Jamaal is one of those people who when you follow them on social media you know where they’re from. Often using location stickers on his IG Stories you can find him in various restaurants and other spots throughout the 757 and the 804 – Virginia for those who don’t know. Not only have I been following and supporting Jamaal for quite some time now but some of you may have heard from him already on here and not realized it. He was part of one of the first pieces I ever did on this platform and you can read that here. However this time I wanted to talk to him about his brand: HOMETEAM.
HOMETEAM was one of the first brands I discovered that was actually created by someone from my state of Virginia. Of course, I already knew about Play Cloths and Billionaire Boys Club but HOMETEAM was the first I’ve had the pleasure of watching from the origin days. And I was proud to see it. This is what Jamaal says is his reason for creating the brand, “The name HOMETEAM is inspired by the brand’s purpose which is to represent wherever you consider HOME to the fullest.” Some of you (hopefully all of you) are familiar with Pharrell’s Something In The Water Festival which premiered in 2019 Virginia Beach and will be returning there in 2020. Jamaal posted some t shirt mockups he created to celebrate the festival last year but they were not never converted into actual product, “…Well last year, I felt I had some really cool concepts but I didn’t want to rush it and put out something I wasn’t fully happy with.” However, he also wants to have some pieces out before the festival happens again in April and believes 2020 “will be a big year” for the brand. He’s already thinking about it ways to make that happen and planning always leads to success.
HOMETEAM is a young brand but it’s already gotten a signature look to it – logo flips. Logo flips have been used for decades for multiple reasons, whether it be for satire, fun or because the original logo fits the aesthetic of the brand. However one thing remains that when you understand what has been flipped you have that “aha” moment that usually pulls you in even more or pushes you away like the hundreds (if not thousands) of logo flips we’ve seen people use with Supreme’s box logo. (or “BoGo” as the cool kids say) Jamaal sees logo flips as more of an opportunity to test his own creative skills. “I’ve always been fascinated with what can be flipped but for future projects, I will focus or more original designs.” So far, all the logo flips have been flipped to say “Virginia” the birthplace of the brand – the HOME of HOMETEAM. The most iconic logo flip of the brand has been of the NASCAR logo flip which has essentially become the “face” of the brand. This is directly connected to the Richmond Raceway and continues the theme of Virginia being HOME. Even though it was a part of the first drop Jamaal regularly posts supporters still rocking it and has been able to re-release it since then too. “I love the fact that I was able to sell the same design for 3 seasons but the supporters tell me it’s their favorite design.”
Right now, Jamaal ships the pieces right from the post office himself but hopes to expand to selling in local clothing stores and down the line other states – and countries. The packaging for the item is also hand addressed, a small detail that sticks out to me because it adds a personal touch in my eyes. Printing a label may be easier but it doesn’t have the same affect. People always like to talk about how they’re self made but things like this let you see that they are.
Starting something on your own is never easy but it doesn’t have to be hard either. Trusting your process and following through will bring you the desired results. With something like clothing, buying the items goes a long way and brings in more opportunities and chances to take the success to higher and higher levels. The goal is to always make it to the top – and beyond but like the saying goes, we can’t forget where we come from. We’re all destined to go somewhere but no matter where we go we will always be able to come HOME.
Follow Jamaal on Twitter: @gawdbawdy and Instagram: @mad3byj and check out his uniquely fire Music Mash Up Series titled Headphones Only here!
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