The Aaron Maldonado Interview with Throwing Fits

Summary

Throwing Fits: The Aaron Maldonado Interview with Throwing Fits

February 23, 2026

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Main Theme

In this engaging episode, Throwing Fits welcomes Aaron Maldonado — founder and creative director of the highly respected (but still independent and underdog) streetwear brand Brigade. Aaron opens up about the journey from delivering pizzas and using tip money to launch the label, the hustle to create “undeniably great” collections, navigating streetwear’s shifting culture, dealing with copycats, the critical (and sometimes corny) state of New York street style, and preparing for fatherhood while scaling his brand alongside his wife and close friends. The conversation is equal parts fashion nerdery, behind-the-scenes business realities, playful banter, and deep dives into what it really means to stay authentic in an era of hype, saturation, and commodified “cool.”

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Brigade’s Origin Story and Philosophy

• Starting Small (Paper Bag Money):
  • Aaron launched Brigade in 2014 with just $500 saved from pizza delivery tips.
  • Process: “If I had $48 in tips, I would take the three [dollars], put that in a paper bag...Once I hit 500, I was like, okay, I can make like two T-shirts.” (24:01)
  • Early manufacturing: DIY approach, business cards from SoHo, using dorm contacts for printing (25:00-26:00)
• Vision from Day 1:
  • Aaron dreamed big from the jump—telling his then-girlfriend (now wife and co-founder), Sarah, about a 25-year plan to make “the greatest streetwear brand for our generation.” (19:38)
  • On what drove him: “I was sick of these old guys. We're the new. Like, how old are you at this time? 19.” (20:06)

2. Authenticity, Taste, and New York Streetwear

• NYC vs LA Codes:
  • Brigade is proudly New York—prioritizing real, functional, lived-in style over LA flash.
  • “In LA, you can wear your crazy Gucci puffer in the middle of the summer...Here, we have to dress for function.” (22:44)
  • Aaron’s wardrobe and brand draw on melting-pot roots, family, and the cross-cultural reality of NYC: “...all these cultures come together and kind of create something that's unique to only here.” (77:42)
• Flagship Knits & Representation:
  • Brigade’s all-knit flag sweaters (Puerto Rico, DR, Haiti, Korea) symbolize personal history and community—pieces that sell out instantly, often by word-of-mouth or association.
  • “If I design from personal life experience...that’s where originality comes in.” (36:25)
• On Streetwear’s Evolution:
  • Streetwear was “hijacked” by hype, luxury, and clout-chasers, but Aaron sees a “return to real” after the pandemic collapsed the get-rich-quick bubble. (59:04)

3. Copycats, Biters, and Originality

• Taking Inspiration vs. Biting:
  • Aaron is candid about having his ideas knocked off, sometimes by much larger brands.
  • “Some people go too hard...‘I made a pink T-shirt first.’ Bro, shut up. But when it’s blatant, yeah, I’ll say something.” (40:13)
  • He’s also self-aware: “...as much as I would love to think I’m an original person, millions of people have also lived my life story to some extent.” (37:00)
• Positive Collaboration:
  • Rather than steal from small creators, Aaron prefers to partner and split bread—e.g., how Brigade’s iconic Puerto Rican flag knit was developed with the original maker (45:44).

4. The Business (and Struggle) of Staying Independent

• No Investors, All-In Family Hustle:
  • Brigade is run by Aaron, Sarah (wife, COO, buyer), and two part-time designers; cousin handles shipping (47:01)
  • “If this collection, spring/summer 26, fails, I might have to get a fucking job.” (66:47)
• Shadow Agency – ‘Who Did That’
  • Brigade’s R&D braintrust also acts as a behind-the-scenes design/production consultancy for other brands, specializing in viral, niche, or just plain “weird” ideas (like the six-foot sock). (30:45-34:13)
• Failures & Financial Risks:
  • Aaron is open about near-collapse moments — like overstocking and overspending on Brigade’s 10-year anniversary and learning hard lessons about forecasting and product pricing (68:28-73:46).

5. Fatherhood, Brigade’s Future, and Maternity Leave Realness

• About to Be a Dad—but No “Real Job”:
  • “Nah, we're good...the brand is definitely, like, growing. We're in that, like, hockey stick [growth phase].” (30:24)
  • Maternity leave at a microbrand is DIY: “If I don’t know how to do her job and she doesn’t know how to do mine...what are we gonna do?” Plan is “a week for sure” plus playing it by ear, with some family support. (49:08)
• Stubborn Optimism:
  • Aaron: “I'm delusional...I think Brigade has the potential to really be its own $10 billion giant, you know?” (81:18)

6. Thoughts on the Current State of Streetwear

• On the “Stench” of Streetwear:
  • “That barrier to entry being so low is why it has that stench...but it’s also beautiful because you can enter, like, me, total idiot with $500.” (55:16)
  • “All the losers have moved on...now if you're doing it, you probably mean it.” (62:27)
• Embraces the Label:
  • “I make streetwear. It’s what I love. I embrace it.” (50:59)
• On Gimmicks and Collab Fatigue:
  • “Collabs are soulless unless they make sense for the brand. I don’t care about doing them just for headlines.” (82:27-83:11)
• Marketing and Media Today:
  • Marketing a young brand is “horrible” and a constant game of algorithms, DMs, and noise.
  • DMs from “kids trying to pull up and put you on my TikTok, bro” are frequent and mostly ignored. (85:26)

7. Personal Life, Style, and Recommendations

• Favorite Purchases:
  • Clothes (nostalgia), his Land Rover as a 30th birthday present (“hard launched” to little Instafeed fanfare), and, occasionally, good food—although he’s a frugal home cook. (99:38-100:22)
• Favorite NYC Eats:
  • Uncle Ted’s (Chinese), Wei’s (Taiwanese), Anthony & Sons (Italian sandwiches), Casa Adela (“damn good dumplings”). Food adventures are everyday pleasures, not status-symbol stuff. (102:17-103:14)
• Undergarment Plug:
  • Babylon boxer briefs. “He sent me a pack...I put them on, these are fire, bro.” (17:19)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You deliver pizzas, you got $500, you learn to make two good T-shirts. That’s streetwear.” — Aaron Maldonado (24:01)

• “I wanted to create something new that can be like...I’m also trying to think like a 19-year-old right now.” (21:07)

• “The baby's due the week of our spring summer ‘26 launch, delivery one. Can’t schedule that.” (48:24)

• “The most important thing is to know when to say no. There’s power in saying no. Discernment is key.” — Aaron on the possibility of a Kith collaboration (81:04)

• On originality:
  “I think the best way to stay original is...design from my personal life experience...that’s how you create the original things.” (36:25)

• On the state of hype:
  “Streetwear is beautiful because it’s democratic...but that’s also the reason it sucks.” (56:03)

• On marketing & influencer DMs:
  “They always present it as doing you a favor...‘I have 110k on TikTok!’ I don’t care bro. Do you actually make anything?” (85:33, 85:57)

• “We in the office, we like to say this needs to be undeniably great. Mamba mentality. Maldonado mentality.” (97:07)

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Timestamps for Crucial Segments

• Intro / Aaron Joins: 01:00
• Fit Check / Style Nerding: 05:27
• Brigade's Origin (Paper Bag Money, Family): 17:17–25:00
• Early Days and DIY Manufacturing: 25:00–28:00
• Delivering Pizzas, Hometown Reality: 28:21–30:09
• Shadow Agency & Six Foot Sock Saga: 30:45–34:22
• Originality, Flags, and Community: 35:00–39:53
• Dealing with Biters & Internet Hate: 40:00–46:09
• Small Team, Transparency, and Fatherhood: 47:01–49:08
• NYC Streetwear, New York vs. LA: 22:44, 74:10–77:14
• Marketing, Collab Fatigue, and Hater Culture: 82:27, 83:38, 85:26
• Failed Collections, Financial Struggle: 68:28–73:46
• Sustainability & Quality Conversation: 105:04–109:14
• Undeniably Great Principle: 97:07
• Wrap-Up / Final Plugs: 110:15–End

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Final Thoughts

Aaron Maldonado’s energy, humor, and introspection stand out as he covers everything from the indie grind, the pitfalls of hype, and his steadfast refusal to “collab max” or chase trends at the expense of taste. Brigade, for Aaron, is a long-term labor of love—anchored in New York roots, family, and “undeniably great” storytelling through clothes. Whether he’s facing near-bankruptcy, cycling across the city in upper-number Jordans, or unpacking the complicated beauty and pain of genuine streetwear, Aaron’s message resonates: Make what only you can make. And do it well enough that even the haters have to admit it’s fire.

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Plugs

• Brigade: brigadeus.com — Instagram: @brigadeusa
• Aaron’s IG: @enduringthewaves
• Agency: WhoDidThat.us (locked)

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Note: Skip to 17:17 for Brigade history and story, 30:45 for the business breakdown, and 50:59 for Aaron’s take on streetwear’s current and future states.

Transcript

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[Interviewer 1]

Our guest this week has stood alongside giants and went big pharma mode. How he got the streets pillboxed. The soon to be dad. Congrats on the sex. Might be the most and maybe last tasteful dude in streetwear. And his brand might be the most underrated and slept on label out there. He left his extremely pregnant wife to come rip apart with the boys. So hopefully his kid doesn't want to pop out in the next hour and a half. Here to talk Puerto Rico. Maxing his design stolen by cornballs and when he used to deliver pizzas. Founder and creative director brigade, Aaron Maldonado. Aaron, how are you?

[Aaron Maldonado]

I'm amazing. That was. I didn't know what to expect, but that was pretty sick. Thanks. Yeah, I'm definitely. You're welcome. I'm definitely saving that somewhere. Sure to be. I'm going to watch it every morning before I get to the office to get hype.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, that should be the first thing that your son is exposed.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Oh, shit.

[Interviewer 2]

Should I not say the gender?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Oh, no, it's all good.

[Interviewer 1]

He comes out crying.

[Aaron Maldonado]

You're like, Look, YouTube.

[Interviewer 2]

No. I'm late though.

[Aaron Maldonado]

You're actually. We're actually making him. My cousin is making him a baby pillbox hat. So like, I want first day out. I'm throwing that shit right on his head.

[Interviewer 1]

I don't know if that's mat medically.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, but it's like, it's cool. It's for the photo okay, that's for the fit pick.

[Interviewer 2]

Have you and Sarah done the thing where, like, you've put headphones over her pregnant belly and, like, played him some Young Thug or anything?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Oh, yeah, for sure. Okay.

[Interviewer 1]

I also might be like Nas.

[Aaron Maldonado]

No, I mean, yo, this is real hip hop.

[Interviewer 2]

Get him into the New York State of mind.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Early Jay Z. Bro, what's your.

[Interviewer 1]

What's your birth fit gonna be?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Birth fit for me or for the baby? For you.

[Interviewer 1]

The baby's gonna be naked.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I'm like, I gotta. I gotta get him right when he gets out, you know?

[Interviewer 1]

What are you gonna wear to the hospital when the big day comes?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Sarah said, I can't wear these.

[Interviewer 2]

It might be good for, like, the fluids.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And so I have two pairs of glasses. These are my, like, these are prescription. Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, bro, you're a maniac.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, I wanted to, like. I wanted to embody in my 30th year, like, mad scientist designer. I also ride bikes, so, you know,

[Interviewer 2]

like Dexter in the laboratory.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, pretty much. You know, but wear a helmet when you ride. Yeah, yeah. When I wear the kit, I wear the helmet. Because then you look crazy if you don't. Unless you're this crazy goddamn hacke here. He's sick. He's, like, one of the fastest dudes out here. But he rides, like, a full, crazy $15,000 bike with the kit with no helmet, and he's riding it, like, through the streets.

[Interviewer 1]

But do you. Not when you're cycling, when you're just, like, getting from point A to point B?

[Aaron Maldonado]

I don't. I mean, I pulled up on you. Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

In the fixie.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

What's your. What's your. What's your cycling rig?

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah. The fleet.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I got rid of the fix gear. I turned it into a single speed because I got hit by, like, three cars over, like, three years.

[Interviewer 2]

That's an impressive rate, bro.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, that's pretty chill coming from a

[Interviewer 2]

guy who gets hit by many a car.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, it was like. I did the ride with one of my best friends, Nick, and some other homies to Montauk. I was like, fully fixed gear, no brakes. Yeah, that was horrible.

[Interviewer 1]

How was your. How's your taint after 135 miles? Watch a TikTok of two kids that did that in the snow.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, dude, your. Your penis goes numb as well, and that's, like, the freakiest feeling. It feels like you have a gummy worm. Just, like, in your underwear, just, like, boiling it. You're like, yo, is it ever going to come back?

[Interviewer 1]

How do you Never mind.

[Aaron Maldonado]

But I did that ride fixed gear with him those, like, three years ago.

[Interviewer 2]

Okay.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And the. Well, the crazier part was. And I'm sorry for Sarah's dad. Who's listening? Probably Nick at the time didn't live here anymore. And when he'd come back, we would get like. He was like, my drinking buddy. So the night before, we went to a, like, a graph party on Bowery, and my homie Sha pulled up with, like, a Casamigos bottle.

[Interviewer 2]

Tight.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And we were just like, oh, we gotta wake up at 4:45 for this ride. One Casa Vigo shot won't hurt, right? Yeah. And then we got back to my crib at 2am tight. And then we're like, yeah, we still have to get to, like. We had to get the Flushing Meadows to meet everybody at 5:30 in the morning. Ugh. So we were like, yeah, I was drunk riding. And on mile 77, I threw up while riding. And then we pulled over. We had, like, a checkpoint pulled over. And I was like, yo, it's clipped for me. I'm going home. And my boy Nick was like, no. And then everyone behind him who didn't really know me was like, not our problem, bro. Yeah. And I was like, see you, Deuces. Yeah. I was like, all right, I guess I'm back on it. And we finished it. I wanted to die.

[Interviewer 1]

But you didn't pull up and go, yo, shots at Surf lot.

[Aaron Maldonado]

We were like, I have a photo, dog. I have a photo of, like, all of us on the train. Took the lirr back and we're all, like, dead. I'm sure. But after that, I was like, I'm off this brakeless. I'm getting a road bike. So I have a road bike now. Okay.

[Interviewer 1]

Wow.

[Interviewer 2]

Okay.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Riding a kid. Thank you.

[Interviewer 1]

Casamigos.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

This man's rig.

[Interviewer 2]

All right, so we did a. We did a bike check. You mentioned the glass. What else are you wearing today? Let's get the fit check out of the way.

[Aaron Maldonado]

All right. I guess we'll go with the kicks first. 2017 bread 13s. I'm on some. I want some agenda right now.

[Interviewer 2]

Okay.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I'm trying to, like, agenda vip. Yeah. We basically. When we were doing the fall winter lookbook for the past season, we were like, what are some. What are some staple things we can own? Yeah. And like. Well, we grew up wearing, like, upper number Jordans. Sure. And like, nobody's. Nobody's really doing. You know, everybody's worried about, like, ones, threes, fives. Yeah. And we were like, yeah, let's throw some fifteens in there. Let's throw some seventeens in there. And we just, like. We're like, let's be the brand that's, like, just doing that, right?

[Interviewer 1]

Our Jordans can drive.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Literally. So, I mean, I got these. These are the first Jordans I ever owned, actually. My mom bought me, my brother matching pairs.

[Interviewer 2]

Oh, sick.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Like, I have sick photos of us.

[Interviewer 1]

Has the reaction been to wearing the upper number? What do you call Upper Decker Jordan?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Upper number. Yeah. I mean, I don't know what else.

[Interviewer 1]

The teenager Jordans.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, the. The almost legal Jordans.

[Interviewer 1]

Are people like, yo, sick. Or they like, yo, you're fudgeing.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Where the four is that, bro? Where the. On ig, People are like, you got the vision.

[Interviewer 2]

I'm like, I will say you wear them well. On anyone else, it would be like some chopped fake.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Thank you, bro. I appreciate that, I guess, because you

[Interviewer 2]

lived it, so it just makes sense, right?

[Aaron Maldonado]

That's not you, bro.

