If you live in or around the Milwaukee area, then you probably already know about FLOW Clothing. They call N. Prospect Avenue home and with the inventory they have, along with their dedication to customer service, these guys are going to be around for a long time. From Crooks & Castles to 10 DEEP, from Married To The Mob to Famous Stars & Straps. These guys are representing all aspects of street wear and bringing something very necessary to Wisconsin.
Today I spoke with PJ, the owner and founder of FLOW, about how he got his start, some brands they're repping and the current state of street wear today. Check out the interview below!
FULLER: Could you give us a little background on yourself and how you got into street wear? Also, about how FLOW Clothing got its start?
PJ: Well, I am 39 years old, you know? We've been in business for a little over two years. I've been interested in doing it for about four. The reason how I really got into it was through Matt (Cook Clothing). You know he works for LRG too and he used to live in L.A. He'd be like you know "Come on out man, there's this clothing show going on, and this and that, and whatever" - and I would go out and hang out with him at these clothing shows and see all these clothes that nobody had in Milwaukee. And I'd come back here, and I'd go to whatever stores were hot and I'd never see anything I liked. You know, I'd go out and see three dudes wearing the same shit. So I just started thinking about it. I just kept going to these clothing shows and Matt knows everyone in the industry and he just started introducing me to people. And I'd go out to dinner with him and just say like, "Man, Milwaukee needs a nice street wear boutique!" We'd go around to Chicago and check out LEADERS and Self Concious and say, "Milwaukee needs one of these!"
I'd just pick up these catalogs, go out to dinner with my homies and just pass the catalogs around, saying "What do you think of this and that" and have people vote, find out what's hot, and that's it, you know? That's kind of how we got our start.
FULLER: What type of brands can people expect to see when they come to FLOW?
PJ: Well, we're loyal to LRG, because they're the people who kind of gave us the support and our start. Artful Dodger. Really dope, really high-end shit. I don't know if you've heard, but Jay-Z just bought it? Famous. Awesome, awesome people. The coolest people in the industry for sure. Travis Barker is a cool mother fucker. I met him through this shit, we're friends. He's very cool. He goes above and beyond to help me, and they've been steering business from their website to ours. I mean, just a very down to earth guy. Very cool. All about friendships and partnerships and doing the right thing, you know?
And we're the only authorized dealer of Greedy Genius in Wisconsin. That's a company we hope to see big things from them. I like them. Orisue, we're doing things with them. Last year they did really well in here. Dissizit, Leroy Jenkins, Undrcrwn...I'm just looking around here...Prohibit, Japanese companies. 10 Deep, Crooks & Castles. We're really going to be expanding with our Crooks and Castles next year. We're really hoping to do big things with them, I love their stuff. You know, they're still like, relatively new. They're still learning, they're cool guys too.
FULLER: You guys really have your bases covered then, right?
PJ: Yeah, I mean a lot of people are slow to catch on over here. I mean, but we can say we have a dope store in Milwaukee. A lot of people are slow to catch onto it, but the people that do are like, "Wow!" you know?
FULLER: Street wear is really starting to gain some popularity in the mainstream. What's your take on that and the direction that it kind of seems to be heading?
PJ: I'm all for it man. I mean, whatever adds longevity to my business, you know? I'm all about it. I was starting to wonder when it was going to peak, or if it did peak or whatever, but they're saying there's still 10-15 years left in it.
FULLER: Do you have anything else you want to add? Any other comments or shout-outs you want to make?
PJ: I would love to say "thank you" to everybody that supports us. Without the people, I could never do this. And a special shout-out to the Famous crew because they have taught me a lot about business and they do business the way it should be done. Like, real hands on. Never get too big for your britches.
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