TY Holloway on starting a streetwear brand in Brooklyn
Ty Holloway, the iconic bearded man from West Philly moved to New York City to expand his streetwear brand, Miles Culture.
We caught up with TY to learn how he landed wholesale accounts with Urban Outfitters, Asos, and launched his first retail store in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
The 10 steps that Ty took to launch Miles Culture
Steps
Upskill and build your expertise at your 9-5 job
Start a side hustle
Move to Bed-Stuy for a West Philly vibe
Accelerate your side hustle with street vending and Ecommerce sales
Secure wholesale deals with brands through trade shows and building relationships
Grow your audience and customer base with Pop up shops
Open your first retail store after you prove your concept
Build a team that holds you down
Don’t quit your day job until the time is right
Build your brand through intimate conversations
UPSKILL AND BUILD YOUR EXPERTISE AT YOUR 9-5
I was born and raised in West Philly, where I went to school for fashion and then worked at Urban Outfitters for over a decade.
Most recently, I was the senior operations manager at Herald Square, which is the largest store in the country. I oversaw over 200 employees and learned about the retail business, buying process, merchandising, human resources and operational structure.
START A SIDE HUSTLE
Me and my boy Art in Philly started Miles Culture by drawing up different graphic designs. We would play on popular sneaker styles and would draw out Reeboks but put a Nike check on them. We then started to do leather goods by cutting out different designs and putting leather on t-shirts.
Then the brand changed a bit organically. We started doing more screen printing and really focusing on specific images as opposed to free hand leather cut outs.
MOVE TO BED-STUY IF YOU WANT A WEST PHILLY VIBE
In 2011, I got an opportunity to move to NYC with Urban Outfitters and transfer into operations and management.
When looking for a place to live, I said, I want to live on a block that kinda looks like the Cosby block, which rappers referenced as brownstones at the time. This one realtor took me to a Brownstone in Bed-Stuy and It felt like West Philly, and I was like yeah, this is it. It was affordable and next to the J train. I have been in Bed Stuy ever since and It feels like home.
ACCELERATE YOUR SIDE HUSTLE WITH STREET VENDING AND ECOMMERCE SALES
I had been working at Urban Outfitters for 7 years while living in NYC and I was still doing my own thing with Miles. I was exhausted but Urban paid well and I did not know how to segue out of retail to do my own thing full-time.
I started to produce more graphics, and then I lucked up and met a leather manufacturer in New York which is extremely hard to do. I was able to produce locally, do street vending, sell online and then things started to move for me a little bit more.
SECURE WHOLESALE ACCOUNTS WITH BRANDS THROUGH TRADE SHOWS AND BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
I was able to showcase my brand at the Capsule Trade Show and from that trade show I was able to secure some wholesale deals. With that I jumped on the opportunity to do Asos Marketplace which sprung a lot of attention.
Because the graphics were moving, I decided to send Urban Outfitters my line sheet, which included 6 core t-shirt styles that came in 4 color variations, hoping that they would carry the brand. In 2017, they decided that they would carry Miles in their stores and online.
GROW YOUR AUDIENCE AND CUSTOMER BASE WITH POP UP SHOPS
We would vend at street fairs and different events in NYC, such as Hester Street Fair, Artist & Fleas, and Afro Punk.
We also had a long term pop up shop on Nostrand ave and Jefferson in Brooklyn, through Bridge Street Development Corporation, Pop-Up program. We applied for the program and got the space for 30 days and because no one else applied after us, we were able to have the space for 90 days.
OPEN YOUR FIRST STORE AFTER YOU PROVE YOUR CONCEPT
Customers responded well to us, so from there we knew that we wanted to open up our shop in Brooklyn once the pop up shop was over, but the neighborhood started getting more and more expensive, making it challenging.
When deciding to open the store, I said, If I'm going to do it, let's do it the right way, my way, with my people.
I started looking for spaces on websites like StreetEasy, Ziliow, and Craigslist. To get a commercial space in NY you need a broker unless you luck up, so I started talking to different realtors, who sent me listings.
It took about 3 years to find the right space. My drive to have my own space and showcase the brand really inspired me to keep moving, despite the challenges finding the right location and securing the money for it.
Opening the store is the proudest I have ever been. I could not imagine it being anywhere else, expect, I want a shop in Philly as well. Soon come!!!
BUILD A TEAM THAT HOLDS YOU DOWN
I hate doing things by myself and I don’t try out everything. Some people are skilled and passionate about things for a reason, and I think whenever possible, you should collaborate.
Trisa is our visual director who helps curate women’s visually. She also oversees all of our social media handles, specifically, instagram. Arthur, who is a designer, does the designs for all of our leather goods and he partners in the curation of the space. I have a ton of jewelry vendors and display artists that I partner with. I tell them ideas and then they take those ideas and make them a reality. I also have an accountant, a lawyer, and a few mentors.
DON’T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB UNTIL THE TIME IS RIGHT
I kept my job with Urban Outfitters when we first opened the store. I did not become 100% full time until several months after we opened.
BUILD YOUR BRAND THROUGH INTIMATE CONVERSATIONS
Brands come and go, and that’s why I’m not trying to rush. I am taking my time to get to know who our customers are, what their needs are and what the needs of the community are.
By having folks come in and having more intimate experiences with them, you kinda know the direction you should go in. The brand helps shape itself by being at the store and having conversations.
I want to be able to still talk about Miles in 10 years. I would love to be able to sit here and say take me through the last 10 years. That is the goal.