[Interviewer 1]

Not you.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Not you. Not you. Yeah. Yeah. Well, what we're trying to do is, like, show kids that, like, you can wear the upper number Jordans and, like, you know, and they could be fly because, like, some people are scared of them.

[Interviewer 2]

You know the barely legal J's?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, pretty much.

[Interviewer 1]

So we got the Epstein J's.

[Aaron Maldonado]

These are valid. We got the red 13s on the foot socks. Uni glow. I love Uniqlo socks.

[Interviewer 2]

Okay.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I don't know. There's the white socks.

[Interviewer 2]

Yep.

[Aaron Maldonado]

18 east on the jeans. Oh, nice.

[Interviewer 2]

Shout out, Antonio.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Shout out, Antonio. I helped him make some, like, little plastic mugs a year or two ago,

[Interviewer 2]

but this is how he paid you

[Interviewer 1]

with the Dennis Macro Plastics.

[Aaron Maldonado]

It's like some Dynex mugs. They're cool, but shout out to the homie Bobby at 18 East. He's like. He's the man. He runs the shop over there.

[Interviewer 2]

Okay.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Got these. I kind of. I'm the type of dude that, like, gets a pair of jeans or pants, and, like, I just wear them for, like, two months straight. I'm with you, and then I find a new pair of jeans that I want to wear.

[Interviewer 1]

You're autistic with pants type shit.

[Aaron Maldonado]

So. So, yeah, sorry. But of an artist, you know, pulled out the Supreme Box logo hoodie because they're like, the goats of everything, so. The goats of what I'm doing, at least.

[Interviewer 1]

And this is new.

[Aaron Maldonado]

This was Nostalgia Cop, Okay. I was like, I was at the shop in Miami, and it was on the rack, and I was. And they kind of Hooked me up. So I was like, oh, nice. Hell yeah. Let's do this.

[Interviewer 2]

It's like the Yankees, like, Navy type deal.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. Cool. Respectfully, the quality is not as good

[Interviewer 2]

as it was when we were young Camber anymore, bro.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, yeah. So you know, is what it is. And I got the brigade Bender knit. You know what's called vendor in it? Vendetta knit.

[Interviewer 1]

You want to show that you. You're saying you are sitting on the wrong side because you want to show the doctor and the pr.

[Aaron Maldonado]

You feel me? Shouts My people did.

[Interviewer 1]

People did. I would ever get pissed because it's like, yo, why don't you put fudgeing Brazil on chest, bro?

[Aaron Maldonado]

You got.

[Interviewer 1]

You got Canada.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Brazil's back here. No, you got right here.

[Interviewer 2]

That's Jamaica.

[Aaron Maldonado]

The pr.

[Interviewer 1]

Did you purposely put PR Next to doctor?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, because I'm Puerto Rican. Dominican. So the best combination. And then my wife is Italian.

[Interviewer 1]

Okay.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Then we're all American.

[Interviewer 1]

Even if you're from.

[Aaron Maldonado]

The only thing stronger.

[Interviewer 2]

The only thing stronger than hate is love, bro.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. Type.

[Interviewer 1]

Only stronger than hate is this knit.

[Aaron Maldonado]

The thing is, the thing is, like, this is based on the phase two leather jackets. I don't know if you've ever seen them. It's like the all over. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

Like an unsavory character on the. On the one train.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yes, yes. But sometimes the flyest.

[Interviewer 2]

So like an eight ball jacket. You never know what you're gonna get, dude.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. So kind of every season, I kind of try to think about, like, what's a weird thing we can make knitted that I feel like I've never seen knitted. So that was this. And this did very well for us. I mean, sold out. Yeah. Crazy. It was like, first date, sold out.

[Interviewer 1]

This flagship always do well. Is that like a cheat code?

[Aaron Maldonado]

I've learned that it kind of is representation. That's me, literally. But I was like. I was like, where? Yeah, yeah. No, the flagship does really well for us, but I try not to, like, beat a dead horse. No, only if it makes sense, you know, like, this was a fun.

[Interviewer 2]

What was the first country cut? Because you can only get somebody on there.

[Interviewer 1]

Israel.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yes.

[Interviewer 1]

Do it. Do a little 360. Like, besides Italy, it's all we got. Korea, Jamaica, the uk. All right, what's this?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Basically, the idea was. What's this?

[Interviewer 1]

What's this?

[Aaron Maldonado]

This one.

[Interviewer 1]

The Haiti.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Okay. Haiti. So shout out my Haitians. They be beefing, so.

[Interviewer 2]

Oh, sure.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Right.

[Interviewer 2]

I keep them separate.

[Aaron Maldonado]

We are the world.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

So separate them with kind of Da.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. So the idea was like, obviously the. The places that make up us. So I'm Puerto Rican. Dominican. My wife's Italian. Korea's on here.

[Interviewer 1]

It's on the back.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, you're on the back. Harrison. Our tech designers. Korean. Okay. And then starker, like our other designers, Puerto Rican. So Jamaica. It's like that from the.

[Interviewer 1]

Because you smoke weed.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Then the. The countries that support brigade the most, like Tokyo or Japan. I'll say Tokyo. Tokyo, the country. I don't know if you're familiar.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, some new shit.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, it's some new shit nobody really knows about.

[Interviewer 1]

You guys are big in Haiti.

[Aaron Maldonado]

We're not big in Haiti, but I have a lot of Haitian friends. And I love the idea of like the unity of Haiti and Dr. Because it's not. It's got a bad history. Sure. Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

I learned that in social studies.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. So what's.

[Interviewer 1]

What's the jacket?

[Aaron Maldonado]

So. Oh, the jacket.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, that you took off.

[Aaron Maldonado]

That's my beater jacket for riding the city bike over here because it gets disgusting. But that's a refrigerator. Actually, Let me not say that that's low key, disrespectful. That's your refrigerator.

[Interviewer 1]

Oh, that's your workhorse? That's your work.

[Aaron Maldonado]

That's my workhorse.

[Interviewer 2]

Daily driver.

[Aaron Maldonado]

It's a beast, bro.

[Interviewer 1]

It's breathable.

[Aaron Maldonado]

It keeps you warm.

[Interviewer 2]

What the is refrigerator?

[Aaron Maldonado]

So it's refrigerator collab with one block down. Those are the homies in Italy. Love one Bl. Well, refrigerator is like. They're in the heights. Washington Heights. They make jackets for people that work in fridges.

[Interviewer 2]

Gotcha.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Like subzero temperatures.

[Interviewer 2]

How the Italians find out about those

[Aaron Maldonado]

guys, you know, they're like reading stories about New York and stuff. And I guess the fairway downtown somewhere, at one point you could like. They had these just hanging on a rack. And before you went into the fridge, you could wear it and then take it off.

[Interviewer 2]

Okay.

[Aaron Maldonado]

So they like, wanted to tell that story. But that's cool. I worked with Bradley, Bradley Carbone on the commercial for that. He, like, brought me in. Oh, nice. So then that was my payment. It's a 450 jacket. But that is beast. It's like. It's like waterproof, sub zero proof, you know?

[Interviewer 1]

E bike. Or is that for.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I mean. Yeah, it's just so much nicer.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah, well, you do E bike.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I do, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. On the city bike.

[Interviewer 2]

You're not.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I called the blue ones, the blue nasty, you know?

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, that's old tech.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, it's especially. Going over the bridge is just not. It's awful.

[Interviewer 2]

You got places to be, dude.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Unless I've had a few beers, you know, because then I feel. I feel it in my thighs. I can go over the bridge, you know, I'm feeling good.

[Interviewer 1]

Got a few beers. You're on the E bike. You're listening to MGMT like you're the.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Oh, it's your own episode. MGMT is crazy.

[Interviewer 2]

The world is your oyster.

[Interviewer 1]

All right. Sorry, Jack zebra. What's the. And what's the. The piece to resistance.

[Aaron Maldonado]

The pilly. You know, the pillbox. Shout out to brigade. The biggest pillbox brand in the world.

[Interviewer 2]

The biggest.

[Aaron Maldonado]

The biggest.

[Interviewer 1]

The only pills that matter.

[Aaron Maldonado]

This is like the ear flap version we did, basically. This was a mistake.

[Interviewer 2]

You don't say.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yes, the.

[Interviewer 2]

Was that paisley on the inside?

[Aaron Maldonado]

What is the line? No, this is a collab we did with Tommy the Jeweler Latino. He let me photograph his. His pieces that I made a textile out of it.

[Interviewer 1]

But it's your jeweler of choice.

[Aaron Maldonado]

He's Starkers jeweler of choice, who is one of our designers.

[Interviewer 1]

Gotcha.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And he basically made that call. And I just pulled up with my camera and I was like, well, thanks, guys. Pictures. But he's.

[Interviewer 1]

He's. He's been the number one guy for a few guests of ours.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Oh, really? He's super cool. He's also like, Dominican Chinese. It's like, sick. He speaks like, Dominican Spanish.

[Interviewer 1]

IG is nuts.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, it's also.

[Interviewer 1]

Hasn't been updated since, like, 2000.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. Yeah. But this. We were trying to make a trapper hat, and it was the. It was just coming out horrible. And then last minute, fourth quarter, I was like, to the hat factory, like, yo, could you just throw your flaps on the pillbox? And they were like, difference. Yeah. And like, it came out kind of sick. And I mean, they sold out. You know, people fuck with them. So for sure I like them. If this combination is like my. You know in Big Daddy when he wears the sunglasses.

[Interviewer 2]

Yep.

[Aaron Maldonado]

This is my combination for that.

[Interviewer 1]

What are the glasses?

[Aaron Maldonado]

They're just some, like, random Australian brand that you never heard of. Now, they're no brand. Really. They're brand. I got them from Australia, like.

[Interviewer 2]

And you just had. You just had the lenses.

[Interviewer 1]

Rubber.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

Tips.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, they're what the fucking term is. But they. I brought them to my eye doctor and I was like, what's good? Can we do this? And they were like, are you sure we can.

[Interviewer 2]

Are you sure, though?

[Aaron Maldonado]

And then the reason Sarah hates them Is because I got for 50 extra, a spray coating to make them reflective at all times.

[Interviewer 2]

Oh, yeah, I'm getting that right now.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. She's like, I fucking hate you. I hate these glasses so she can't see my eyes. So she's like, you're not gonna meet our child with these glasses on.

[Interviewer 1]

Okay, that makes sense. What about the undershirt?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Undershirt. Uniqlo.

[Interviewer 1]

Pete. Timepiece.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Timepiece. Little Casio. John.

[Interviewer 2]

Oh, Lighthorn. Yo, go easy on him.

[Interviewer 1]

Like to blow you on notice. He's got the calculator.

[Aaron Maldonado]

No, this just a regular. I don't even know. I saw. I'm not gonna lie. I saw it on, like, Tik Tok. It was like the Rolex alternative. But I was like, bet.

[Interviewer 1]

Like, wait, you. You bought your watch off the Tik Tok?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Okay, it was like. It was like some dude that. He's like, OG. Like.

[Interviewer 1]

Was it Mr. Fantastic?

[Aaron Maldonado]

I don't even know. It was on my broke ass. Yeah, pretty much. But he showed the green one. He had like, a green face. I was like, that's tough.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And then I saw the black one. I was like, 130 bucks.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah. I mean, you can't go wrong.

[Aaron Maldonado]

It does its job. And then the wedding ring is Margiela. Oh, okay. I see that. Might.

[Interviewer 2]

You might be the first person with, like, a capital fashion wedding ring on the show.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Hell yeah. That's what, you know, Margiela wedding. Sarah was like, don't forget to mention the wedding. Okay.

[Interviewer 2]

Does she have a sheet?

[Interviewer 1]

Margiel as well?

[Aaron Maldonado]

No, no, we got her ring, like, custom made. Well, her engagement rings. Actually, a funny story. I got that broke, boy. Custom made. We went to Tiffany's one day. You know, she's trying to be, like, nonchalant. Yeah, Capital N. And yo, chill. Let's check out the. Let's check out the engagement ring floor. And I was like, oh, the.

[Interviewer 2]

I mean, she. She knows what she wants, right?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. We went up there, she tried on a ring. It was one diamond, pear shape. Pears. Yeah, just regular platinum, you know, Band. The sales rep hands me the business card, like, on the low, like. Yeah, yeah, when you got back, bro. Yeah, yeah. I flipped that over. It was $20,000. I was like, oh, he wrote down the price on the. They wrote down the price and like the, like, BBS one.

[Interviewer 2]

He's like, I want the commission. Hit me up, bro.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

When you sell a few more pillbox hats.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, this was. This was four years ago.

[Interviewer 2]

That was out of. At the time.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, this was Way out of budget.

[Interviewer 1]

So you brought that to Tommy and you're like, yo.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. So basically at the time, I was making jewelry for Brigade, but it was like very surface level. And another brand had hit me up, asking me to make them some, I think, rings or a necklace or something. And when I brought the order to my plug in the diamond district, I was like, yo, can you make me an engagement ring? And they were like, if you bring us a stone. Yeah. So then I use Brigade's business license to buy the VVS pear shaped stone. Okay. I got it for like two bands and then. Which was like, a lot of money to me at the time. Sure.

[Interviewer 2]

I mean, that's a lot of money.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And then brought it to them and they just copied the Tiffany ring. Platinum, everything tight. And then Sarah said when she. When I opened it, she was like, I did not expect, like, the ring, you know, like, so she thinks it's. No, she doesn't. But she was like, I was going to say yes either way, but I was expecting, like. Like, you know, like, not a good ring, but we got that.

[Interviewer 1]

Were you more nervous to propose to your wife or ask her to work full time on your little streetwear brand that you started in your bedroom room?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Propose? Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

But she said yes to both.

[Aaron Maldonado]

She said yes. Thank God she makes it profitable, you know? Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

Behind every good man is a better

[Interviewer 1]

woman dog type panties. What are the panties?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Panties. Oh, slept on. Slept on. I was like, I'm glad you asked this.

[Interviewer 2]

We ask everybody.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, I know. I almost forgot, though. I'm rocking Babylon underwear right now. Damn.

[Interviewer 2]

So right from the Bible.

[Aaron Maldonado]

See, Lee Spielman, I don't know if you guys know him. Yeah, he makes really good underwear, bro. Really? Yeah. He sent me a shout out trash talk.

[Interviewer 2]

That's a band.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Shout out trash talk. Shout out trash talk. Shout out Lee Spielman. Shout out Babylon. He sent me, like a pack box. Yeah, they're boxer briefs. And was like. He sent me a pack of stuff like, yo, could you shoot this for me? And I was like, yeah, I got you. And I shot, like, my homie Elijah in it. And then he took two packs of underwear and I had Elijah wear it for the shoe. And there was one more pack. And I was like, yo, I'm gonna take these. I put them on. I like, these are fire, bro.

[Interviewer 1]

Well, once you put them on, you can't return them.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, those are yours.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. Literally. So Babylon underwear. Shout out to Babylon. All right. Okay.

[Interviewer 2]

Nice little serviceable element for the listeners at home.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Exactly. All Right.

[Interviewer 1]

F check. Bike, check. Panty check. Ring check complete.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Let's get it.

[Interviewer 1]

Let's get into bean potatoes. So you explained Brigade's 25 year plan to your then girlfriend, now wife and co founder, Sarah. What do you say?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Wait, how do you know I did that?

[Interviewer 1]

Do my. I know everything. Did you just assume I know.

[Interviewer 2]

25 year plan, Jimbo?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Basically, the way she describes it is I called she. So she was in college. I did not go to college. I could not afford to go to college. I tried to. I got accepted to Albany. Did not work out for me. For the best. Yeah, I school, I was like, I thought that was like the path, you know?

[Interviewer 2]

Right, right. Kill them all, but burn or whatever people. Something like that.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Hell yeah. Kill people. I was definitely drawing odd future crosses on my.

[Interviewer 2]

Oh, yeah, that's why you couldn't get into college. This guy's a school shoot.

