The Best of Big D 2023

Mitchell & Ness X Hebru Brand Studios: A Fusion Of Sports Fashion & Artistic Heritage

Sports and fashion have often been partners. The recent athleisure trend has linked the two closer than ever. Mitchell & Ness, the long-running jersey manufacturing company, has partnered with artist Hebru Brantley to create a capsule collection of fashionable jerseys. The pieces blend sports, fashion, and contemporary art to create an iconic clothing line.  Mitchell & Ness was founded in 1904 by Frank Mitchell and Charles Ness in Philadelphia, PA. The two created Mitchell & Ness Sporting Goods, specializing in creating uniforms for local teams. In 1933 they made their NFL debut, starting a 30-year-long partnership with the Philadelphia Eagles. Mitchell & Ness also outfitted the Phillies baseball team and the Philadelphia Athletics. The company's mission shifted in 1985 when Mitchell & Ness started repairing and refurbishing vintage jerseys. Today, the Mitchell & Ness Nostalgia Co. Offers authentic vintage jerseys and has done fashion collaborations with the MLB, NFL, NBA, NCAA, and MLS. Mitchell & Ness X Hebru Brand Studios: A Fusion of Sports Fashion & Artistic Heritage The new capsule collection in partnership with Hebru Brand Studios encompasses a line of diverse pieces. The collection includes statement pieces like a satin jacket, shooting shirts, jerseys, and shorts. Prices range from $140 to $200. Brantley chose to focus on celebrating his hometown of Chicago, IL in the collection. Some of the pieces reference The Chicago Defender, an African-American newspaper founded in 1905 and known as the most influential Black newspaper during the early to mid-20th century. The collection also features reimagined versions of basketball team logos from The Black Fives Era, which refers to the time period in which basketball was introduced to Black communities beginning in 1904. The inspirations for the collection give it a deeper meaning and connection to sport and art history.  Advertisement Brantley, the collection's creator, is a multi-disciplinary artist who works in several different mediums. He recently directed a short film called Erax, which premiered in 2022. His works tend to include a narrative and feature recognizable Chicago icons and history. Brantley himself is considered a hero in the city, constantly working to uplift the Chicago community and the city's rich history. His style is heavily influenced by the South Side of Chicago's AfriCOBRA movement of the 1960s and 70s. Brantley has been featured in The Chicago Tribune, Forbes, The New York Post, and on CNN. His works are collected by the likes of Lebron James, Beyonce and Jay-Z, Lenny Kravitz, and George Lucas. With the capsule collection, Brantley is expanding his work in the fashion world. He is currently selling four pieces from the collection on the website for Hebru Brand Studios. In addition to the Mitchell & Ness pieces, Brantley also sells his own clothing merch on the site. You can also view his extensive list of exhibitions, ranging from 2011 to the present.  Blending the worlds of sports, fashion, and art seems like a daunting task, but Brantley knows how to work with unusual mediums and concepts. The capsule collection appeals to anyone interested in retro sports, Chicago, or just looking great. Hebru Brand Studios and Mitchell & Ness have created something timeless, meaningful, and fashionable with their capsule collection.

New Vintage-inspired Imo's Pizza Merchandise Launching This Week

A new Imo's Pizza merchandise line, in collaboration with locally based apparel company Series Six, is set to drop this week.

The 17-piece collection includes apparel, drinkware, koozies and more with items fit for adults, kids, babies and pets. Series Six infused its distinctive vintage design style to create nostalgic graphics inspired by Imo's original signage from 1964, according to Sami Maurer, Series Six founder and a St. Louis native.

"We searched through archives and looked at photos of old signs and menus. We also drew on our own personal experiences of being St. Louisans and eating there all the time," said Maurer, 30, in an interview Tuesday.

Maurer called the collaboration a dream come true for her as she was born and raised in the city and has been eating Imo's pizza her entire life. Series Six often partners with local sports teams and restaurants for apparel, but she said the Imo's collection has been the "pinnacle" of collaborations.

People are also reading…

Imo's is set to launch its newest merchandise line with Series Six on Oct. 12, 2023.

