Hypebeast Community Center is a new series spotlighting emerging, indie and underground brands in street culture — giving them a platform to share their story and explain who they are/what they do.
Give us the Brigade elevator pitch.
Brigade is a unisex lifestyle brand rooted in the raw energy and authenticity of its birthplace, New York City. Built on the principle of community over commodity, Brigade works to embody this ethos through every collection, where we collaborate with a diverse array of local models, stylists, musicians and artists. Brigade’s designs are grounded in its creative director’s upbringing with New York Puerto Rican and Dominican parents and being immersed in the hip hop and streetwear culture within the boroughs and Poughkeepsie.
Beyond being a brand, Brigade is a lifestyle, a movement and a celebration of individuality within a collective spirit.
The Five W’s:
Who is wearing Brigade?
Real people who do real sh*t.
What is Brigade’s main message?
Community over commodity and no half-stepping.
When did you launch Brigade?
We started with T-shirts right out of high school in 2014. The brand found its stride and became closer to what it is today in 2017.
Where are people wearing Brigade?
Brigade is strongly represented on the East Coast in the U.S. and has a substantial following in London, Tokyo and Seoul. Within these places, Brigade can be found heavily in the creative scene of musicians, artists, graff writers and photographers.
Why was Brigade created?
To bring back the original essence of what we know as “streetwear.” We’ve always focused on community, starting from the name – which alludes to a subdivision of people – and we integrate that ethos into everything we do.
"If we spend enough time together, I will probably make something that you, specifically, will think is incredible."
About the Brand:
What was the spark that prompted the creation of Brigade?
Aaron Maldonado: I’ve been designing graphics since eighth grade and I used to tell my friends I was going to own a brand called “Paper Planes” one day. After high school, I was delivering pizza and enrolled in community college but then I got into a nearly fatal car crash in 2014. This led me to pursue my passion instead of following the perceived “right path,” as I was considered lucky to be alive.
Throughout all of this, Sarah and I were dating, and she was studying Fashion Merchandising and Business at Marist College in upstate NY. Over one of many late-night phone calls, I explained a “25-year plan” for Brigade and we agreed to pursue it together as co-founders. I started saving up my tips from delivering pizza and when the savings reached $500 USD, I made my first collection of printables.
In 2017, we reached a tipping point where our cut-and-sew garments outperformed our t-shirts and hoodies and we started making a little noise in the space. In 2021, we got married and Brigade was a place where I was able to leave my job and work on [the brand] full-time. Then last year, Sarah was able to join me full-time as well, bringing her expertise from her time at Bloomingdales and Saks Fifth Avenue. I always say that Sarah is the brains and I am the heart. My role is to be creative and customer-facing; I capture all the photos from design and production to lookbooks and social media. Sarah works on all logistics, including growing our wholesale business and managing the reporting.
When did fashion design become a passion for you — and an intended career path?
Aaron: I got into graphic design as a kid through sneaker forums like SoleCollector and Niketalk. This one dude UnkleLuc used to get busy in the Photoshop thread and one day I sent him a message asking how he made the photos he was posting. He put me on to Photoshop – and then when I told him I couldn’t afford it, he put me onto the workaround [laughs]. By the next day, I was posting in the same threads. Pursuing graphic design and being a fashion fan naturally led me to become fully invested. My after-school activity then became Photoshop tutorials. The first time I realized it could become a career was when I made my first t-shirt for my dad’s store. It sold out and I used the money to buy my first MacBook.
Sarah Maldonado: When I was young, I always loved sketching designs and attending fashion exhibits, which then turned into formal sewing classes and summer fashion programs. I always thought I wanted to pursue design but when I attended the Marist Pre-College program for Fashion Merchandising, it swayed me to change my course. I went to college and majored in Fashion Merchandising and Business. Then, I went on to pursue buying within Bloomingdale’s and Saks for a total of eight years before leaving to join Brigade.
How would you define Brigade style?
Aaron: Brigade is inspired by New York in general – from the city to upstate. NYC is the birthplace of this whole culture and being so close to the source is a huge inspiration and guides the brand daily. Making NYC proud is priority #1. I look at the things that were hot when I was a kid or what people are wearing today and try to reinterpret it through our lens. I mostly create what my friends and I would want to wear but don’t see represented in the market. Aside from that, I find myself designing for people I respect in real life. I have a lot of “muses.” If we spend enough time together, I will probably make something that you, specifically, will think is incredible.
What style codes or eras inspire you?
Aaron: Hip-Hop forever. New York is the birthplace of it and streetwear is the clothing of Hip-Hop. So respect for and awareness of that art form is key. My parents were born and raised in Brooklyn and the Bronx so I grew up listening to a lot of prime Hip-Hop. Big Pun’s Yeeeah Baby album was always on repeat in my dad’s Tracker as a kid. My mom is a Mary J. Blige stan, so there was a lot of that being played in the car and on Saturdays during chores. Reasonable Doubt is on permanent rotation in the studio. Stylistically, I always looked at my older brother when I was little and he was into Dipset and that whole wave. Of course, we’re referencing those things with a contemporary lens, rather than designing for the past.