[Aaron Maldonado]

This guy's cooked. Sarah went to school. Sarah went to school for fashion. And I used to be in her dorm room. Whatever. And I had always wanted to start a brand since I was like a little kid. I guess we could like go into that later or whatever, but I don't know if you want to hear, like, how I'm made for this and everything, you know, but. And then one day I just called her at like 9:00pm, I guess, 10:00pm and just like, let it rip. I was like, I'm starting a brand. It's gonna be called Brigade.

[Interviewer 1]

How coked up were you?

[Aaron Maldonado]

I'm sober, bro. Like, I'm basically sober except for the

[Interviewer 2]

costume, but you just have like a manic episode.

[Interviewer 1]

No, but like, 2020 five year plan is crazy. Like five year plan. 25 year plan. And what year is this?

[Aaron Maldonado]

That was 2019. 20. 2014. Okay, 12 years.

[Interviewer 1]

So we're halfway through the 25 year plan.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, yeah, we're halfway there. And like, it's kind of like dialed in. Oh, yeah, it's pretty good.

[Interviewer 2]

The prophecy is being foretold.

[Interviewer 1]

Tldr. What you told your.

[Aaron Maldonado]

The tldr was like, I'm gonna make the greatest streetwear brand for our generation. I was like, I'm sick of these old guys. We're the new. Like, how old are you at this time? 19. I was a little underdeveloped, you know, like, my brain wasn't fully.

[Interviewer 1]

But in 2014. Who are you referencing? Like, yo, Matthew Williams.

[Interviewer 2]

Like, trill is whack. You don't even know.

[Aaron Maldonado]

It was more like Diamond Supply. It was more like hundreds. I think there's Windows of Time you know, where like classes of people come through in all culture, you know, and like. Yeah, I felt like it's generational. I had been buying into things that are, I mean, crazy. I'm still not, I'm still buying into those things, but those things are still prominent today. So, like, I don't know what's going on with capitalism, but in its late stages, apparently. Yeah, it's getting there for sure.

[Interviewer 1]

It's chopped.

[Aaron Maldonado]

It's definitely chopped.

[Interviewer 1]

It's on capitalism.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I'm going to drop the chopped capitalism collection. It's gonna be like chopped capitalism. Close with mess.

[Interviewer 1]

Very subtle.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, but, yeah, but basically, I don't know, I was just like, I wanted to create something new that can be like the. I'm also trying to think like a 19 year old right now.

[Interviewer 1]

Well, you were, you weren't. You weren't satisfied with the current state of where things were or you saw that like establishment had been. Had gotten like stale.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Stale.

[Interviewer 1]

We're right there with you, bro. Like, 2014 was pretty ass.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. It's also like the peak of like luxury streetwear.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Which Leather joggers. Oh my God. I'm just so happy that that's like over like luxuries. You don't think it's going back, you know?

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, I mean, unfortunately, I think you might be.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I like to think that I'm building my own little world over here and I'm ignoring all of that.

[Interviewer 1]

But we're going to talk about contemporary streetwear, but it does feel like there is this kind of like, you know, chrome hearts, copycats, like type of.

[Interviewer 2]

Or look at the kith private club with Giorgio Armani.

[Interviewer 1]

Like that's like sushi club. Like, like the, the luxury fication of like.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I guess what I mean is like, I, I mean, I don't know if it's a New York thing, but I feel like right now what's real is kind of coming back and like streetwear, I don't think was supposed to ever be like that. No, it wasn't supposed to be like,

[Interviewer 1]

it's very LA coded.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. And like it's been corrupted. Oh, I was about to dislike but love to la. I know. It's not that, it's just like, I

[Interviewer 1]

think it's a very New York brand. Do you do well in LA?

[Aaron Maldonado]

No, it's definitely in our top 10, which is kind of funny. But it's not like, oh, we do so good in la.

[Interviewer 2]

I mean, same with us.

[Interviewer 1]

But if you plant the flag is like, yo, we're a new York brand.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. I don't expect to, you know.

[Interviewer 1]

Okay.

[Aaron Maldonado]

But I do got love for L. A. I just like, I don't.

[Interviewer 1]

LA flag in your nito.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. Type.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, the bear.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, the bear. I just, I feel like our ways of thinking are totally different. And like. Sure. I think that that's. That boils down to even like the way we dress, obviously, and the environment. We are like all engaging with, you know, this. Like in la, it's like you're always in a car, so you're wearing. You can wear like your crazy Gucci puffer and like in the middle of the summer and go to the party and. And like here we have to dress for function. And I think it becomes more like if, you know, you know, like the little. You know, I'm like the 2017 Bread 13s. You know, it's like.

[Interviewer 2]

Right, right. More of an element of personal style.

[Interviewer 1]

I liked here. I had to wear this.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I had to dress appropriately. Exactly. And it's like, I think that blends into or bleeds into our. Our culture in general. Like how we operate and navigate social, you know, actually living. Yes, actually living.

[Interviewer 1]

How has your 25 year plan now that we're halfway through it, like, how has it changed?

[Aaron Maldonado]

I realized that this is way harder than you think it is when you're 19.

[Interviewer 2]

No.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I also realized that trying to start something with $500. Damn.

[Interviewer 2]

That was the bottom line on day one.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. It's still fully independent. Right. It's still growing from that 500, like, which. That puts a battery in my back a little bit.

[Interviewer 1]

Was that pizza delivery money?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. So tips. Basically, my system was every night when I'd cash out if I had an odd number. So, like, If I had $48 in tips.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I would take the three, put that in a paper bag.

[Interviewer 1]

What do you mean, the three?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Like, I'll keep the 45. Put that in the bank.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Take the three extra singles, put that in a paper bag. Okay. And then once I hit 500, I was like, okay, I can make like two T shirts.

[Interviewer 2]

500 in the paper bag.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

Well, you literally had paper bag money.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I can send you a picture. It's pretty sick.

[Interviewer 2]

Please get your money, brown bag boy.

[Aaron Maldonado]

In my childhood bedroom.

[Interviewer 2]

Can you please text Tiniest money?

[Aaron Maldonado]

It's all single, so it makes it crazy.

[Interviewer 2]

It's actually sick.

[Aaron Maldonado]

It's like, it's like at the time that was like. I mean, at the time, I'd never even had like a comma in my bank account. So like 500, I was like, I'm rich, comma, singular.

[Interviewer 1]

And what do you do with that?

[Aaron Maldonado]

So I. I was like, I started a website with Wix. That was like 30 bucks right there. I made business cards because I thought I had to make business cards. Those are like 20 bucks. Oh, no. It's actually funny. Like, I didn't know how to make anything. So I had made T shirts before, like, with my dad and stuff, my real dad. And like, we can go into that. But I had never, like, he did that. I just made the graphics.

[Interviewer 2]

Right.

[Aaron Maldonado]

So at the time, Sarah was like the. Sorry. Respectfully, I don't even know. She was like the vice president of like, her fashion committee or something at school. And they had made T shirts locally. She went to school in Marist, so it was like Poughkeepsie area and tipsy and Poughkeepsie. Yeah. She was like, yeah, why don't you just go to these guys? And I was like, all right. So I just drove there one day and it's like, with your business cards, it's like a full printing facility. And I'm wearing like my pizza outfit. Tight. And like, it was like before I had work. I was like, let me just drive over real quick, like. And I didn't know what to expect. I walk in, it's like a warehouse where they're printing stuff and they like. I'm like, yo. And they're like, what? Who are you?

[Interviewer 2]

No. Anyone here order pizza?

[Interviewer 1]

You're like, who am I? Let me explain.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Good stuff. I'm starting the greatest fashion brand of all time.

[Interviewer 2]

I'm so glad you asked.

[Interviewer 1]

I have a 25 year plan. Would you like to hear?

[Interviewer 2]

You got time.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I was like, have you ever met an artist? Well, here we go. But I was like, like, I want to make some shirts. And they're like, email us, dude. I was like, okay. So I was like, I guess I'll email you the shirts then. And they're like, yeah. I was like, all right. Left emailed them the shirts. I made two tees. I made a logo tee and like a flip of the Morton salts. But it was like, she's struggling against the wind and it's like only at

[Interviewer 2]

the strong side that's on the site still, right?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Or no, there's.

[Interviewer 2]

Because there's a Morton's flip right now.

[Aaron Maldonado]

There is. So that was like. That was like. Like what I wish I could have did back then, where I print 10 years later. I printed it in color, you know, sappy Claude. I'm like, chad, GPT make this shirt.

[Interviewer 2]

Are you just really quick on the morning saying, Are you like, were you a jawbreaker fan? Because that's, like, that's. They did that.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I know. I've seen the jawbreaker. But no, it was like. Just wondering. Honestly, I was making breakfast. I think back in that time.

[Interviewer 2]

Supreme's done it, too, right?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. And I was like, how did I, like, make anything back then? But I was. I was like, okay, I got the logo tea. I got the business cards.

[Interviewer 1]

Are you putting business cards? Like a sticker?

[Aaron Maldonado]

I was so hyped on these business cards. Really? I have, like, photos. I took, like, a DSLR, like, holding them in SoHo.

[Interviewer 2]

And, like, we need those as well, please.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Thank you. It's like Sarah with her manicure. I'm like, hell, yeah, dude.

[Interviewer 2]

I'm the next sound.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I was making breakfast type. And John thing. Not. Not breakfast. I was making breakfast, and my mom, you know, always had more insolent. I was like, yo, I'm gonna make her struggle. Because, like, I'm gonna survive. And I'm like, only the strong survive.

[Interviewer 2]

Streetwear brain.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I love that. It was very 19 years old. And then I did. It did well. And then we made, like, a really shitty coach.

[Interviewer 1]

He's like, flapjack.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yes.

[Interviewer 1]

Breakfast.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Like, scrambled eggs, you know?

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

So did that. Did a coach's jacket with, like, jackprints.com.

[Interviewer 2]

okay.

[Aaron Maldonado]

It's pretty advanced. Yeah. And it was. It was whatever.

[Interviewer 2]

Jacking these prince dogs.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Type, at least I'm saying type. Okay.

[Interviewer 1]

What was your average delivery time when you were delivering pizzas?

[Aaron Maldonado]

I was Loki goaded. Shout out to Giacomo's Good Pizza. I was about to drop their phone number because I don't remember the address, but. Shout out to jock. Phone number 845-297-5557. Tell them Aaron said you.

[Interviewer 1]

It was good.

[Interviewer 2]

It was good.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I literally just had it last week, bro. I still go there, like, every time I visit my mom.

[Interviewer 1]

My pizza spot in Poughkeepsie was Nap. Just nap.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Naps.

[Interviewer 1]

I think it's Naps. I don't think it exists anymore. But it was like, ketchup on bread. It was disgusting.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Oh, that's the only.

[Interviewer 1]

It was the only spot open to,

[Aaron Maldonado]

like, 4am no, Jacob's is goaded. They, like, run the pizza game up there now. They actually, you know, Best Pizza. Yeah. He's like, the partner of that. Oh. And like, that.

[Interviewer 2]

It's the real deal.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. That dude's like his protege.

[Interviewer 1]

Did you know the pizza delivery guy for Best Pizza? I think his name Was Psycho Bill.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I didn't know he's known for.

[Interviewer 1]

But he was known. Because you're a Williamsburg guy. He was known for biking around. He's older guy. He died recently. A few years ago. Rip. But he was, like, neighborhood fixture on a fixie.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, just. I didn't even know they delivered pizza. Like, I thought they did that through, like, Uber or something.

[Interviewer 2]

They stopped when it's like, yeah, this is pre.

[Interviewer 1]

Like, you know, doordash. I don't know.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Okay, okay, okay.

[Interviewer 1]

What were the tips looking like?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Dude, shitty. I'm not gonna lie. That's like, some of the most money I've ever made in my life. Really, like, consistent money. Look, if this whole little brand thing doesn't work out, literally, Rob. Like, I was. I look back on that time and I'm like. Like, I was also. I guess I didn't pay rent or anything or taxes in on cash.

[Interviewer 1]

Were you living to, like, drunk marriage, kids?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Nah, we were in, like, Wappinger's. There's like, five of those things up there. Yeah, so we were in, like, Wappinger's area, which is actually, like, where I went to school. I went to Ketchum and shout out to the 8, 4, 5.

[Interviewer 1]

Did you ever deliver to Snooki?

[Aaron Maldonado]

She's from Poughkeepsie, actually. My cousin was friends with her before she became famous.

[Interviewer 1]

What was she like before she got famous?

[Aaron Maldonado]

She got yelled at by my grandma for not taking her shoes off when she came in the house.

[Interviewer 2]

That's valid. Your grandma's valid?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

All right, well, you know the brand. Obviously, we're gonna get into it, but just real life. You're gonna be a dad soon.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yes.

[Interviewer 1]

Now that you're about to have to feed another mouth, is it finally time to get a real job?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Nah, we're good. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We. Let me drink this water real quick.

[Interviewer 2]

No, it's fine. He's gotta. He's like, how am I gonna spin this?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Let me hydrate. Yeah, let me sound confident real quick. No, I mean, the brand is definitely, like, growing. We're kind of in that, like, hockey stick. Oh, wow. Which is really sick. It's incredible. But we also have, like, a shadow agency, which, like, nobody knows about.

[Interviewer 2]

Let's talk about that now.

[Aaron Maldonado]

They do, like, they handle. So what? My wife and I, so Sarah and I, we have a shadow agency where we do, like, weird products. It all came from the six foot sock we did. I don't know if you remember that. Yes, of course.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah. So legendary.

[Interviewer 1]

How many of those did you sell.

[Aaron Maldonado]

We only made 50 of them and sold out. Yeah, but they were expensive because we made them in Ridgewood.

[Interviewer 2]

They're gigantic.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, of course.

[Interviewer 2]

They're fabric.

[Interviewer 1]

Did anyone use them as a jizz sock?

[Aaron Maldonado]

I mean, biggest gooner of all time. I hope so. I hope people were goon maxing to the big sock. Oh, people were brigade maxing. Brigade gooning. So it all started from that. Basically a really big sneaker brand hit us up like a year or two later.

[Interviewer 1]

A really big sneaker brand.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

One of the big. One of the big three.

[Aaron Maldonado]

One of the big three. Yeah. And they were like, humor. No, we don't.

[Interviewer 1]

J. Cole needs a giant for when he busted his pants.

[Aaron Maldonado]

One of, you know, one of the big three hit us up and we're like, please make us one or make us 200. And we were like, holy. Well, we thought the big sock was gonna, like, go crazy. I. I like, I'm a dreamer.

[Interviewer 1]

Did it not?

[Interviewer 2]

Did it not?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Kind of. No.

[Interviewer 2]

But, like, the first time I was aware of brigade, I thought I was

[Aaron Maldonado]

gonna get rich, like, off of big socks. Yeah. I was like. I was like, you'll see. It's a common pattern in my life where I get illusions of grandeur. Yes.

[Interviewer 1]

Well, bro, you got to keep swinging.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yes.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I pulled up to that knitting mill, just cold walked in and was like, we're making a six foot sock and we're all going to get rich off of this. Yeah. They were like, who the are you?

[Interviewer 1]

We're the next big red.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Here's a business card, and here's my business card. But basically, yeah, they hit us up. We made the sock. We made some decent money off of it. And Bradley was like, Bradley's been putting it in my ear for, like, years. Because, you know, I. I make all the brigade stuff. Like, I'm the production manager and, like, lead designer or whatever he's been putting in my ear for years. Like, dude, why don't you, like, farm these products out to other brands?

[Interviewer 2]

Because good idea.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Most brands suck at making clothes that should be. And he's like, you can, you know, show I'm not wearing it. Say, like, the biggie jacket, for instance, that we did that. It's a proper biggie jacket. And like, most brands in our caliber or like, a little bit above us are not producing, like, on that level respectfully. And he's always been like, dude. It was like one day I wore. I was with him in Miami like, three years ago, and I made, like, a knitted soccer jersey. And this is before, like, race 910 and like, yep, we did it at the same time. I'm shout out to them. They, like, went crazy with it. And this was the beginning of my, like, what can I knit and make viral?

