Young, talented and local designers are bringing inspiration, creativity and a unique viewpoint to style. With their eyes on breaking out, they’re bringing new blood to the fashion world. Special thanks to Creative Hub Worcester – an unique non-profit organization dedicated to building a thriving arts community space in Worcester. Photography by Justin Mayotte.

Designer: Jamel Walker
Brand: RARE MXBB
Website: raremxbb.com

Age: 25
Town: Worcester
Company Location: Worcester

How did you start designing? I started designing in fifth grade by writing my name on jeans with bleach. As the years went on, I started designing brand merchandise for an independent music group that I was a part of called Jetset Music Ink. Jetset Music Ink was a group of friends, including YNGA Lawless and Rich Lawless, that created music and other creative projects together.

Describe your designs. The Rare Mxbb logo is a circle, standing for caution – as in, take caution to protect your creativity. The circle encompasses two Chinese characters translating to “rare.” RARE is also an acronym for Real Art Real Energy. Mxbb, pronounced “mob,” refers to the unified ideals of a community. The brand is for everyone. I want to create clothes that are unisex. Men and women can wear them from 2 years old until 200 years old. We especially love to see all the creative minds wearing our clothes. If you wear the RARE MXBB logo on your chest or represent the brand, you are “a rare one.”

What are you trying to achieve? The goal is to showcase this brand from Worcester around the world – welcoming people into our world and culture. There is also a full-length documentary being produced in Worcester titled THE RARE. THE RARE is directed by my brother Kariuki (thatvideokid.com), who follows 20 young creatives, including myself, working to achieve their goals. The documentary goes in-depth about our journeys; the viewers will get to know more about me as a designer and as a person.

What makes your brand unique? Every piece that I design is released in limited quantities. Behind every piece, there is a concept or statement that will inspire someone who is going through something difficult in their life. I have released pieces titled Don’t Be Scared to Pray, Aim For The Top, Only The Original Will Survive, etc. As a brand, we also like to make everybody feel a part of the MXBB community – whether you’re homeless or have disabilities. We give away a lot of free T-shirts to people in need. I will always and forever make sure that any talent that is unseen or unheard will have a platform through the brand.

What inspires you? I’m inspired by the smallest things in life. I also like doing things with my brother Kariuki; we’ve danced with the homeless, we like to laugh and joke with them. We also feed them and give T-shirts. We recently took a man with a drug addiction to church with us to hear inspiring stories and the word of God. I’m also inspired by interacting with different cultures – especially Asian cultures. I almost became the first black male sushi chief in Worcester. I worked at Baba Sushi on Park Avenue for several years, and that experience has influenced what I design today. I can go on for days about the things that have inspired me – stay on the lookout for THE RARE documentary.

What do you see in your future? The vision is to become the best designer from the city of Worcester. I want to create jobs for my friends and family, even outsiders. I’m going to continue to connect the dots to take the next step without thinking of the reward – that’s important. I try to be as humble as possible. I let the people be the judge of RARE MXBB… I just thank God and the people every day, because without them, there is no RARE MXBB.

“To everybody working a 9- to-5 job, to all creatives, to any one in a bad spot in life – anything can happen at any time, any day. You must push every day and support one another.”