BAKERY HNY

HARLEM, NEW YORK        BAKERY HNY

harlem bred fashion designer and ceo, cheo da don, makes clothing for “that person who wants something different…”. launched in September 2015 and inspired by harlem, the stylings tend to be more urban and bold. numerous big names throughtout the hip-hop culture wear the bakery hny brand and frequent the harlem boutique for its quality clothing, the latest sneakers and custom garments. validated recently reached out to cheo da don to discuss what motives him as a designer, his definition of fashion and more.

VALIDATED: DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN YOU FIRST BECAME AWARE OF FASHION?

BAKERY HNY: AS EARLY AS I CAN REMEMBER MY MOM ALWAYS DRESSED ME IN SOME FLY CLOTHING. I HAVE TONS OF PHOTOS WEARING BENETTON AND POLO. SMOOTH CLOTHING I WOULD EVEN WEAR TO THIS DAY. 


VALIDATED: WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START YOUR OWN BRAND?

BAKERY HNY: I WAS DOING A BUNCH OF CUSTOM ITEMS FOR MYSELF. THEN PEOPLE WOULD ASK ME ABOUT WHAT I WAS WEARING AND ALSO WANTED SOMETHING CUSTOM. SO TECHNICALLY I BEEN CHEF’N UP. THIS IS DEFINITELY WHERE THE BAKERY CONCEPT CAME FROM.


VALIDATED: HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START?

BAKERY HNY: I STARED OFF IN MY MOTHER’S SHOE STORE. SHE DIDN’T WANT TO SELL SHOES ANY MORE SO SHE GAVE ME HER STORE. BACK IN 2002-2003 I HAD A BRAND CALLED DIRTY BOY SO I ALWAYS HAD THE DRIVE TO HAVE MY OWN BRAND.


VALIDATED: DEFINE FASHION?

BAKERY HNY: FASHION IS HAVING A CREATIVE FREEDOM AND NOT BEING SCARED.


VALIDATED: DESCRIBE YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS.

BAKERY HNY: I START WITH COLORS. THEN LOOK AT SHAPES AND REFLECT ON PASS DESIGNS. I TRY TO KEEP ALL DESIGN AS CLOSE TO THE BAKERY THEME AS POSSIBLE. 


VALIDATED: WHAT MOTIVATES YOU AS A FASHION DESIGNER?

BAKERY HNY: JUST BEING ABLE TO MAKE A STAMP ON THE FASHION INDUSTRY. INSPIRING PEOPLE AND POCESSING THE DRIVE TO BE DIFFERENT.


VALIDATED: WHAT IS YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE, AND HOW DO YOU RELATE TO IT?

BAKERY HNY: THAT PERSON WHO WANTS SOMETHING DIFFERENT... RISK TAKERS. YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND PEOPLE LIKE TO BUY BIG NAME BRANDS, SO I LOVE THAT PERSON WHO SUPPORTS THE SMALL GUY.


VALIDATED: ARE YOU SELF TAUGHT OR DID YOU STUDY FASHION DESIGN?

BAKERY HNY: I’M DEFINITELY SELF TAUGHT. I WAS ALWAYS A DIFFERENT PERSON THAT LOVED DIFFERENT THINGS. I THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX AND THAT’S A GOOD TRAIT TO HAVE. KEEPS YOU INNOVATIVE!


VALIDATED: HOW HAS YOUR WORK EVOLVED SINCE YOU BEGAN YOUR OWN LABEL?

BAKERY HNY: WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR OWN LABEL YOU'RE IN CONTROL! YOU MAKE YOUR OWN RULES AND CONTROL THE DIRECTION. I EVOLVE EVERYDAY. I INCORPORATE DIFFERENT MATERIALS AND DESIGN PROCESSES TO EXECUTE NEWER, BETTER DESIGNS.


VALIDATED: WHAT IS THE BIGGEST LESSON THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED SINCE YOU STARTED YOUR COMPANY?

BAKERY HNY: TRY TO STAY AMERICAN MADE! I MADE THE MISTAKE OF TRYING TO GO OVER SEAS AND WAS BURNED OUT OF A LOT OF MONEY! NO WAY TO GET IT BACK UNLESS I GO THERE AND START KICKING A**!


VALIDATED: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUNG DESIGNERS?

BAKERY HNY: TRY TO STAY AWAY FROM LOW QUALITY SHIRTS AND VINYL. INVEST IN THE BRAND AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. CHEAP INVENTORY LEADS TO CHEAP PRODUCTS.


VALIDATED: WHAT'S YOUR MOTTO/RULES TO LIVE BY?

BAKERY HNY: IT’S NOT YOURS UNTIL YOU PAY FOR IT!


VALIDATED: WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST DIFFICULT ASPECT OF GETTING YOUR BRAND OFF THE GROUND AND HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THAT?

BAKERY HNY: JUST DEVELOPING LOGOS’S AND CONCEPTS. ONCE YOU GET THAT DOWN PAT EVERYTHING ELSE IS EASY FROM THERE. 


VALIDATED: WHAT ARE TWO ASPECTS OF BUSINESS IN WHICH YOU BELIEVE A NEW BRAND SHOULD INVEST RESOURCES?

BAKERY HNY: HIGH QUALITY MATERIALS! I FEEL IF YOU CARRY YOURSELF LIKE YOU'RE A MILLION DOLLAR BRAND YOU'LL DEFINITELY BECOME ONE.


VALIDATED: WHERE CAN WE GET OUR HANDS ON THE COLLECTION?

BAKERY HNY: IN STORE LOCATED ON 132ND AND AMSTERDAM OR ONLINE AT BAKERYHNY.COM.


VALIDATED: CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BRAND IN THREE WORDS?

BAKERY HNY: BAKED FRESH DAILY!


VALIDATED: IF YOU COULD CHOOSE ANYONE TO WEAR YOUR BRAND, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

BAKERY HNY: OPRAH, JUST BECAUSE... ENOUGH SAID.

VALIDATED: IS THERE A PARTICULAR DESIGNER WHO INSPIRES YOU?

BAKERY HNY: RAULPH LAUREN AND VIRGIL ABLOH.

VALIDATED: WHICH CELEBRITIES IF ANY HAVE BEEN SPOTTED IN YOUR CLOTHING?

BAKERY HNY: ALL TYPES, LOTS OF HARLEM AND SOCIAL MEDIA PERSONALITIES. ESPECIALLY ANYONE FROM HARLEM BEING THAT THIS IS WHERE I’M FROM. 


VALIDATED: WHERE CAN OUR READERS FOLLOW YOUR BRAND ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND PURCHASE YOUR CLOTHING ON THE WEB?

BAKERY HNY: INSTAGRAM: BAKERY.HNY
TWITTER: BAKERYHNY

WEBSITE: WWW.BAKERYHNY.COM