[Interviewer 2]

You know, your autistic fascination fixation.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Right? And I wore the knitted jersey, and we're getting in the whip, and he's like, that's you. And I'm like, yeah, bro, horses me. He says, brigade right here, you know? And he's like, that was your idea or you, like, got that from somewhere? And I was like, the. I was like, bro, I'm a designer, bro. I was like, I made this. And he was like, why don't you sell that to other brands? And I was like, nah, because it's my thing, you know? He's so. He's been trying to plant that seed for years. And when the big stock came in, I was like, you know what? Maybe we can do this. So at first, it started as, like, we started the agency last year, and I mean, I guess the website's locked, but it's called who did that? If anybody's interested in looking at the

[Interviewer 2]

website, if you want to, or hire this man.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, who did that? Us or.

[Interviewer 1]

He did that. They did that, Sarah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Exactly. So we did the sock, and I was like, all right, maybe we could do this. And we started doing, like, random. Basically. I tried to position it as, like, if you have a weird idea, like,

[Interviewer 1]

we'll make it happen.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Born and raised. Like, Sponzo came to us and was like, I want to make full print hockey masks. Oh, yeah. That are, like, real.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And at first, I told them absolutely not, because I was like, this was in person. Rest in peace. Yeah. And big rip, because Bradley's like, yo, this kid can make anything. You know, like. And I was like, bro, what are you doing? Swanto's like an og. Like, I don't want to. I don't want to fail and.

[Interviewer 1]

But you did it.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. So he asked, and I was like. I looked into it, and I was scared because, you know, my first. My first thoughts are always, like, to find these factories. It's like, what other things similar to this have I seen that I can maybe find a factory that does that.

[Interviewer 1]

Okay.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Like when we made the Jesus piece money clips last year.

[Interviewer 2]

So sick.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Thank you. That was. I was reaching out to, like, the factories that make, like, monopoly pieces. I was reaching out to factory. Like, I was like, what's something similar that, like, right. You know, you're resourceful, bro. A little Bit, you know, how hard is it to.

[Interviewer 1]

Because everything. And we were talking about this a little bit with the book you're reading. Everything is like, you know, a simulation or like a reference of something else. Yeah, seemingly so. Because, like, everyone's like, yo, make like, here's something similar. Make this. How hard is it to stay truly original these days as a designer?

[Aaron Maldonado]

I mean, I kind of think everything that has been done, you know, but it's like you can kind of. I think the best way to stay original is to. And I learned this when we. When we did the flag knits for the first time, shout out to my homie Ed, because that was like his idea to do the Puerto Rican flag knit. And then he wasn't really running it. And I was like, bro, like, you want to do it together under brigade? And then we did the Dominican Knicks. My boy scam was like, you're a Dominican, bro. You can't just do Puerto Rican flag. Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

Stolen valor.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And I was like, I don't know if Dominicans are going to wear the. Because, like, Puerto Ricans wear the flag.

[Interviewer 2]

Yes.

[Aaron Maldonado]

You know? Yeah. I was like, I don't think Dominicans are going to wear the flag flag. But I was super wrong. The Dominican sweater actually sold out in 45 seconds. I made like 200 of them at the time.

[Interviewer 2]

Land speed record.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And the Puerto Rican flag knit took 7 hours to sell out, which is still first day, but, like, slipping, dude. I mean. And I was like, ricans, you know? What do I mean by that?

[Interviewer 2]

I don't know.

[Interviewer 1]

You tell me what I meant by that.

[Aaron Maldonado]

He's on island time. I don't know. I was. But it blew my mind. I was like, yo, I didn't think. And it kind of dawned on me later. I was like, oh, I guess nobody's really ever put the Dominican flag on, like, clothing like that in a tasteful, like, elegant way. And then that's what opened my mind up of, like, if I design from my personal life experience, obviously Puerto Rican Dominican flags are very obvious things, but it gets way more granular. I think that's where you create, like, the original things. Because as much as I would love to think that I'm an original person, millions of people have also lived my life story to some extent.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah. Not exactly, but like.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. And it's like, if your brain is

[Interviewer 1]

your own, if you're pulling references from within yourself, that's the only way to like, maybe stay more original than being like, oh, like that image or that.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. And also, everyone's Looking at the same on the Internet, you know, so it's like, nah, bro, my algorithm tight now.

[Interviewer 2]

You ain't doom scrolling like I doom scroll, brother.

[Interviewer 1]

I got fuck mood borders. You ain't never heard of the mood

[Aaron Maldonado]

orders you like, I hated them five years ago. But I mean, even like, I don't know if you guys ever saw. We did like a moto, like a Suzuki moto jacket, fully knitted like that for instance. And I think for context for the listeners at home, I have a stepdad and a real dad, obviously, you know, So I just, I just call them both my dad. So if it gets confusing, fuck you. I don't care.

[Interviewer 1]

We got two dads.

[Interviewer 2]

Two for the price of one.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Two Christmases. It's lit. Not really. Not anymore.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

You are a grown ass man. Double presents.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Aaron, he was in a motorcycle club called Legion of Doom sick. And his first bike was a Suzuki Gixxer. And he had that leather jacket to match.

[Interviewer 2]

What did you just call me?

[Aaron Maldonado]

And when I was doing them, I was like, oh, I can make like a moto jacket, like knitted, you know, My reference was, instead of looking for like the coolest moto jackets, like, I'll just do the one my dad had as a kid. Yeah. And I think things like that, that jacket also sold out in like 45 seconds. That was a funny one because that was like Sarah's first collection full time. And so like things were like actually

[Interviewer 1]

delivered on time and like running.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Almost. Almost. We're getting there still, you know. Okay.

[Interviewer 2]

It's a journey.

[Aaron Maldonado]

It's a journey for sure. But at the time when I designed it, she was like, this is absurd. Like, we're not making this because she's the merchant. Like, she does. She's the in house buyer. So she was a buyer for 10 years. She did Bloomingdale's for eight years. Bloomingdale's for six sacks for two.

[Interviewer 1]

Damn. She got out just in time. Yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Thank God I saved her life, you know, in multiple ways.

[Interviewer 1]

No big deal.

[Interviewer 2]

I'm not a hero.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, but when she was doing like the merchandising or whatever of the collection, she was like, we're not making this. This is like absurd. And I was like, trust me, we're going to get rich. Everything. Yeah. Then we, I negotiated 50 with the factory, which is like super low. Yeah. And then first day, they sold out in literally like seconds. And Sarah's like, aaron, place another order. Place another, like, I'll load the back, I'll load the site back up. And I Hit the factory up. Like, can we make 50 more? And they're like, we do it in, like, four weeks. And I was like, like, fire. And those sold out, like, immediately. Like, nice.

[Interviewer 2]

You can put them up for pre order again.

[Aaron Maldonado]

No, we literally just reloaded the site and it just sold out. But people go. Got them.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

But eventually I was saying, no, we don't do the preorder. I hate that stuff. I was saying all that to say, like, because I. I like to think that because I referenced a jacket in my real life that I had a real relationship with. Yeah. That's what made it translate alongside it being, like, it's a good idea.

[Interviewer 2]

No one had really done that.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Right.

[Interviewer 2]

Or no one had as far as I can.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And then House of Errors went ahead and.

[Interviewer 2]

Are we moving into the biters corner of the show?

[Aaron Maldonado]

That could be an appetizer.

[Interviewer 1]

How often are you finding your shit getting jacked? And you're. And what's. What's refreshing and great is that you are, you know, I think, relatively open about it. When you feel like you.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Your shit. I'm like, okay. The whole thing about that conversation is like, I think some people go too hard with that. Like, oh, this person's jacking this person. Yeah. It's like, I made a pink T shirt first. It's like, dude, shut.

[Interviewer 2]

You see it on reels all the time.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And like, I don't really want.

[Interviewer 1]

That's almost like, its own form of marketing.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. And, like, I'm not into that. I'm not into, like, the gimmicky stuff. Really. I mean, obviously I do. Like, we made the Pillbox. Like, it's kind of gimmicky. You know, the Pillbox had video that we did. Yeah, sure. Okay. But I'm not really into, like, that. That kind of stuff. And when it is, though, like, very obvious to me, I feel. Or. And other people kind of agree that are not in my, like, echo, you know, my circle.

[Interviewer 2]

Right, right.

[Aaron Maldonado]

That I'm like, okay, maybe there's, like. Maybe there's legs here that. I mean, that instance. Shout out to House of Errors. They're dope. Like, they do really cool stuff. I love how dialed in the direction of the brand is and the visual. The visual direction. But in that case, I was like, yo, you guys definitely got this from us. Like, we were both going viral the same week because they were. They did, like, something else that week that we did the Moto Knit. So we were all on all the same mood board pages together. Oh. So, like, you probably saw it because they did it literally like six months later.

[Interviewer 2]

Gotcha.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And I was like, this is the perfect time for you to like, see the idea, develop it, and then go spend $200,000 on a photo shoot, a dirt bike, which, like, I wish I could have did, but you know, know.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah, we don't have 500 in pizza tips.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. You know, it's like I'm working with a little.

[Interviewer 2]

Do you think that these, these kind of main offenders see what you're doing and like, this is a great idea and maybe you do go viral or get a little bit of juice, but do you think that they're like, oh, brigade is small fries. Were never going to get called out. People like, just, you know, I like to think advantage of maybe like your, your stature.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. I, I think I'm delusional in multiple ways beyond the.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Reaching for the stars thing. But Sarah says that I, I, I see the good in too many people,

[Interviewer 1]

you know, like, did.

[Interviewer 2]

Shout out your biter.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

It is something you could work on.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. So being a bigger hater and that, I mean, I'm a hater for sure.

[Interviewer 1]

Oh, hell yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

But in this.

[Interviewer 2]

Have some self respect, Aaron.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. In this case, I'm just like, oh, well, maybe he saw it or maybe they. Someone on his team. So I don't know how that their operation. I don't know what it is. You might have mad designers working for him. I don't know, maybe they saw it and they like, you know, have you

[Interviewer 1]

ever, like, have you ever been convinced that someone stole some and then, and I don't know how far along you got down the hate. The path of, the path of hate. But you're like, oh, actually it was just a pure coincidence. We had kind of like the similar idea. And I don't know whether that came to bite you in the ass a

[Aaron Maldonado]

little bit, I guess. Similar. The homie Rug Soda. I don't know if you know that's a crazy name.

[Interviewer 1]

Don't know him.

[Aaron Maldonado]

He makes like. He makes rugs.

[Interviewer 2]

Okay.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I kind of like in Williamsburg. No, no, no, he's from la, I think or something. He's from. Okay, okay, okay, okay. I don't know. He's whatever. He's one of those, like, fried. Yeah. Respectfully, like, he's amazing. He's cool as. I just mean like in like a aesthetic way. Like, he does like, fried ideas that are hilarious.

[Interviewer 2]

His name is Rug, so we get it.

[Aaron Maldonado]

He made like the dumpster bag. I don't know if you saw that like this. The hat with, like, this Z's that are, like, sleeping. Like you're sleeping when you put your head down. Okay. Yes. You know, he had hit me up about the big sock. Yeah, he hit me up about the sock. The big sock. And then I forgot what happened. I forgot how it transpired. But basically, then he went and made, like, a giant sock rug and then styled it, like, as a sleeping bag, like he was under and all this. Okay. And, like, people are tagging me in the comments like, bro, you just jugged this from brigade. And I. Like, that was the one time where I was like, let me put my big boy pants on. And I posted on Twitter, like, cornball. And I posted, like, his DMs. And then, like, within, like, 10 minutes, I was like, I feel like an idiot. This is even me.

[Interviewer 2]

You went too hard.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And, like, I apologize. I was like, bro, like, my bad rugs. It's cool. You could do this. Actually, I'm just tagging the cornball, actually. Yeah. I was like, yo, just tag me in the photo. And he's like. Like, yeah. He's like. He. He also was like, my bad too, bro. Like, I did get the idea from you. And I was like, okay. All right. So, yeah, that's handled like mature adults. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then I saw him recently at BAS in Miami, and, like, it was all love, you know? Like. Right. But you didn't.

[Interviewer 1]

You didn't post the dms.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I pulled up with them printed like, Jersey short.

[Interviewer 2]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Put them on black.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I was like, aren't you rug soda?

[Interviewer 1]

Have you ever been accused of stealing someone's designs?

[Interviewer 2]

Big socks on the.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I mean, when we did, like, our brigade B Socks, people were like, oh, hidden socks. I was like, oh, socks.

[Interviewer 2]

Another letter on the socks.

[Aaron Maldonado]

It's like, okay. I never ran them again. I was like, okay.

[Interviewer 2]

Oh, damn.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I guess.

[Interviewer 2]

Oh, you take that shit seriously.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

You never want to be accused.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, I don't. I. I'm not, like, trying to be. I mean, obviously, I can't deny that I'm influenced by things. And, like, of course my algorithm and everything.

[Interviewer 1]

Your eyes are open.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. But I try to be cognizant of, like, yeah, not doing that. Sure. Because it's fucked up. And then, like, in the case where, like, my boy Ed, he doesn't have a brand, but this is actually kind of hilarious. It's like, back then, this is when I first quit my job and I was doing it full time before Sarah joined me. I was spinning my wheels. I didn't know what I was doing. And I was like, what are some, like, Instagram hacks I can do to, like, grow the page? So I started going onto other brands comments. Like, in this case, it was Stussy. And I would just go into the dudes and just watch their stories and, like, their stories from the Brigade account, and then they would follow Brigade. Oh, wow. So I found this kid, Ed. He had comments on this, like, Converse post from Stussy, and I'm liking his stories, whatever. And then I see his page, and he's wearing this, like, Puerto Rican flag knit. And I'm like, yo, what is that? And I DM him. He was already following Brigade, which is sick. So I DM'd him. And I was like, yo, what's good? This. This knit? And he was like, oh, I just made it one of one. Like, I don't really have the money to make them, you know? And I was like, bro, let's link up, right? And then we had. We ate at Casa Adela over here in Louis Sidea. Love that place.

[Interviewer 2]

People helping people.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. And basically, like, I was like, dude,

[Interviewer 1]

you should make it.

[Aaron Maldonado]

You should make it. You should make it. Shit's gonna, like, go crazy. It's genius. And, you know, he's just like, I don't have the bread, bro. And then one day, I was like, yo, what if we make it together? You know? Know, it's like that. Like, I'd rather do that.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And then I gave him half the bread, you know? And then when we ran it back, when we did the hoodies, I gave him half the bread again. And, like, he didn't even know, like, we were doing that. And it's like, he's still my boy. Like, I hang out with him and his girlfriend all the time, but that's way cooler than me. Than. Like, I could have easily. This kid had, like 300 followers. Like, I could have easily been like, that sick. All right.

[Interviewer 2]

You know, Jug, the idea.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. As you would say, so I would rather do like that, you know?

[Interviewer 1]

You okay. So maybe seeing the good in people. Yeah. An asset.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. Who knew? Sometimes.

[Interviewer 1]

Maybe your wife is smart. Maybe your wife is smart. Sarah is obviously the brains of the operation. She is extremely pregnant. What is the maternity leave policy? How much time is she getting off?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Oh, I'm gonna get cooked. We're gonna get canceled. Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

Better be six months, bro.

[Aaron Maldonado]

least. So we're very scared about that, honestly, because basically, I'm gonna be fully transparent. So kids know what's good. Brigade is Very small.

[Interviewer 1]

How many?

[Aaron Maldonado]

My wife and I are full time, and then Harrison and Starker are part time designers. Harrison works at Fugazi Human Ha. He works at a bunch of other brands.

[Interviewer 2]

Gun for High.

[Aaron Maldonado]

He does Hardee's. Yeah. But respectfully, me and Yumen Ha had him first. So we're the goats. So it's like Starker, Harrison part time, and then my cousin is part time. He ships all of our orders. Okay, so that's it. There's three of us on design.

[Interviewer 1]

FedEx store.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. My cousin is. He's a champ. He, you know, and if you have a complaint, I'm sorry, take it up with my cousin. Hit shop@brade us.com. and he'll answer you in one to three business days.

[Interviewer 1]

But it's kind of like you are creative. And Sarah, your wife.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. So we always say operation the. She's the brain.

[Interviewer 1]

Okay.

[Interviewer 2]

Right.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Brain.

