Swaggin’, Drippin, and Trend Settin’
“Young, gifted, and black,” a phrase coined by Nina Simone, has taken on a life of its own, especially when referencing Ace and Amir, two young fashion designers aged 14 and 9, from Atlanta, Georgia. It is no surprise that their fashion line Rich Boys, is one of Atlanta’s best kept secrets.
Atlanta is a city like no other, the birthplace of country chic and a place where gold teeth never seem to go out of style. With so much originality coming out of the city, these two young boys who haven’t even celebrated their sweet sixteens have created a fashion line that gives the phrase “stuntin’ like my daddy,” a whole new meaning. The boys describe their line as “a clothing and accessories brand that offers fashion not typically made for kids.” The clothing line takes a style that is usually reserved for rappers and moguls, and shrinks it for pint size trendsetters.
The boys grew up in a household where being fresh is almost as important as daily hygiene. The boys describe their father’s influence in their fashion line, “We always looked up to our father Rich's style. Since we were young, we admired everything he wore, from his sneakers, to his jewelry, to his cologne. But our mom and dad couldn't find clothes like my dad's in kids sizes. So a light bulb went off and the concept of Rich Boys was born.”
Courtesy of Rich Boys Fashion
With so many clothing lines for children coming out, it seems like an impossible task to create a new way in which children should dress, but The Rich Boys have an “edgy, trendy, and fly,” line that has not been done for kids in fashion. The boys have also drawn inspiration from their surroundings. Atlanta, being a hotbed of hip hop and music, has ushered in some of the music industries’ most influential artists, including Ciara, T.I, Ludacris, and dapper boys of rap – the group OutKast. The boys try to offer “styles that today's most stylish hip hop artists wear”.
Ace and Amir made their TV debut on Season 4 of Jermaine Dupri’s The Rap Game. The boys and their parents were brought in to give the artists more flavor, and push the young rappers originality. The makeovers created the look of the performers and helped the kids find their groove in the competition. Jordan, the performer who won the photoshoot competition with the help of the boys, seemingly found his sound. The makeover pushed him to the top of the Hitlist on the show. Amir explained that they “were contacted by a producer of the show asking if we were rappers. He liked our style and figured if we rapped we had the total package to be among the cast. But when we told him we owned a clothing brand, he was even more impressed and wanted to have us on styling the kids. It was a tricky challenge because we were informed at the last minute that we would just be adding pieces to the styles they already created. But we handled it well and did what we do best. We chose pieces that fit the artist’s swag, but that took it up a notch or two.”
Courtesy of Rich Boys Fashion
“We get to meet a lot of cool people, travel, dress fly all the time, and drive dope cars.”
Being a child while also owning a business can be difficult; the boys are homeschooled to allow for a more flexible schedule. They admit that the trade off for school is fine, because of the things they get in return. Ace says “It feels good because we get to meet a lot of cool people, travel, dress fly all the time, and drive dope cars.”
The success of the kids’ fashion line has been their ability to package swagger. ‘Swagger’ for everyone is different, but the boys describe it as, “Confidence through clothing and style. It's not so much about what you wear, but how you wear it.” Though the line is about looking fly, the boys have managed to create an inclusive community. Most of the items on shoprichboys.com are under $100.00.
The boys say:
“We are trying to bridge the gap between haves and have nots. We want all kids to be able to dress in high fashion, not just the few––and in being young entrepreneurs, we hope to inspire other kids to pursue their dreams.” At a time when bullying is such a topic in society the idea that a fashion line allows for all kids to have access to popular trends is quite innovative idea in today’s Hip Hop fashion. When considering some adult lines that design similar clothing such as the Billionaire Boys Club, where the average price is $200 for a single clothing item.
One of the things the boys’ have continuously expressed is their desire to inspire young kids to be their own bosses, and to create those realities that seem like dreams. Ace tells kids to “Go for it!”, while Amir wants kids to know, “You’re never too young.” That is the overall message the The Rich Boys’ success in the fashion industry sends to people struggling to take that leap on a dream that they have. You are never too young.
The Rich Boys are making major strides with their company, and are an example to children. Their influence comes at a time when young boys of color can be killed for walking down the street while wearing a hoodie. Creating a sense of style that belongs to young black boys reclaims many things that have been stolen from them. Ace and Amir have challenged the idea of what it means to be an entrepreneur and what it really means to change the game. They have created a brand of fashion that is all their own, single-handedly making a future for themselves and paving the way for other young men of color to follow their dreams. They've set a precedent for other young men to overcome the negative shadows that encapsulates their identity as black boys in America.
“Atlanta style is edgy and on trend. But people are not afraid to drip”
The boys want to push their positive vibes out to the world giving people advice on how to look “fly” and “drip” everyday. Confidence is something the boys exude and would like to help other kids get to their level of self expression. Ace says the most important thing is to, “First be yourself, with confidence.” His brother, Amir, agrees: “As long as you have confidence, everything else will come off fly.”
The one thing the boys want you to remember is that “a pair of sunnies makes every outfit fly.”