Photo courtesy of Imo's Pizza

"Creating Imo's-branded merchandise is something we've wanted to do for quite some time, and it's something fans of the brand have been asking for as well," said Nicole Carpenter, director of marketing for Imo's said in a news release.

Though Imo's has previously sold apparel, it's typically just sported the logo. Thin-crust fans can now rep Series Six Imo's T-shirts with square pizza slices, the St. Louis skyline and "crispy delicious" proclamations.

Maurer said her favorite piece of the collection features the St. Louis skyline — the Gateway Arch and all — behind the Imo's pillar located on Hampton Avenue near Forest Park.

"It really represents how iconic Imo's is," Maurer said. "When you think of St. Louis and the food scene, you think of Imo's."

The collection will be available at Series Six's Richmond Heights store in the Boulevard Shopping Plaza Thursday, Oct. 12, and online at seriessixcompany.Com starting Friday, Oct. 13.

To celebrate the launch of the collaboration, Series Six and Imo's will be hosting an event from 4 to 6 p.M. Thursday at the Series Six storefront.

Attendees can enjoy free Imo's pizza, beer from 4 Hands Brewery and receive a free Imo's tote bag when after spending $50 or a free Imo's pint glass after spending $20.

Photographs from St. Louis Post-Dispatch staff and freelancers for the week beginning Oct. 1, 2023. Video by Beth O'Malley

Beth O'Malley

Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.

University Vintage Opens On State Street

University Vintage, an online platform that sells vintage collegiate clothing and accessories, opened its first store Sept. 7 on South State Street. The storefront primarily sells University of Michigan clothing items sourced locally and nationally and features clothing from the '70s to early 2000s. 

University Vintage was founded by Shane and Jared Perlin, brothers who graduated from the Ross School of Business, Shane in 2020 with his undergraduate degree and Jared in 2023 with his masters. In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Co-owner Shane Perlin said they are passionate about representing their alma mater through fashion and giving others the opportunity to do so as well. Shane Perlin said he began their business as an Instagram page  in 2017 when he was still a student. Since his brother joined the effort in 2023, Shane Perlin said they have expanded into various pop-ups on campus.

"When Jared came in the fall of 2023, that's when we started to do more public pop-up shops, like at Blue (Leprechaun), Garage Bar and Cantina," Shane Perlin said. "Those also went super well and that's when we realized there is a large opportunity to open up a store."

Shane Perlin said the business hopes to expand its collection beyond U-M apparel into vintage clothing in general.

"We want to offer a vintage pipeline of Michigan and non-Michigan clothing and merchandise for the school, students and fans," Shane Perlin said. "Right now we only have Michigan clothing on the floor. We're looking to expand into regular vintage clothing."

In order to continue growing the University Vintage collection, Shane Perlin said they plans to allow students to trade in or sell vintage clothing at the storefront. 

"People can bring stuff in and get cash or store credit, which we think is going to be a fun opportunity for students and people who like vintage clothing to come and shop," Shane Perlin said.

Co-owner Jared Perlin told The Daily that running the business has been a rewarding experience so far, due largely to support from the University community.

"The store has been doing really well and we have gotten a lot of great feedback from the community as well as people who have been following the page for years," Jared Perlin said. "People who went to the University all those years ago love to come in and see the stuff on the walls, the memorabilia and seeing items from games they personally went to. It has, in a way, exceeded our expectations and it's been fun to see everyone's reactions and be a part of it." 

Taubman freshman Hannah Toppel told The Daily she decided to visit University Vintage after learning about it and said she had a positive experience shopping there. 

"I had heard of the vintage store on campus and went in to shop," Toppel said. "I heard it sells great Michigan vintage clothing. When I went in I thought it was really cool."

Shane Perlin said while they only expected support from friends and family, the outpouring of support from the community has been overwhelming and helpful to growing the business. 

"It's definitely been a warm welcome … we have random people walking in that are loving the store and talking with us," Shane Perlin said. "It's been great to connect with people and understand what they want, like and enjoy about the store. That helps us get a better understanding of how to cater the store to people moving forward."

Daily Staff Reporter Maddyn Shapiro can be reached at maddyns@umich.Edu. 

Please consider donating to The Michigan Daily

---