[Interviewer 1]

How fucked is the brain going to be when your wife.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Exactly.

[Interviewer 1]

CFO and CEO has to take time off to raise your child?

[Aaron Maldonado]

So what we're trying to figure out now is like, if. If I don't know how to do her job and she doesn't know how to do my job.

[Interviewer 1]

Right.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And it's like, what are we gonna do?

[Interviewer 2]

Crib in the studio?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yes, precisely. That's the benefit of owning your own business. But nobody's already leaving. I think what we're gonna do is, like, the first few weeks, we're gonna do a few weeks. And like, the first week we're both gonna be off, which is tough because the baby's due the week of our spring summer, like, 26. Launch one. Delivery one. You can't.

[Interviewer 2]

Delivery one.

[Aaron Maldonado]

The launcher. Listen, bro, you're preaching to the choir. Sarah's like, absolutely not. Like, under no circumstances. Because she's like, you haven't.

[Interviewer 2]

Her body, her choice.

[Interviewer 1]

You haven't seen the books. Well, she's like, we need to watch this question.

[Aaron Maldonado]

She comes from such a professional world, which I love and respect. And we know we do wholesale. So, like, we're in, like, Japan. We're in Korea. We're in New York. We're in Packer. Yeah. Jersey. We're in Jersey. The dirty Jersey is. And she's so, like, we are business. We have to live by our word. Like, these. These stores have to get the deliveries today. We said. And it's like, bro, we're two people. And we said that, like six months ago.

[Interviewer 2]

Like, and one of us is pregnant.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. Like, but. So. Yeah, I agree with you. Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

But what's the paternity leave policy.

[Aaron Maldonado]

So we're gonna do, like a week unlimited. I think we're gonna do a week for sure. And then her mom, I think, will come in. Okay. And stay at our apartment. I think Sarah will stay working from home. Ish. For like, a few weeks and then see what happens. Okay.

[Interviewer 2]

I like that plan. We're gonna play it by ear.

[Interviewer 1]

We're gonna play it by ears. Night Nurse.

[Aaron Maldonado]

We don't know. Yeah, we're not up like that.

[Interviewer 2]

Please, we need more flag.

[Interviewer 1]

Buy some of these hats, please.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Buy some pillboxes, bro. Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

Honestly, like, support this man because he's bringing a life into this world along with his wife.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Formula in my baby's bottle.

[Interviewer 1]

Is Brigade a streetwear brand?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yes.

[Interviewer 1]

Is streetwear a pejorative term these days? Or, like, how do you.

[Aaron Maldonado]

You mean like streetwear with the hard R?

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Where?

[Aaron Maldonado]

That was a crazy interview. Respectfully, if you know what we're talking about. I didn't agree with that.

[Interviewer 1]

Wait, what are we talking about, the

[Aaron Maldonado]

street or the hard R?

[Interviewer 2]

Wait, what was it?

[Aaron Maldonado]

An original Noah.

[Interviewer 1]

Oh, yeah. Okay. Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

The. Another podcast.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

That Shall Not Be Brendan was on. Yeah, Right, right, right. Okay.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I just was like, wow, that's. That's a crazy hill to die on. Dude. Dude. And, like, I respect what you've done, you know, but he rejected it for anyone.

[Interviewer 2]

Brendan of Noah, great guy, but he rejected the label in a way that,

[Aaron Maldonado]

like, spun very crazily on the Internet, which I think it went out of hand, but definitely got spun. Zone. Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

But, like, you know, you talked about how you were fed up with street wear, its current state in 2014. And you see people now kind of like, they don't want that label. Brandon being an example of that.

[Aaron Maldonado]

That.

[Interviewer 1]

But also people, I think, like, the interviewer also being, like, trying to apply that label in a very, like, where we need to categorize things, like, way in a very rigid, constricting way.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

So, like, do you. You obviously accept and are proud of, like, the street wear.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Definitely embrace it. Yeah, for sure. I don't think that, like, I mean, at least at this point in my life, I'm not, like, gearing to be, like, a menswear, you know, or like a. Of couture. Like, I think I make streetwear.

[Interviewer 2]

It's refreshing because so many people now because of, I think, the way the trend cycles go or what's hot. It's like, everyone's like, yeah, I have a menswear.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. It's also Like, I love this stuff. Way before it was like that intersection we said of like, luxury. And. Yeah, like, I've. I've. You know, I've another sick photo I can send you. I've. Recently, my cousin Daniel went through all of the shipper. He. He got the hard drive from my family computer and got the photos off. So I have a bunch of, like, lost media from my, like, teenage years.

[Interviewer 2]

We need all about.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I have a photo of me wearing Bab in fourth grade. And it's like, I remember at the time, like, kids made fun of me in school. Literally, like, they were like, they didn't know what they were.

[Interviewer 1]

I'll show you, bro.

[Aaron Maldonado]

They were like, you can't afford Air Force ones, bro. I was like, you don't even know what this is. These are from Japan, literally. And like, I had my older brother and my, my dad to thank for that. But I still loved it, you know, it's still like my thing.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, you were raised in it.

[Interviewer 1]

So why do you think people. Brandon this. Why do you think, like, people are maybe a little, like, sidestepping the streetwear label?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Because.

[Interviewer 1]

And also, like, what is. I guess related is like, what does it even mean these days?

[Aaron Maldonado]

That's a. Yeah, that's a crazy thing. Philosophical, introspective question.

[Interviewer 1]

You got the big brain to answer big questions only.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I mean, the first part, I think. I think people avoid it because one, going back on what I said, it's like people weren't really ever in it for real. They were kind of in it because it was popular or it was like a cool thing to do.

[Interviewer 1]

I made money.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I had a. I had a. I don't even know what you'd call this. Not a thesis, but a thought. In the 20 late 2010s, where I was like, I'm noticing a lot of kids want to be streetwear brand owners because, like, they're white and can't be rappers. And I was like, damn, what's going on here? And now a lot of those kids.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah, a lot of those kids now they do rap.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Now they do rap it. Now spend is going crazy.

[Interviewer 2]

And now it's net spend and two Hollis.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And now those kids are running the game. No, like, I think they weren't. Respectfully, I think they weren't really in it, at least in the way that I feel that I, I am. And I always really love this thing and, like, appreciated it. And I think that they came from a place of, like, well, that's popular and, like, it'll make me clouded and like. Like, I hate.

[Interviewer 1]

There's also this, like, suburban Nui where it's, I'm an artist, I'm a weirdo.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Nobody likes me coming downstairs. Culture vault. They're all looking at you like, streetwear.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, but you talk about culture vulture.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, essentially. Or I guess, like, that Virgil thing of, like, tourists versus pure, you know, it's like. Yeah, it's like. I don't know, like, a lot of those kids, like, fell to the wayside and, like, I'm still here. Just chipping away at trying to make a streetwear brand.

[Interviewer 1]

Is being. Is being a streetwear brand, like, a pure streetwear brand? Is that the hardest thing to do in. In the menswear world these days versus, like, I'm a menswear brand? Or, like, we do the classics, or

[Interviewer 2]

we're subverting the classics with the twist.

[Interviewer 1]

Because there is. I do think that there is some, like, you know, there's a little bit of a stench on, like, the street wear label.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I think there's multiple angles. Like, I think one is taste level. Like, I think. Yeah, obviously, if you're making, like, I don't know, you know, bad streetwear, when you see it.

[Interviewer 2]

Rick and Morty smoking a bottle.

[Aaron Maldonado]

It's like, that's horrible. Nobody wants that. Six, seven. T shirts. Like, come on. It's like. Yeah, it's kind of fun, actually.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, hold on. Like, break this down.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, actually.

[Interviewer 2]

Wait, wait.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Keep cooking, bro. About to choke you. Let me lock in. Relocking.

[Interviewer 1]

Lawrence gonna make a jug T shirt.

[Aaron Maldonado]

He just learned that word.

[Interviewer 2]

Jug.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Jug Capitalism. Six, seven.

[Interviewer 1]

This T shirt was jugged.

[Interviewer 2]

I know some kids from Florida.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Come on. Shout out, big man. Jug. That's a. That's a sleeper right there.

[Interviewer 1]

Yo. What if there's a T shirt that said swag?

[Aaron Maldonado]

I think. Yeah, it's like, a taste level thing. And, like, I think. Sorry, what was the question I got.

[Interviewer 1]

Well, I think, like, streetwear has been so. It was like race to the bottom of, like. Yeah. The most, like, outraged T shirt we can make that's gonna sell a million units. Whatever. Go. Vi.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Spiral.

[Interviewer 1]

And then. But then there's, like, there's where brigade is, which is, like, creating collections and.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And.

[Interviewer 1]

And references that, you know, you have to either you, like, completely immediately, or you have to, like, understand them. Yeah, but I think that there is not from where we're sitting, because I actually think that streetwear is in a good place because all the losers have

[Aaron Maldonado]

moved on type shit.

[Interviewer 1]

But streetwear does have a little bit of, like, a Stinkiness on it. You think? And so, like, is it. Is it even harder than before to, like, run a streetwear brain brand?

[Aaron Maldonado]

This is. I was thinking about, like, what we kind of talked about of, like, what do I like? And not like, in streetwear, I guess. And it. I think this kind of answers that question of, like, I think streetwear is beautiful because it's the most prominent category of fashion or menswear, where, like, you can kind of enter, like, me being a total idiot and having like 500 bucks and making something out of it.

[Interviewer 2]

It's democratic.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. Yeah. But that's also the reason why it sucks.

[Interviewer 2]

Sure.

[Aaron Maldonado]

You know, because it's like everybody anymore

[Interviewer 2]

on that could screen.

[Interviewer 1]

Street wear is like podcasting.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, true. Damn, that's a good T shirt right there.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

And my other streetwear brand is a

[Aaron Maldonado]

podcast, but I think that barrier to entry being so low kind of is why it has that stench on it. Because, like, you know, a menswear dude or whatever is going to be like, well, I went to, like, school and yeah, I believe in the way the placket sits on the. You know, it's like, okay, bro, shut up, nerd. The shirt says your placket, you know, Like, I don't care, you know? So it's like, I don't know. I think. I think that's where the stench comes from. It's like, oh, you didn't really work

[Interviewer 1]

for the early because it's too easy. There's no barriers to entry. Anyone can do it. And so everyone did it. And so there was a lot of

[Interviewer 2]

people that didn't respect it. So if you don't respect what you're doing, how could you get respect from other people?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Right.

[Interviewer 2]

Because I feel like people don't really respect you.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Oh, yeah, no, it's like a bas at least now. And it's like, I don't know. You don't. I don't even know where I was going to go with that. But, yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

Do you think that you're seeing that now in menswear where anybody can enter it and they're like, oh, well, like, like, send this shirt to the factory and just like, rip it and then make a nice IG ad.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Like, yo, I've done that for so many people.

[Interviewer 2]

So you are. You are helping further this problem.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. Yeah. I gotta put formula in the bottle.

[Interviewer 2]

Right?

[Aaron Maldonado]

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[RealReal Host]

So we plan for the plot twists.

[Aaron Maldonado]

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[Interviewer 1]

Is running a good streetwear brand actually the most difficult thing to do in menswear these days?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Oh, for sure, bro. Because, yeah, it comes with, like, stigma attached to it.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

So, like, that's why I said it's a taste level thing. Like, I think even, I mean, respectfully, you guys liking brigade means a lot to me because, like, shout out to you guys as much as you guys, like, joke around and are hilarious.

[Interviewer 2]

Thank you.

[Aaron Maldonado]

You guys also have very high taste levels, I think. And I don't know, the fact that you guys like it, I'm like, whoa, I must be doing something right, you know, And I think that is how I enter those rooms of when I do, when I am in Paris or whatever and I'm meeting these people, they're like, yo, your is actually super sick. You know, like, people that like streetwear, where we're there for it, respect what we do, which is all I could really ask for, you know, what are

[Interviewer 1]

you seeing in streetwear right now that's giving you hope?

[Interviewer 2]

Is there a new class that you consider yourself a part of? Like maybe Trev at Fugazi or.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, for sure. I think. I think this is kind of like on that slow cancellation of the future tip. I don't know if you guys have perused.

[Interviewer 2]

No, but it sounds real. It sounds real smart.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Shout out Mark Fisherman. Like, it just feels like the people. I think, like, like you said, the losers are kind of leaving or they're gone.

[Interviewer 1]

Right.

[Aaron Maldonado]

You know, like the Crypto Bros and like the people that treated this like a stock market and like, didn't under. Like, that was. That's the whole thing is there's this whole, like these eras of street wear. Right. And I think pre 2010s, pre social media was like a very, you know, like, I was going to supreme when I was in sixth grade, you know, fifth grade, and like, things were sitting there, but it was like, like I liked the culture that was around this. Sure. And. And the sneaker culture around that as well. The sneaker culture really is like the beginning of all of it, I think. Absolutely. And back then that was like the real purists, you know, it was real, real culture. Then social media came along and it became this like, pay to play thing, which is like things Became expensive because of like their story and like their standing in the. The culture. Like let's say a certain pair of sneakers or whatever back then before social media. And then the social media guys came in and they're like, well, I see there's expensive things here. And if I can acquire those things,

[Interviewer 2]

like become financial assets.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. And also like I become clouded.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

For social media, like I got a thousand likes my photo. And when that kind of. I think now we're in this like post Covid era that like no one's really talking about of like that has kind of collapsed and now how.

[Interviewer 2]

Or it's chrome hearts, honestly.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. Yeah. But that's, that's. It's so LA coded to me. Yeah. Chromoside chromosome.

[Interviewer 2]

They're lacking a couple.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, we're lacking a couple chromosomes. I have no chromosome drip. So now we're in this era, I think, which gives me hope of people that are partaking in it because they truly like it for the most part, I think. Right. It looks like you're just saying no.

[Interviewer 1]

Well, no, it's like you've taken the financial incentives out of it. It's. You can't really get rich quick on a street web brand.

[Interviewer 2]

No one's buying a brigade piece to flip it immediately. On stockx, they're buying a brigade piece because they're like, this is cool. Whether it's the story or just a design and they want to legitimately wear

[Aaron Maldonado]

it and the quality stands so you can sell it and make your money back. Which is sick. That's like all you could ask for.

[Interviewer 2]

Just a little bonus, little carry on top.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Little bonus, Little bonus. I mean somebody, they were selling the. I don't know. We made like flag pillbox hats in the summer and the flag one sold out in like a minute.

[Interviewer 1]

About 45 seconds.

[Aaron Maldonado]

About 45. They sold in like a minute. This is. Sometimes things like that, they just move like that, you know. And they were reselling on grilled for like 200, 250, 180. And we sold them for 58 bucks. Right. So. And like I think six of them sold on grilled for that.

[Interviewer 1]

And so there are still some.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

Financial.

[Aaron Maldonado]

But that's scammers because that's like. That's kind of what I was saying about the beginning where it's like, like it's worth that much to you because it's important. Like.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I met a dude recently. We opened the studio up for a private like sample sale. We did two weeks ago. And it was sick. Cause I got to, like, one thing I'm battling right now is a lot of people think that we're, like, up. Like, people think we're like, there's like 30 employees. Oh, wow. And I'm like, nah, dude. Like, I shoot all the photos. Like, me, Harrison and Starker design everything. Sarah's running the business. So I opened the studio up to let these people come in and just see, like, what it really is is

[Interviewer 2]

we're down bad, still don't get it twisted.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And this one dude, Cave, and I believe his name was Vic, but he. He bought the pillbox hat for 250 or something on grill. And he was like, bro, I needed to have it. He's like a low head type, you know, like, and it's like, that's sick. You know, like, you really see the value in, like, what this is. It's not like you bought it because it's sold out. And, like, you're gonna try to, you know, it's not an investment. I mean, it is an investment, but it's.

[Interviewer 1]

And no one. And no one's starting a brand now because they can't necessarily. Like, it's gonna be hard to make money and make a living out of it. Yeah, you have to actually believe in it. And, like, it has to be something you're passionate about versus just like, yes, yo, I could start a starter streetwear brand. Get a T shirt on, whatever.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Rock. We're talking to my little brother about that because his. He. He's 19 now, 20. And you know, I started the brand. He was like six, right? And he's. He was telling me the other day, we had like this, like, heart to heart, and he's like, bro, I've been telling my friends, like, you don't know

[Interviewer 2]

what it takes, man.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I see my brother in our room, you know, like shipping out of an inkjet printer. What are all the.

