By Asha Chagoyen and Yaz Rosete
It was a huge success for local designer Michael Wright who premiered his new fashion line, The Molasses Collection, at Molasses Books this past Saturday night. This is his second Bushwick inspired clothing line; the first one called Troutman Collection, was named after the block he lives on.
The inspiration for the collection comes from the time Micheal has been spending at Molasses, and by the people he has encountered there. On that note, Molasses is not affiliated with Michael Wright and the collection, nor can you purchase the pieces at the bookstore.
Lined up amongst the bookshelves and the tables full of books were the beautiful handmade articles of clothing that Wright designed and stitched together. Each piece holds the name after a person encountered at Molasses that inspired its creations; like the Ghandy Tee inspired by Hood Gandhy, a close friend of Wright and a lover of the holey ripped look; or the Rick Color Block Tee inspired by Rick whose favorite color is red. The piece that stood out during the showcase the most were The Molasses Shorts, made with a brown heavy cotton blend and intricately weaved and yarned throughout the piece to give it depth and structure.
Each piece can be worn by both men and women, and I fell in love with the Gandhy Tee for these steamy summer months.The event took a surprise turn when someone decided to purchase the Matthew Button Down Shirt inspired by the owner of Molasses, Matthew Winn.
“I am happy that the neighborhood isn’t saturated with fakeness, and when you walk down Bushwick you can see the individualism of the people that live here,” told us Micheal about the state of Bushwick fashion. He also noted that in Bushwick there isn’t one type of style but different types of style, unlike different neighborhoods in New York City where one style prevails.