What was on the mood board for the Winter collection?
Aaron: Sarah and I were visiting my parents and we brought out the old photo albums from when my brother and I were little. While looking through, I noticed my mom always had us in good ‘fits no matter the circumstance. At first, I designed a much larger collection with our assistant designer Harrison, with quite a few pieces being directly inspired by those photos. In the final collection, we edited it down to more of an end-of-the-year capsule collection. One of my favorite, more lowkey pieces, that survived the cut is the “Final Victory” Crewneck which is a direct flip of a sweater my brother wore when we were kids that was later handed down to me.
How do athletics play a role in Brigade’s design approach?
Aaron: The only sport I’ve ever enjoyed partaking in is cycling. I rode fixed gear around New York for a few years but after getting more into longer rides with my friends Nik and Jona, I’m on a road bike now. Cycling gear has been an incredible reference point for the intersection of form and function. When designing most of our cut-and-sew we ask ourselves: “What can we add to this to make it benefit a cyclist around the city?”
A prime example is our Granfondo Cycling Jersey. It’s a looser-fitting cycling top so it can be worn on and off the bike, but it still keeps the cycling pockets in the back. In a more minor way, cycling nods can be seen in the amount and depth of pockets we put in our garments and in little details like the balaclava – which has a brim as an ode to cycling caps.
This year marks Brigade’s tenth year – what has been the biggest challenge in building the brand?
Aaron: Starting from absolute zero. I have never worked in the fashion industry and have had no connections in it. Bradley Carbone of Sneeze was the first person within the industry to hold out a hand for me. He taught me so much just by letting me come around. I owe him a lot.
Sarah: Remaining true to the brand can be the biggest challenge when various opportunities arise. We have learned that saying no to things is just as important as saying yes. We focus on working with culturally relevant people within the communities where Brigade is active.
"At the root of our brand is always community. No matter how big Brigade becomes, we will always pay homage to our support system and encourage the familial vibe of the brand."
How has Brigade evolved/expanded its scope yet remained true to its core values throughout the past decade?
Aaron: Outwardly, Brigade is a direct expression of the interests my closest friends and I share. Incorporating things that were not there at the start of the brand, like cycling, is a slow burn. If you look back, you’ll see I spent two years gradually introducing it to remain authentic and palatable. At first, it was through accessible items like t-shirt graphics and lookbooks; then, the next step was nodding to more specific aesthetics like in the “All City” Rugby which has a cycling number pinning printed on the front, and our Zip Knit Polo which references an old cycling jersey motif. Ultimately, this evolved to paying homage to the sport in our Summer 2024 collection which featured a collaborative Brigade x Kryptonite lock as well as the Granfondo Cycling Jersey and Bike Chain Graphic Tee.
We don’t rush into things and we always leave the breadcrumbs for people to pick up and go down their own rabbit holes based on our interests. The impact of my interest in cycling can even be seen in minor details but is universal enough that it allows for self-identification within the brand.
Sarah: At the root of our brand is always community. No matter how big Brigade becomes, we will always pay homage to our support system and encourage the familial vibe of the brand. One of my favorite events is our annual BBQ where we host a party with free food, tournaments, prizes, and DJs and connect with everyone who makes the brand what it is.
With so many brands coming up in the city right now, how do you ensure Brigade is staying fresh and not getting saturated in the divulge of NYC streetwear labels?
Aaron: Remembering that it's important to bring people together and into this world, but that doesn’t mean we have to give away all of the information we’ve all worked to earn as a collective. Beyond that, producing the highest quality garments we can for an accessible price. We’re not keen on boxing people out with most of our pieces or creating future landfills with fast fashion. We are meticulous about making pieces of the highest quality.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned since launching Brigade?
Aaron: That self-expression is more important than you think. Putting on a good ‘fit or being part of something that aligns with your values fulfills something in you and changes how you act and feel.
Sarah: If you work hard and stay authentic to yourself and your values, you will never have any regrets in business. We navigate our business as we do all our relationships, with kindness and transparency, which we are only sometimes met with in return. We put every iota of energy we have each day into our business and then never have to wonder if we could have done more.
Why should people care about Brigade?
Aaron: We’re the “last of the Mohicans.” I’m half joking, but I think the real answer is that we’re doing this with the right intentions behind it and it comes from a genuine place. It’s much larger than two people. The mission has always been about creating a platform which others can uniquely identify with and pay homage to our community. Every collection, I get to work with people around me that I respect. As the brand has developed, it’s put us in rooms with people we genuinely admire. Being able to work closely with, and befriend, people like Wiki, Subjxct5, Starker, Radamiz, Skam, Sha, Elijah Maura and many others has been the coolest thing.
Sarah: Brigade’s quality and corresponding price point are unmatched. We want customers to love their pieces for years to come. There is so much thought and love put into this brand.
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