[Interviewer 1]

What? All the former sneaker, you know, sneaker head, streetwear guys, like, in, like, losers that moved on to now, like, fucking polymarket. Like, is that what they're.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I don't even know what Poly Market is. What is that?

[Interviewer 2]

It's a prediction market where you can bet on, like, type.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I'm not even tapped in with that bullshit. It's like, get that out of here, bro. Right.

[Interviewer 1]

Well, no, they moved from street wear to like, Gucci and then from Chrome now. Yeah, but then Gucci to like, NFTs and NFTs. AI and then AI too.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, I'm good on that. Yeah. All right.

[Interviewer 2]

But you bet on Polymarket so you can afford chrome so you can dress like a little baby.

[Interviewer 1]

What's the corny happening in Tre right now?

[Aaron Maldonado]

The corny that's still.

[Interviewer 1]

Still here. Like a dingleberry that you can't shake.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Dude, get a bidet. First of all.

[Interviewer 2]

Man's a.

[Interviewer 1]

First of all, yes.

[Aaron Maldonado]

First of all, get a bidet. Yeah, I got one at the crib, one at the studio. Stop playing.

[Interviewer 1]

Hell yeah, bro. Toto.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Was that Toto? No, I got the. I got the two. Was it tushy?

[Interviewer 1]

Get your fucking money up, bro.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I told you, we're still getting there, okay?

[Interviewer 1]

You need Toto money.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I need total money. I need formula money and total money, I think right now.

[Interviewer 1]

What's the dingleberry?

[Aaron Maldonado]

The dingleberry is people. One people, like, front, you know, like, not really being down with this, but also, like, what does that mean? I think there's like, this. This idea of. How could I explain this? Well, one, I think it's time for a new generation. Okay. I think that across all culture, you know. Oh, I think we've been stuck for, like, 20 years, you know, And I think it's time for a new generation of, like, leaders, which I don't think is possible, really. I don't think there can ever be,

[Interviewer 2]

like, brain rotted into oblivion already.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Well, I think the people are as well, you know, we all are.

[Interviewer 2]

You know, it's like, I'll speak for yourself, dude.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I'm a teacher. Yeah, okay. I think, you know, back in the day, it was like, there was regional style, there was like. It was harder to, like, for everyone to know everything all the time. And now we all know everything.

[Interviewer 2]

Everyone's an armchair.

[Interviewer 1]

Well, everyone thinks they know everything.

[Interviewer 2]

Yes, exactly.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And it's like, believe.

[Interviewer 1]

Everyone's a critic, everyone's an expert.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yes. And you're exposed to everything. So, like, whatever is trendy, like, you know, in Dime Square this week, like a kid in. In Ohio knows, you know, the same day, which, like, that would us. They used to take. Take like, four years at least. Yeah. So matriculate, bro.

[Interviewer 1]

They just got sweet green.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, I think. I think this idea of, like, titans of industry, like a Drake or, like, even a Supreme, you know, it's like, I don't think that that can never really happen again because we're exposed to, like, everything all the time now. And it's not like people telling you, like, this is the greatest streetwear brand. Like, you have to buy into this. And you're like, okay, yeah, that's great. Let's do do it. So I think like that this idea of like we kind of need to move beyond. I think it's going to be more titans of like niche, you know, big

[Interviewer 2]

fish and smaller ponds.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yes. I think that's what it'll be like. I would like to think that we're going to be like that New York real streetwear brand that keeps it authentic king or big fish. And then there could be like the gorpy.

[Interviewer 1]

Right.

[Aaron Maldonado]

You know, and whatever it is, you know, like so I think that. And I think. I don't know, I've been listening to a lot of like interviews and lately and I'm like a lot of people just like not telling the truth, you

[Interviewer 2]

know, capping to protect what like their own reputation or to gatekeep knowledge.

[Interviewer 1]

Like I think they just be yapping.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I think people want to assume this identity of like the underdog or like they are making themselves marketable, you know, or like relatable, I think. And it's like, what are you talking about, bro? You have like investors and like, oh, I see Stockton stores everywhere.

[Interviewer 2]

People want to appear like a grind set hustlepreneur. But it's really like, yo, there's a whole machine behind you.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. And it's like, I don't know, like you're kind of taking food off the plate of people, you know, like us that are really like we have nothing backing us. And like if this collection, spring summer 26 fails, like I might have to get a fucking job.

[Interviewer 1]

Where would you ever take investment?

[Aaron Maldonado]

We've been talking about it. Yeah. We've been thinking about like we wanted to for this collection but you know, the baby kind of makes it a little difficult. We're doing, we do Paris in summer. We do like a showroom and like pop up out there. Yeah. So we're gonna be doing that again with the homies Emporium in Para Toto in Philly. So we wanted to do originally the idea was for spring summer 26 to do like a one month long store downtown or something.

[Interviewer 2]

Oh, cool.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And just see like, because basically every year we take a giant financial risk which is like maybe not the smartest thing.

[Interviewer 1]

No, probably not.

[Aaron Maldonado]

But it always like it's got to

[Interviewer 1]

put a lot of stress on Sarah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. Yes.

[Interviewer 1]

She's like the lame price of Brigade.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

We hopefully with a better outcome. No spoiler.

[Interviewer 1]

Stop stealing staplers.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, she, she's definitely like shout out to Sarah, man. She like rides with me. For real. She's.

[Interviewer 1]

She should be on the pod right now.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

She.

[Aaron Maldonado]

We. No, in a year or two, we got to bring. Run this back and have Sarah right here. But every year we take like a financial risk. And last year was. Was Paris because we were doing it for the first time. We did. We went twice. We went in the winter to like explore and see, like, do research and see, like, okay, is this like, can we do it? Because we do wholesale or whatever, you know, and then we went in June and did a proper showroom slash pop up space and that. Like, we killed it. Like, we profited on the pop up space, which awesome. No one does, you know, like, so we made money being out there and then we made money on the wholesale orders that we got, you know, so

[Interviewer 1]

we're like, okay, maybe do more of that.

[Aaron Maldonado]

That's what I'm saying. So like the financial risk sometimes work out, you know, so that was a good one.

[Interviewer 2]

So got to spend money, brother.

[Aaron Maldonado]

If they don't work out, there's bro there. Fall 2024. Let's get real right now. Fall 2024. I was like, it's over.

[Interviewer 1]

Oh, so over.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Why?

[Interviewer 1]

What happened?

[Aaron Maldonado]

No sales. It was our 10 year anniversary as a brand and against Bradley's advice of not telling people that the brand is 10 years old at that time, because he's like, you're just now getting hot. Like, yeah, don't let people know. And I'm like, I like to think that the new generation with that, like, they're like, you can go back on Brigade's Instagram to the first post, right? It's all still there and see like that it was bad, you know, it wasn't good.

[Interviewer 1]

This made it get better, kids.

[Interviewer 2]

It gets better.

[Interviewer 1]

This made business cards.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I was failing in front of everybody for a long time. Long time. And like, I don't know how it worked.

[Interviewer 1]

And now you up, but not really.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Now we getting up.

[Interviewer 2]

Now we're mid.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Now we're mid. I was down bad. Now I'm mid. Yeah, but progress. Hell yeah, that's progress.

[Interviewer 2]

But so you went against Bradley's advice

[Aaron Maldonado]

and we did, we did like this whole, this whole collection of like, here's the greatest hits. Oh, that's. Yeah, but we like read, brother. All right. I wish I asked you guys before. We're always available. This immediate response.

[Interviewer 1]

Remember when we started sucked. Yeah, that's for sale now.

[Aaron Maldonado]

That's actually all right, but. All right, hear me out though. It was all the pieces that like went viral. It actually made money.

[Interviewer 2]

Gotcha.

[Interviewer 1]

Who wants a big ass stock?

[Interviewer 2]

We made 100.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Did not make money. That was a lot of media buy or whatever you call that. I don't know. Yeah. So basically we did like we made a lightning jacket. The first viral thing I ever did was this like 3M lighting jacket. And it was in 2017. It was before people knew how to do all over print. That's kind of like my Savon thing is I can figure out production like pretty well. So I did like this all over 3M lightning jacket and it was like heavyweight. Honestly, it was a miracle that the factory. Because I sent them some. I sent them like I look at those tech packs back then and I'm like, how did I make anything?

[Interviewer 1]

Let's sell this.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. And by God, you know, God willing, it was a crazy miracle that it came in. And it was really nice quality. The 3M worked really well. You took a picture of it, it flashed like lightning. It just, you know, super gimmicky but like really nice quality. So that was an example of like pieces like that. We redid them, but with what I know now about.

[Interviewer 1]

Okay, you did them again. But good.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. Okay. Yeah. My idea of good. You re.

[Interviewer 2]

You remastered.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Your remastered. There it is. And I was like, yo, so if we sold like 100 lightning jackets, I was like, if we sold 150 lightning jackets, it's like we could sell like

[Interviewer 2]

300 now if they're good.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And I'm like, I'm going off these numbers of like over the course of like seven years, things that sporadically like sold out in one day.

[Interviewer 2]

You're.

[Interviewer 1]

You're vibe merching.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I'm vibe merchant for sure. And basically, you know, I was like, dude, we're going to make like so much money off this collection. And we like ordered the fuck out of everything and. Oh my God, bro. And then on top of that, we did a one week pop up up on Rivington, which was like $15,000 or something all in. And then on top of that, we threw a crazy 10 year anniversary party at Loom Studios on Broadway.

[Interviewer 1]

Or liquor sponsor for this.

[Aaron Maldonado]

We had Topo. Chico sponsored it. But then we had. Damn, I should remember. Whatever. Whatever that was a rum is. Yeah. So years ago. Yes. So there was a one time swap sponsor.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, yeah, 10.

[Interviewer 1]

10 in one room or something. Whatever.

[Aaron Maldonado]

No, 10 to one. No, those are the homies. I don't. I think they actually gave us a few. There you go. Actually I did. Yeah. I think they were the ones that sponsored it.

[Interviewer 1]

There you go.

[Aaron Maldonado]

You're welcome. So that was like all in. We spend like a lot of Money on that.

[Interviewer 1]

And you almost lost the brand or almost shut the brand.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yes. Like, I was freaking out, dude. I was losing sleep. And like, I have like Harrison in the office, because Harrison's been with us for two years now, and he's like my golden child. I love that. That kid, he does all of our tech design, so all the tech packs. He does the graphics. Like, you know, he's way more talented than me. Like illustrator and stuff. At the time, I would be looking at this kid in the office like, I have no job. I don't think he was working for Fugazi. You see like the.

[Interviewer 1]

The bullsite on his head.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Like, like, bro, like, it's getting real scary.

[Interviewer 1]

He's like, hey, man, guess what, my girl's pregnant. You're like, oh.

[Interviewer 2]

You're like, look at this sacrificial land.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Loki. He's like, yeah, I just bought like a five thousand dollar couch. I was like, what's the return policy? You're about to be sleeping on it. It's like, you kept the receipt. I was like, dude, we're about to be fun. This whole.

[Interviewer 2]

This whole operation's gonna be house of cars.

[Interviewer 1]

Oh, my God.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

And then you're like, hey, I hear IKEA has some good stuff now.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So the thing is, it sold okay enough. But we, We. What do you call it? Forecasted for it to, like, go crazy. So we were like, we had no money, you know, we were like, oh my God, what do we do? And I remember I sat down, my homie Radim is at the studio, and we just had like a four hour, like, conversation about it. And he was just like, bro. He was like, my favorite thing about you is you tell me your problems with a smile on your face. And I was like, is that trauma? Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

You're like, it's a defense, a coping mechanism.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. And he was like, bro, you're gonna.

[Interviewer 2]

You're gonna figure it out.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I was like, okay, that sounds. It's really easy for you to say that, you know, but then he was right, you know, like, we figured out and like now the brand is like. Like, we profited last year, which is sick.

[Interviewer 1]

Great.

[Aaron Maldonado]

You know, because like, brigade back. Yeah. Brigade. We are so back.

[Interviewer 1]

Brigade up.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Brigade is up.

[Interviewer 1]

I want to ask about brand or like, kind of the. We talked about how, like, whatever. Not being true to this, whatever that means. What are your thoughts on the fetishization of New York City? Whether that's transplants, moving here and being like, yo, I'm a chopped cheese bacon Oki way on tick tock idea or brands claiming to have deep roots in New York City. Like.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

How does that. How does that work in your brain?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Well, it's interesting because New York is like one of the most powerful brands in the world. Facts, you know, so it's like super easy, I think. Dead ass, B. Yeah, yeah, Dead ass. I think it's super easy for people to like come here and see that and then like use it, you know?

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah. Abuse it, bro.

[Interviewer 1]

They're clout dragging off of New York City.

[Aaron Maldonado]

They're cloud maxing, drafting. I'm trying to get hip to this gen alpha lingo.

[Interviewer 2]

They're frame mogging. Frame mogging their Ohio. They're claimed city.

[Interviewer 1]

They're city mogging.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Their city, their hometown.

[Interviewer 2]

They're jester maxing on Gotham, bro.

[Aaron Maldonado]

What? The voids. The voids in the. What is it?

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah, mainly the moids.

[Aaron Maldonado]

So. Yeah, I mean, I think it's easy to like do that. I have a very interesting background with it. Like, you know, my family's all from here. From Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, East New York.

[Interviewer 1]

Like staying in the membrane.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. But I grew up in Poughkeepsie. So my mom. My parents split. My parents had us, me and my brother, when we were. When they were teenagers. Teenagers. And then they split up because, you know.

[Interviewer 2]

Right.

[Aaron Maldonado]

They were teenagers.

[Interviewer 2]

No babies. Having babies.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. And my mom moved to Poughkeepsie in search of a better life. Yeah. She dropped out of high school in ninth grade. She went to Frankie Franklin K. Lane in like east New York. She like dropped out of high school, ninth grade. Like, shout out to my mom. She's the. Go shout out to moms, bro.

[Interviewer 1]

Did you grow up with Kujin? No.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Is he from.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah, he lived in New Paltz and Poughkeepsie.

[Interviewer 2]

He was on the show at one point. That's crazy.

[Interviewer 1]

Has bangers, snooki, coos, Aaron, a.

[Interviewer 2]

A Ron.

[Aaron Maldonado]

A A Ron brigade. Yeah. So. But I grew up up there. And then I. I would come down every Sunday. We would do family dinner in east New York. So I have a hundred plus cousins on my Dominican side. That's. Damn.

[Interviewer 2]

That is very Dominican.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, we do it. We do a family reunion in Forest Hills park every August. And it's like.

[Interviewer 1]

Do you design the movie?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yes.

[Interviewer 2]

Oh, that's so tight.

[Interviewer 1]

Yo.

[Aaron Maldonado]

That's. That's.

[Interviewer 1]

Is that some rare. That's got to be rare.

[Aaron Maldonado]

That's rare for sure. Yeah, it's one T shirt.

[Interviewer 2]

It's like the Ralph Lauren, like company picnic tees. On ebay that go for, like, 500.

[Aaron Maldonado]

That's fire. Actually, I'm like, I shouldn't have ruined mine. But, yeah, I made the shirts for that. And then what I was saying is I would come down every Sunday for family dinner at my grandma's house and, you know, be exposed to my cousins and everything. And then every week, every other weekend, I stayed with my dad down here. My real dad down. Down here, so. And he was like, you know, he's like a New York kid that never grew up, Right. And he's the one that. When I started skating in fourth grade, he. I was writing some, and he's like, let me take you to the shop. The shop downtown and put you on. And he brought me to supreme. And then, like, he kind of got

[Interviewer 2]

you the babes when you're four.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, yeah, he got me the babes when I was cool dad. Yeah, cool dad, for sure. I'm definitely like a derivative of a Nepo baby, in the sense that I'm like, a Nepo culture and swag, baby.

