Clement “Fame” Brown of Three Thirteen apparel is on an upward trajectory … professionally and personally. Already a tour de force in the world of fashion retail, the confident designer has established himself and his brand as true to life representatives of Detroit style.
“I started making and selling clothes in the city of Detroit when I was 12,” explained Brown, who at 38 looks young for his age, but is infinitely wise beyond his years. “I started out in my parents’ basement and sold clothes in school and around the neighborhood, first on foot and then out of the trunk of my car. By the time I was in my twenties I was experiencing tremendous success.”
Brown’s entrée into entrepreneurship and putting the Three Thirteen brand on the map is an African American success story in and of itself. The polished professional makes mentoring and small business development with his peers an important factor in his equation for success.
“I think people innately take pride in how they dress and their demeanor, and in where it comes from,” explains Brown about the spin on Detroit’s 313 area code. “Most of the brands that we carry are local brands, and there are some national brands.” Detroit statement wear fans will appreciate the shelves of the phenomenally popular Detroit vs. Everybody gear, Detroit Hustles Harder street wear along with some of the more obscure brands like Filthy Americans and the iconic What Up Doe line.
In January, a group of less enterprising millennials drove a van through the front of the store in the commission of a burglary. And while Brown and his band of entrepreneurs suffered damages to the building and business, along with a hit on the inventory – much of it consisting of handmade goods and products – they’re not discouraged. In fact, Three Thirteen will open a second store on Detroit’s Avenue of Fashion in the upcoming weeks. “Yes, the break-in was a dramatic event, but the bigger story is the number of customers and community members who contacted me before I even knew we had been robbed,” says the well-respected shop owner. “People felt compelled to reach out to me and have some ‘dialogue,” he noted.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbWSRglLv9k&w=640&h=360]
Determination as well as perseverance are hallmark of his success, Brown is distinguished among his business counterparts for the authenticity and profound humanity he brings to the world of retail business. “I wake every morning knowing that I am doing what I am supposed to do, and that’s fulfilling,” Brown reflects. “The real deal is to cultivate this organic energy that we have going to grow and build other Detroit brands.”
A self-made mogul, he credits his father for being a role model and his work ethic guide during his formative years. “My father is from Ghana, and he’s always been into numbers and finance. I would go to sleep and he was up working, and I’d wake up and he was up working, and between my father and my godfather, I learned to be an asset to people.”
The Three Thirteen brand, with its all-things-Detroit approach to clothing and collectibles, is making its impact on the national and international stages in urban fashion centers. When Forbes magazine announced this week that Detroit made the No. 3 spot on its list of “The 10 Coolest Cities,” insiders recognized the contribution young entrepreneurs are making in rebuilding and shaping the city’s image.
“Strangers see our hustle and they want to be a part of that,” Brown concluded. “I’ve relied on that support and my budget of hope to make all of this happen.
About Post Author
