A Note from our Founder, Desmond Brooks, on Celebrating Black History Month

As I take the time to reflect on black history, what it means to me, to my family, to my community, I am overwhelmed by a sense of pride.

Pride in my ancestors, who endured pain and suffering with the hope of creating a better society for the next generations.

Pride in myself, for believing I could do what I dreamed of. It's not lost on me how privileged I am as a person of color to call myself an entrepreneur, while also being able to spend my days doing something I love.

Pride in other black entrepreneurs, who are also carrying the responsibility of inspiring the next generation of black entrepreneurs.

And pride in what we have built at Shopboy.

Thank you to all of the people who have inspired us to start this business, to those who believed in our vision and to the community of clients who have helped turn it into what it is today. May we all continue to work toward a brighter future for all.

Sincerely,
Desmond

An Interview With Desmond

What black figures in your life inspired you to create Shopboy?

You often hear Pharrell Williams say, "You can do it too," and I took those words to heart growing up. The way he moves effortlessly between fashion, art, music and design resonated with me from a young age. It helped me remove those boundaries you create for yourself, often brought on by society's expectations of you. Pharrell's confidence inspired me to believe that I could start a company in the most competitive market in the world because I was staying true to myself and what I believed in.

Carl Louisville, my first manager at Prada, now runs a successful boutique in LA called Carl's Atelier. Carl inspired me by carrying himself in a way that commanded respect. He was the only black general manager on Rodeo Drive at the time, and he took tremendous pride in representing the best version of himself everyday and treating each customer as if they were the most important person in the world.

Carl gave me my first job in luxury and taught me that a luxury good is nothing without a luxury experience. Under his tutelage, I developed a great sense of pride in what I do and how I treat people, no matter if it's the client spending $100,000 or $10. It's this philosophy that we have applied with our own clients at Shopboy.

It's that time of year: Your warmest winter coats are now an essential.

But as with anything that lives in the back of your closet for most of the year, pulling it out for the season can prove to be surprising. Whether your zipper is broken, your lining is shredded to pieces or you're simply missing button, it all needs to be fixed. After all, you really do need this coat.

Below are a few ideas on how to breath new life (and warmth) into your coats. Remember that a new lining can make all the difference on the warmth of your coat!

Full lining replacement: Not only does the fabric look amazing, but the new silk makes the leather coat much warmer. Fashion vs. function - why not have both?!

Full zipper Replacement: Keep the coat zipped up on the coldest days.

Vintage Leather Revival: The coat was given a new lining, zipper and sleeve cuffs.

And if you bought a new coat this season: Remember that it can be fitted perfectly to you (even if it’s a couple sizes too big.)

We all know that alterations can change an entire look. But what if the look is supposed to be oversized? What if, like the utility jumpsuit we're seeing constantly at Shopboy, the garment is meant to be full through the legs and low in the crotch? Is it possible to achieve both a tailored look and to maintain the integrity of the design?

Great news: Yes, it's possible! With just a few alterations, this perfect fall garment can go from feeling like a bag to a well-tailored, but stylish, piece.

Here's how. Start by taking in the seat and the thighs. Contrary to what you may think, this alteration will not make the legs or butt look fitted, but will simply remove excess fabric.

Also, if the crotch sits too low, the body feels too long or the waist just doesn't sit right, consider shortening the body. While this alteration will not change the intended design, it can make the piece look like it was made just for you. After all, once it's been tailored at Shopboy, it practically is!

Sometimes all we need is a little imagination to make a garment come to life. This piece, which started as a vintage, oversized dress, has now been transformed into a beautiful two-piece set.

Pictured here is the dress prior to alterations. The client, who came into Shopboy with this idea of creating a set, saw all the potential in the fabric and pattern of this vintage dress, but wanted to modernize the fit into something she’s excited to wear.

Now, from this one dress, the client has three new pieces: the set, and both the shirt and the skirt which can be worn as separates!

Whether you’re shopping for vintage, shopping online or going through your own wardrobe, feel free to get creative! Alterations allow us all to re-imagine our wardrobe and make each piece exactly as we want it.

Re-cutting the t-shirt

Everyone has their favorite t-shirt. 

Whether it holds some sentimental value or you love the fabric or design, a favorite tee is a necessary part of everyone’s wardrobe. But why is it that we are all willing to sacrifice the perfect fit on this could-be perfect garment? Yes, maybe there’s something that feels ridiculous about tapering the sides of your tee to give it the ideal boxy cut, or perhaps rolling the sleeves five times to achieve the right length is easy enough to make it work. But what if this t-shirt, in all its glory, could fit just right without tying knots, tucking in half of the fabric, or rolling the sleeves - only to have them fall out with one wave?

We have great news… it can! And no, it is not ridiculous to tailor your t-shirt, because this may very well be your favorite (and most worn) piece in your wardrobe. And even if it’s not, next time you reach for your tailored tee, you’ll be thrilled you had it done. Now you can stop fumbling around all day to give the impression that it fits, and, instead, go on living in that now-perfect-in-every-way shirt.

Narrowing the Shoulder

When it comes to leather, buying the perfect jacket off the rack is almost impossible. Leather jackets need time to mold to your body and require patience (and love) to achieve that perfectly worn look. 

However, there are a few things that wearing into the jacket won't change. Of course the obvious, which is sleeve length, can be fixed by any tailor who knows how to work with leather. But when the shoulders of the jacket do not line up with the shoulders of your body, the tailor must be a master.

To narrow the shoulders,  the tailor removes both sleeves, perfectly cuts the armholes, and places the sleeves back onto the armholes, ensuring that they hang straight and even. Typically, this job will change the sleeve length, so the tailor will often need to shorten-or lengthen-the sleeves in addition to narrowing the shoulders.

With the shoulders of the jacket perfectly lined up with your shoulder on your body, the jacket should look clean, sharp and perfect for you. Now, you better get to wearing! The leather needs some love.