[Interviewer 2]

Taste a taste Nepo.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, I'm a taste Nepo.

[Interviewer 1]

Okay. I give you more credit than that. I don't think that's how it works, but okay. No, you're lucky your dad grew up in New York.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I had cool parents. Got the code switched. My mom was super fly when she was a, you know, a teenager, and she mentioned me. My brother will always fly.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

So I'll send you photos. Like, we were always like, she. She had. She didn't have much, but, you know, she told me the other day, she's like, layaway was my best friend back then. You know, Like, Nepo always had you guys. Yeah. Like, dripped out, and my brother were always matching and stuff. But.

[Interviewer 1]

But what do you, like, what goes to your head when you see brands like, yo, we're so New York.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I think it's morning. It's, like, swagging here. Yeah, I think it's.

[Interviewer 1]

I'm dripping here.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I think if you're gonna do the New York thing, it's like, kind of what we try to do. It's. It's not so much about Tim's and chopped cheeses and bacon, egg and cheese. It's like. It's about that. This is really a melting pot, you know? And it's like all these cultures come together and kind of create something that's unique to only here. And if you can sell those stories and, like, do things based off of that, that's more interesting to me. But doing, like, the whole like, yeah, slam a chopped cheese in my face. Dip it in Saratoga water. Yeah. I'm like, bro, chill. It's like. It's mad corny.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Also, the tokenization of Puerto Ricans lately, that's mad corny too.

[Interviewer 1]

Okay, kiss. Global domination, which really has. Say what you will. Has leveled up the past, like, three years, right? From even beyond, like, where they were crazy. Is that good for New York City and. And streetwear?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Mike, is. Is the blue star gonna come for me?

[Interviewer 2]

Oh, no, no.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah. What's Robert Kraft up to right now in his fucking command center?

[Interviewer 1]

Is that a drone?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Oh, my God. God. Kith is not for me, but I understand it.

[Interviewer 2]

Good for the goose. Good for the gander. Like, can all three wear. Benefit by the global dominance?

[Interviewer 1]

Rising tide lifts a rising.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yes. Rising tide lifts all boats. I think it is monolithic. I think the, like, it being out there and, like, kind of figuring out the retail landscape in, like, modern times.

[Interviewer 2]

Sure. That's.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. Stores. Yeah. I just personally like the kith brand. I'm not really, like, all right, like, the clothing. Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

What about, like, the marketing of it all? And, like, for example, I think that kith, you know, and I think. I think this is a good thing, making people wear more people aware of brands like Orally, Stein or Stein or.

[Aaron Maldonado]

That's what I'm saying. The retail.

[Interviewer 1]

They have. The retail has, like, some of the best brands in the world.

[Aaron Maldonado]

It really has genius about it, too. If you think about it from, like, a branding perspective, it's like.

[Interviewer 1]

It's like, yeah, I can. I can put kith next to our legacy, bro.

[Interviewer 2]

Stone Island Lamar, If I can put

[Aaron Maldonado]

brigade next to our legacy and, like, Orly and then, like, I don't know, denim tears or something, I'd be like, yeah, we up. You know, like. But that's.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah. By association, it just seems better if.

[Aaron Maldonado]

But if the New York thing with kith, I personally, it's like, ald does it better to me, even though it's the same people, I guess, or whatever. Like, I don't know. It's like, yeah, more or less. I think the way they do it is just, like, cooler.

[Interviewer 1]

What do you think of when they open the Chicago store, Ronnie handing out bacon nugget cheeses to the people?

[Aaron Maldonado]

That's what I'm talking about.

[Interviewer 2]

That's like. Like, shout out to Ronnie. Ronnie.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Gonna.

[Interviewer 2]

Ronnie. Like, that's.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, Ronnie's cool.

[Interviewer 2]

All right. Yo, here's the literal million dollar question. Hypothetical Ronnie comes to you, he wants to do a kith Brigade collab. Do you have a number?

[Aaron Maldonado]

We actually talked about this in the studio like two weeks ago.

[Interviewer 2]

Okay, how did that conversation go?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Because, yeah, we're thinking about like the wholesale side of things and there's no stores really in New York at least I feel that. I don't know, like, I don't know

[Interviewer 2]

if I see him stalking you, like maybe logo stuff because it might compete versus like a lot of the other brands we talked about. Maybe Stone aside, they're not like logo streetwear driven brands. But if you wanted to properly collab, could you actually make that good? Like, could you from your brain, like,

[Interviewer 1]

crush that kid boss Kilbox.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I think it's important, more important to know when to say no to things.

[Interviewer 1]

There's. There's power in saying no.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. Discernment is key.

[Interviewer 2]

Okay?

[Aaron Maldonado]

And it's not even on some hater. It's just like, I don't think I can. Like, our worlds can, like, what's your number?

[Interviewer 1]

What's your number? Yeah, five mil.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I mean that honestly, bro. Okay? I'm delusional. Like, I think that brigade has the cape, you know, the potential. The potential to really be its own 10 billion dollar giant, you know? Like, I don't think I need.

[Interviewer 2]

I mean, the president has been set. There are billion dollar street brand Stone Island.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Kith.

[Interviewer 1]

Do you have a dream? Collab. Kith.

[Aaron Maldonado]

But dream.

[Interviewer 2]

Oh, yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I mean, I grew up with Nike, kid.

[Interviewer 1]

Bradley can't make this happen. Yeah, right. More Adidas guy.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Be gay. Keeping Loki. No, Bradley's the goat.

[Interviewer 1]

But he's a three. He's a Stripesman.

[Aaron Maldonado]

He's a Stripes. Yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

I think three stripe life on that side.

[Aaron Maldonado]

An enigma.

[Interviewer 1]

Bradley's. Bradley's everything.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, he's everything.

[Interviewer 2]

He's the man we love. Brad. Listen to his show.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Mikey, for sure they need you.

[Interviewer 2]

Yo, honestly, bro.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I mean, yeah, I'm like, let me bring this love of upper number Jordans, yo.

[Interviewer 2]

You might be the only man. You could save Jordan, bro.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

Jordan is even more down bad than the swoosh. I feel like right now.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Put that on the record. I wish there was fanduel for streetwear.

[Interviewer 2]

No Polymart. That's probably predictive future markets.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I'm trying. I'm manifesting whatever you just said.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah, collabs. Collabs are, you know, a big fucking thing. Both for.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Oh, that's another thing about modern streetwear that I don't give a about what. It's like the collab thing. Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

It's like we have gotten.

[Aaron Maldonado]

It's tied down a bit.

[Interviewer 1]

We have gotten past collab. Max.

[Aaron Maldonado]

It was so much.

[Interviewer 2]

And it's like, well, that's why I died. Because it was.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. And like, if you.

[Interviewer 1]

It was a cash grab. It was headlines. It was like, yeah, yeah. So attention.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And if you look at, like, our history, like, we've never really Collabed, and it's one is because mostly the first 10 years, I was trying to figure out what I'm even doing.

[Interviewer 1]

Doing.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. Now that I feel like I know what we're doing now, we're, like, opening these collab conversations. But it's like, you don't need a collab all the time for everything. You know, it's like, collab wouldn't make sense for the brand.

[Interviewer 1]

Right. But some. For. For some people, what makes sense is like, oh, we need. We need headlines.

[Aaron Maldonado]

True.

[Interviewer 1]

But, like, no, we need to be in front of people. We need new. We need newness.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

In between seasonal drops, we need to like, oh, here's this thing now.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Guess what?

[Interviewer 1]

We're back in the conversation.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

People are transferred.

[Interviewer 1]

For better, for worse.

[Aaron Maldonado]

It's like, soulless, though, you know? Oh, for sure. At least make it make sense.

[Interviewer 2]

I think most people eventually realize that

[Aaron Maldonado]

and, like, solve at to me, you know?

[Interviewer 1]

So if you look at collabs as a marketing tool, what else besides collabs? What is the most annoying thing about having to market a relatively upstart brand in 2026?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Oh, my God.

[Interviewer 1]

Because we could talk about it from the consumer side, but from the, like, the creator side, the. The founders.

[Interviewer 2]

You're like, I don't want to do this either.

[Aaron Maldonado]

It's horrible. It's like, you know that meme of the soldier in the trenches, like, like, bro, this. This sucks. Yeah, it's great.

[Interviewer 2]

My brother in Christ, you started the brand that you have to market.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I think the thing about the marketing side of it is it's like with streetwear, it gets very gimmicky. And I think that's also where that Sigma comes from, you know?

[Interviewer 2]

Like, novelty.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. Meet me downtown and I'm going to throw 100 T shirts at the crowd.

[Interviewer 2]

Don't meet me there. Beat me there.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And it's like, shut up, dude. Like, just make some good clothes. What are we doing here?

[Interviewer 2]

That's not enough, unfortunately, to cut through the noise.

[Aaron Maldonado]

That's my problem too, is it's like, like, what are we doing? Like, are we all not here to make clothes? So, like, why do you guys not know how to make clothes? Oh, talk about, like, Quality or quality, like.

[Interviewer 1]

Well, some people are here to make money, which means keeping production dog and maxim margins. Maximizing margins and then doing the marketing that is free with social media.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I'm quality mogging everybody.

[Interviewer 2]

Nice.

[Aaron Maldonado]

From here on out,

[Interviewer 1]

QC mogging.

[Aaron Maldonado]

QC mogging. Every streamer brand. Put that on the record. No, but yeah, like, so what is it?

[Interviewer 1]

Having to do this. You hate this, right?

[Aaron Maldonado]

No, no, no. This is. I'm kidding, I'm kidding.

[Interviewer 2]

This is an honor and a privilege. We understand.

[Aaron Maldonado]

You know, it's sick. Yeah, I keep. We're glazing Bradley. This is. We're Bradley gooning.

[Interviewer 2]

No one else deserves it, bro.

[Interviewer 1]

We're carbone gooning.

[Aaron Maldonado]

But two years ago, he was like, oh, Aaron's probably going to be on here in two years. And I'm like, again, fanduel. I wish it existed. Wow. Wow. Oh, he did.

[Interviewer 2]

He did show you a lot of love when we potted with him.

[Aaron Maldonado]

That was.

[Interviewer 2]

That is true.

[Aaron Maldonado]

The goat. He's the goat.

[Interviewer 2]

He respects the out of you as we do Bradley as well.

[Aaron Maldonado]

He's the man.

[Interviewer 1]

What was it like having me, like, kids are like, yo, let me pull up and put you on my Tik Tok, bro.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Let me ask you, how much DMS are cursed? For sure. Oh, yeah. I hate reading those dms.

[Interviewer 1]

Is it a lot of people being like, yo. And put you on?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, yeah. Of course. They always presented as. They presented as, like, doing you a favor. I'm awesome, bro. I have. And they'll. Sometimes they'll send their stats 110k on Tik Tok, 4k on Instagram. Let's get it. Like, I don't care, bro. What do you do, like, who are like, do you make anything? Do you like, right. Have you contributed to, like, society in any way? No, because I'm not down to like, just send you something. Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

Oh. People ask, like, trying to convince you for flow.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. And they're like, yo, like, I'll do like a tick tock. And I'm like, I don't care.

[Interviewer 2]

I'd rather you actually not. I'd rather people not see you publicly wear my brand.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. There's people that like, I definitely. I'm like, hell yeah, bro. Like, that's sick. But yeah, like I said, it gets cursed. Like, the DMS are crazy, but marketing a brand, it's. I was going to say it feels like every time I think I figured it out, it like moved on, you know?

[Interviewer 2]

And I'm like, that's.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I'm just. Yeah. And it's like, whatever. Like, I don't care anymore. I'm just like. I think if you make. I truly believe for a while I was of the. Of the camp of, like, oh, the algorithm hates me. You know, like, I'm shadow band. Yeah, I think that it does.

[Interviewer 1]

It does.

[Aaron Maldonado]

That's. No, that's whack, I think.

[Interviewer 2]

No, no, saying it publicly is very whack.

[Aaron Maldonado]

No, I think even thinking that is whack. Low key, but. Okay, I'm sorry. That's right. Yeah, we're all shadow. No, I think if you create, like, quality stuff, it hits, you know, like the algorithm pick. Yes, the algorithm definitely is not picking up everything, but, like, you can use that to your advantage to, like, understand. Oh, well, if we do a beautiful campaign around this that, like, hits all the right marks, we know it'll kind of, like, have legs.

[Interviewer 1]

Zuckerberg will press the button.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, so that's like, kind of where we're at with marketing. It's like trying to get better at dialing in the visuals and building that world. Yeah, we're just trying to build that world. You know that eventually, you know, you want to become real too, you know, but you're just like, it's theater at first.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

What.

[Interviewer 1]

In terms of, like, the guys in your DMs and that want to, like, you know, collab, like, on the content creator side, like, what are the best mentions or headlines to get? Whether it's a content creator or, like, a more, you know, legit media company these days.

[Interviewer 2]

Complex style loves you. We've noticed that, like, complex is like, you're on the list.

[Aaron Maldonado]

People think that, like, they have invested in the brand or something. Oh. And I'm like, no, bro.

[Interviewer 2]

Are you even in the complex shop?

[Aaron Maldonado]

We are, we are. Okay, you got to start.

[Interviewer 1]

Well, there you go. You got to start making the mark echo.

[Aaron Maldonado]

This was before that.

[Interviewer 1]

The mark Echo hats a pilly before.

[Interviewer 2]

Every last slide of everything they posted was to the complex shop.

[Interviewer 1]

Okay, so what are the. What are the headlines? Complex style side. Like, what are the headlines?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Mike De Stefano. And later, the ones that open the door complex for us. And Mike is still there.

[Interviewer 1]

Lays down.

[Aaron Maldonado]

They're just like, yeah, lays that bof. Now they. They just, like, love the brand. That's like, genuinely, like. I mean, I just made Mike recently. We did, like, a jersey. Basically every spring summer, we do a jersey with my dog on it. Like, different wishes phase multipoo. Shout out to Theo. And Theo, Mike has, like, a dachshund, so I just made him. He just Got it like last week. A dachshund.

[Interviewer 1]

Oh.

[Interviewer 2]

It was like a custom. Like a thank you for all the.

[Interviewer 1]

They better post about that.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

But in terms of like the other things, I think. I think Outlander honestly has like a grip on.

[Interviewer 2]

Okay, wanna. I wanna talk about these.

[Aaron Maldonado]

We'll go.

[Interviewer 2]

Keep talking. But we gotta talk about the headlines and what.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I think Outlander, even though he doesn't post brigade anymore. Anymore. Really? No.

[Interviewer 1]

Damn.

[Aaron Maldonado]

But I think Outlander.

[Interviewer 1]

Your check bounced.

[Aaron Maldonado]

What happened?

[Interviewer 2]

What happened? Caleb, right? Yeah. Callum. Yeah. I mean he's a young CEO.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. I think they though they have. He's really good at. He modified like the media landscape to be like for young people where it's like the way he's selling it to you, it's like I hate it. Yeah. Kids think that they're like being put onto something when reality is like, no, the brand paid for this and he's wording it like this so that. That you sorry for outing him. But you know.

[Interviewer 2]

No, I think it's pretty clear.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I think most people don't think that. I think they're like.

[Interviewer 2]

Well, I guess the young kids don't know that they might be being pandered too.

[Aaron Maldonado]

But it's like.

[Interviewer 1]

But it's also like.

[Aaron Maldonado]

It's.

[Interviewer 1]

They're like, yo, this brand put on a sick dinner.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, this is how you do a brand dinner. All right, well, were you invited?

[Aaron Maldonado]

I mean, like, respectfully. It's like he figured it out, bro. Like, that's how people need to be fed their information now, you know.

[Interviewer 1]

But that's also like even styled do style.com is like just regurgitating press releases in a way that is like. It's like, yo, this person's not the publicist of way they are. And it's like, yeah, they told you to post that. Is that the powder pr?

[Aaron Maldonado]

I think it's like a trade almost getting great. Know. I think Outlander. I think Eugene Street Night Live. Shout out to Eugene. We've been for like 12 years. These.

[Interviewer 1]

This is what moves the needle or drives people.

