The Brooklyn Circus
“A brand is always a personal evolution,” says Ouigi Theodore, owner of The Brooklyn Circus, a menswear boutique specializing in “tailored casual” clothing designed to go from business meetings to the barber shop. The Boerum Hill store, which opened in 2006, previously emphasized a dandified Harlem Renaissance aesthetic — think fedoras, neckerchiefs, wingtips and herringbone blazers. But 12 years later, the brand is less haberdashery-forward, leaning more to streetwear with vintage-inspired details.
“The references are Cooley High, sports, Jay-Z Brooklyn, Spike Lee Brooklyn,” says the camera-shy Ouigi (that’s him in the middle), who serves up signature Brooklyn Circus branded varsity jackets, wool baseball caps, military coats, leather bags, graphic tees, PF Flyers sneakers, and vintage Levi’s. “It’s inclusive to all but centered around Black culture, and our journey in the Americas and the world.”
Originally from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, before coming to Brooklyn at age 8, Ouigi calls The Brooklyn Circus an experiment in art, culture and the history of Black style. “Everything that we source or reference is from the ‘20s to the ‘60s, when Black men dressed a certain way to seek a certain level of respect,” he says. In addition to its modern takes on vintage swagger, the minimalist boutique houses the Rose Marie Ines Gallery (named for Ouigi’s late grandmother, mother and sister), featuring photography exhibitions that rotate every few months.
“It’s inclusive to all but centered around Black culture, and our journey in the Americas and the world.”
At the heart of The Brooklyn Circus is what Ouigi calls the 100-Year Plan. “We create clothes, culture and lifestyle that will ultimately last,” he says. “I feel like in 100, 200, 500 years of African-American history, we’ve preserved our pain and other things that affect us up to this day, but I don’t think we put enough value on the things that we’ve made and created. I want Brooklyn Circus to become the vintage of the community.”
With a second Brooklyn Circus location already thriving in San Francisco, in May Ouigi plans to expand the brand with BKc, a neighboring Boerum Hill shop offering a more urban, pop culture, logo-driven collection. Or, as he puts it: “This is the circus, and BKc will be the sideshow.”
150 Nevins St, 718-858-0919, thebkcircus.com
