dope boy demigod known for extravagent displays of "dirty money" and his signature Jesus Christ medallion.) and can, therefore, appreciate this witty twist on tradition.

While I normally make for the hills @ the mere mention of "gold foil" anything on clothing (Dear Ed Hardy, Christian Audgier, et al. Thank Y.O.U. for ruining this applique techniques potential. Sincerely, Chris Live AKA Shaker) the integrity of this item is only enhanced by this most clever design. I, for 1, have never seen Notorious look more glorious ... lol. Amen.