[Interviewer 2]

He you heavy Eugene.

[Aaron Maldonado]

We've known each other since way before we even had these brands. You know, wasn't he.

[Interviewer 2]

He created the failing upwards Reddit. He was told your community manager or something for when we were a previous podcast and never that shopping.

[Interviewer 1]

And then the mob chased him out.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, he did.

[Aaron Maldonado]

He's hitch forks and interesting lore. Shout out Eugene. We I've known him since we knew each other from supreme, like collecting supreme way back in the Day.

[Interviewer 1]

All right, so, like, what goes through your head when you see a headline, Stop sleeping on Brigade. The NYC street where Darling is going to own 2026.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Did somebody write that?

[Interviewer 2]

No.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Are you reading that from somewhere?

[Interviewer 2]

It sounds good, though.

[Interviewer 1]

Chat made it.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I'm like, oh, we should definitely send that to Outlander.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah. Like, check.

[Interviewer 1]

When you see. When you see that, like, what do you. Are you, like, yes or you're.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I mean, when.

[Interviewer 1]

Relax.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Like, when Complex posted the best rising brand in New York.

[Interviewer 1]

Oh.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I was like, is that you? Yeah. I was like, yeah. Whoa, that's pretty. We got, like, thousands of followers, I'm sure. Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

And because everybody wants to, like, know, like, what's. Everybody wants to be on, what's next up.

[Interviewer 2]

Want to be early.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I thought for a long time that that stuff didn't really make a difference. And then, you know, pop and stylists and stuff started hitting me up like, oh, oh, dude, can I pull? And I'm like, how did you find? And they're like, oh, Complex says you're, like, the best. And I'm like, what?

[Interviewer 2]

The Complex told me.

[Interviewer 1]

What does that say about these sty?

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, bro.

[Aaron Maldonado]

But it's like, yeah, like, we were like, rema has worn Brigade a few times, and it's because of that. Because I'm like, okay, well, what goes

[Interviewer 1]

through your head when you see a list and you're not, like, you know, at the top, but, you know, you kind of see, like, your associates or the. The context in which.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I think the lists are, like, mostly a Gimmick.

[Interviewer 1]

Well, number 16 of 2025. Yeah, we got three wear brands going.

[Interviewer 2]

Let's go.

[Interviewer 1]

Descending 20 to 1 1.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, no, I think you should do descending.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Start at one. And.

[Interviewer 1]

Okay. Number one. Cortez.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Cortez who. Whose list is this? Yours.

[Interviewer 2]

Complex.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Complex.

[Interviewer 1]

Number two, Kith. Three, Supreme. Four, Amor.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Okay.

[Interviewer 1]

Five, Stucy. Six, Palace. Seven, Cactus Jack.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Cactus Jack.

[Interviewer 2]

That's crazy.

[Interviewer 1]

Eight, Denim Tears. Nine, Takashi Murakami. The flower artist guy. Yeah, I know who that hell star. Then Van, I lost track of what numbers are bape. Happy Memories don't die. Spider with a five. Satoshi Nakamoto. Number 16. Brigade. Number 17. James Franco's Pally Hollywood beating.

[Interviewer 2]

Pally's good.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Look. Wait, what the hell? Even though that is.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, it's like the new Erd.

[Interviewer 1]

Fake Erd.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

But it's by the actor Jane, slash artist slash freeware designer James Franco.

[Interviewer 2]

Erd wasn't like, you know, Nazi coded, and it was more like a James Franco chill vibe.

[Aaron Maldonado]

It would be pally Hollywood, but also

[Interviewer 1]

James Franco was out here doing heroin,

[Aaron Maldonado]

so it's like, so getting minors. Isn't he on social media? Was.

[Interviewer 2]

He got cancelled.

[Aaron Maldonado]

They.

[Interviewer 1]

They got older.

[Aaron Maldonado]

His brother is sick, though.

[Interviewer 1]

Dave.

[Interviewer 2]

Dave Franco.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I just watched 21 Jump Treat again.

[Interviewer 2]

Oh, classy.

[Interviewer 1]

He's in 22.

[Aaron Maldonado]

He's in both. He's.

[Interviewer 2]

He's the bully. He's like the.

[Aaron Maldonado]

He's the main guy. He's the plug in 20, 21.

[Interviewer 2]

He's not the main guy. The main guys are Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum.

[Interviewer 1]

Franco is what happens in 22.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Then.

[Interviewer 1]

He's also in that. Oh, he is also in that.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Maybe. I don't know.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, he's a high schooler.

[Interviewer 1]

Basket case.

[Interviewer 2]

We're getting off track here.

[Interviewer 1]

18. Basketball case. Birth of royal child. 19. And number 20. Skims.

[Aaron Maldonado]

That was weird. Skims is weird. That's.

[Interviewer 1]

They definitely paid for.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Was it street wear list or was it Streetwear? Streetwear.

[Interviewer 2]

Streetwear, too.

[Aaron Maldonado]

That.

[Interviewer 1]

If that is street wear, like, how does that register?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Like, what.

[Interviewer 1]

It goes through your head when you hear. Like, that is, you know, by one of the biggest, if not the biggest, like, you know, street wear.

[Aaron Maldonado]

That's the thing is expertise. To me, it feels. Well, I'm honored because I'm like, you guys are. Are whatever you think of complex. They are really, like, one of the biggest.

[Interviewer 2]

You know, we grew up in the system, bro. We were there, we got it.

[Aaron Maldonado]

But, you know, but for the culture at large, it's like, people really listen to them for the most part. Is that a good thing? I mean, no comment. You know what I mean? Let's.

[Interviewer 2]

They're a legacy. Streetwear, media brands.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. It has, like, making culture pop since 2000, whatever. But I. I'm honored to be included. But it's also, like, honor to be. It's honest.

[Interviewer 2]

It's an honor just to be nominated.

[Interviewer 1]

But you're three positions above Skims, the Kim Kardashian underwear brand. So, like, if that. If that is what Streetwear is, according to the biggest, you know, media entity, what goes through your head?

[Aaron Maldonado]

What goes through my head is how many of you guys paid to be on this list? Okay. And then when I remove those people, like Skims and like, James Franco's brand and maybe probably a few others. Okay. Now when I reduce it down to that, when I cut the fat off, I'm like, okay, I'm in a pretty good spot, I guess. Like, I'm entering the zeitgeist.

[Interviewer 2]

Yes, you are, absolutely.

[Aaron Maldonado]

The brand is Entering the zeitgeist. And that's why I'm proud, because I'm like, all right, let's see where you

[Interviewer 2]

rise or fall this year.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

I'm rooting for you to beat out. Happy memories don't die.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

Whatever that is.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Or.

[Interviewer 2]

Or. Or Hell Star. I mean, hellstar is a movement, bro.

[Interviewer 1]

Hellstar's huge, but Bape is, like, legacy. They're not doing anything. Like, contemporary Vans is a sneaker brand. Yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. That's what I'm saying.

[Interviewer 2]

Like, I think Cactus Jack is crazy.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Top five Cactus Jack. So, like, respectfully, they have really cool graphics.

[Interviewer 2]

Travis Scott is the creative director of Oakley, after all.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Facts. I would never wear it, but I'm like, sometimes I'd be looking at his drops, and I'm like, damn, you guys have been going kind of crazy. Like, I wish I could make graphics like this.

[Interviewer 1]

What's Cynthia know from why is it cactus playing flea market on here?

[Interviewer 2]

That's surprising. Maybe they see her as, like, I

[Aaron Maldonado]

just frame mog Cynthia. Damn. A brand mark Cynthia.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, I'm trying to. Who's not on this list?

[Interviewer 1]

That's kind of crazy market. Not, like, doing anything last year.

[Interviewer 2]

Do a lot of merch for rappers and McDonald's.

[Interviewer 1]

But I'm just wondering if they, like, didn't do anything last year, though. Like, I don't know. Whatever.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I don't think so. I don't know. That's not really my, like, cup of.

[Interviewer 2]

She's streetwear, though, for sure. She collapses with Nike.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And. Yeah, she's.

[Interviewer 2]

Cynthia's the goat.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. I mean, I don't know. I just. The question, I guess, is, like, what do I think of the current state? Or what do I think of these, like, gimmicky lists?

[Interviewer 1]

If the current state is defined by the top brands, and those are the top brands, like, and a lot of them are paying for play.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

Suck. Like, are, you know, celebrity driven. Like, merch brands. Like, if that is what streetwear is,

[Aaron Maldonado]

well, then at a time when they

[Interviewer 2]

needed him most, we can only hope that the real breaks through.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Right. Presumably. That's all I have to say. It's like, get off the pot. What we're trying to do is hero.

[Interviewer 2]

We needed, not deserved.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yes. Yes. The thing I'm trying to do is,

[Interviewer 1]

like, either die hero or collaborate with Kith.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yes.

[Interviewer 2]

Or live long enough to get a bag from ap.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Pseudo ban from, like, everything, if you're lucky.

[Interviewer 1]

Join us, brother.

[Interviewer 2]

Welcome.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, Hello.

[Interviewer 1]

Is there our legacy in here?

[Interviewer 2]

We are hating from outside the club. Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

Can't even get in.

[Interviewer 2]

And that club is the kith private

[Interviewer 1]

pickleball club Padell Padal.

[Aaron Maldonado]

But I feel like squeeze real. Like, I'm trying to. What we're trying to do is show people, like, this is what real streetwear is. You know, it's not like the gimmicky stuff. It's not like paying for play. It's. It's like this.

[Interviewer 2]

No celebs.

[Aaron Maldonado]

We in. In the office, we like to say this needs to be undeniably great, you know, so, like, somebody needs to look at what we're doing. The visuals mentality.

[Interviewer 2]

Mamba mentality.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And it's like, you.

[Interviewer 1]

Maldonado mentality.

[Interviewer 2]

Oh, banger. Put that on a T shirt.

[Interviewer 1]

I want undeniably great. Was that undeniably great?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. You know, I want people to be able to look at what we're doing. And again, for the haters out there, it's only, like, four of us. We're still figuring it out.

[Interviewer 2]

Wait, you have haters?

[Aaron Maldonado]

I mean, I'm sure people are gonna be in these comments like, this guy sucks.

[Interviewer 2]

I think you're coming off awesome. Honestly, not even.

[Interviewer 1]

I think people are gonna say, this guy sucks just because that's. And that's.

[Aaron Maldonado]

That's told them to do that.

[Interviewer 1]

That's a Them problem inside you. But you want to make clothes where it's like, you. You can't. I want the top for me, I

[Aaron Maldonado]

want the visuals, the clothes, the store one day, the collaborations, everything to be like, this is un. I can't even hate on this, brother. If I understand the context of, like, let's say, yeah, the Nike sneaker, God willing, you know, it's like, I want people to look at that, and I have to be so good at my job of telling its story, like, instantly that when you see the sneaker, you know the context. And if you're in Wyoming, you're like, I understand why they did this, and I respect that.

[Interviewer 1]

That's like, even if it's not for me, I understand why.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, exactly. It is undeniably understand that's the legacy that I would like to leave is like, it's undeniably great, bro. It's like. Like, you can't. Like, I think supreme is like that. And Ralph Lauren's like that. It's like, yeah, you can't even hate, bro. That's. It's so good. It's like, even if you're not wearing it right, this is the only supreme thing I own in 2026, you know? But, like, you had to Sell the

[Interviewer 1]

rest of it to fund your collection.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, actually, yes. Yeah, I sold.

[Interviewer 2]

Because of your 10 year anniversary brick factory.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I had, I had the original Louis Vuitton box logo like before the Louis Vuitton ton collab, the season desist.

[Interviewer 1]

What do you flip it for?

[Aaron Maldonado]

What's that?

[Interviewer 1]

What do you flip it for?

[Aaron Maldonado]

I sold it for $2,000 when I was dead broke living in Crown Heights to fund a collection and to pay my security deposit on the apartment. That's tight. Damn streetwear, bro. Literally.

[Interviewer 2]

How to make it in America.

[Aaron Maldonado]

That's good lore, bro. Yeah, so, yeah, that was like, that was the, the week they announced the Louis Vuitton thing. I was like, oh, this is it.

[Interviewer 2]

Capitalize on the moment.

[Aaron Maldonado]

True. Rude. And I was broke, so.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah, well, look, when you're not, when you're, when you're not broke and you have some extra shekels in the bank to spend on things besides your own business, your own collection, what do you like to spend your hard earned money on?

[Aaron Maldonado]

That's something I've been thinking about a lot lately with like the kid on the way. I've been thinking besides your kid? No, I mean, I'm saying I've been thinking a lot about as I'm preparing for the child.

[Interviewer 1]

No money.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, I'm just thinking of about. I don't know, I, I guess you guys will experience it too. It seems like to be a common thing. It's like you start to reflect on like your childhood, what you enjoyed, what you didn't like, you know, this and that and, and then also on top of that, this like searching for my childhood photos, which now I'm seeing like, oh, I was wearing like 2001 16s in this photo. Like I didn't even know what I had on, you know. And like I think I've reactivated that feeling inside of me of like I can buy clothes and like I like to buy clothes. Right, right. I think clothes I have. I mean my Land Rover is like my baby. Nobody really knows that. I, I've never posted it.

[Interviewer 2]

That must take a lot of restraint in this day and age because that would go crazy on the grid, bro. Land Rover.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I just hard launched the Land Rover. Wow.

[Interviewer 2]

Landy rough skateboard.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, that's like, that was like my dream truck. Like I bought that for my 30th birthday last year.

[Interviewer 1]

Sick.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Good for you, man. And yeah, it's like things like that, you know. And like, you know, I want to get a Rolex one day just as like a symbol. Sure. You Know success. Yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

They market and mark milestones.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah. Clothes. I spend a lot of money on my Land Rover because Land Rovers are pieces of. But I do all the work myself. So again, undeniably great. You can't hate on that. Even if I have to do it three or four times, I still get it done.

[Interviewer 1]

This does get seven miles to the gallon.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Chill 12yo city miles.

[Interviewer 2]

City miles.

[Aaron Maldonado]

It's 17 on the highway.

[Interviewer 1]

Okay. Damn.

[Aaron Maldonado]

But it's fine.

[Interviewer 2]

Okay, so spend your money on gas.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, no, that's a tax write off. I put that on the brigade credit card. It is the.

[Interviewer 1]

It is the company V vehicle.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yes, yes, exactly. I did. Yes.

[Interviewer 1]

Is there anything you refuse to spend money on? Like you're cheap skate about?

[Aaron Maldonado]

What do I refuse to spend my money on? I guess like contract condoms. I definitely lost control. Definitely lost my virginity, which is dope.

[Interviewer 2]

The best part about having a kid is people know that presumably you're a sex average.

[Aaron Maldonado]

If you guys don't know, it's. It's pretty sick.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, I've heard it must be nice.

[Interviewer 1]

Dude, you're one for one. Yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

What.

[Interviewer 1]

What are you cheapskate on?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Well, I'll say what I'm definitely not a cheap skate on is food. I love food.

[Interviewer 1]

Like going out or cooking.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Actually I'm kind of a cheapskate on food. I'm kind of a chef.

[Interviewer 2]

Well you know, in New York you can be. You don't have to Michelin star.

[Interviewer 1]

You're a cook, right? You're a big home. A home cook.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I was then Sarah like locked in in the last two years and now

[Interviewer 2]

she's like taking over and I decided that we. She should be the mother of my child. What do you.

[Aaron Maldonado]

And I put a baby in her. Yeah. So going.

[Interviewer 1]

Going out to eat.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, going out to eat is sick.

[Interviewer 1]

What are your spots?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Where.

[Interviewer 1]

Where are you really enjoying yourself these days?

[Interviewer 2]

You know what's good in Williamsburg?

[Aaron Maldonado]

If people find themselves in Williamsburg. Yesterday Sarah, you know she hit me with the text on my way home from the office. Like she works from home. Usually I work in the office with the boys. She hit me with the nice. I'm feeling like we take the car and go into the city and get Uncle Ted's and then drive into Williamsburg and get ways and do like a little mixy matchy. So we did the. We did that journey. I don't if you guys have don't have uncle have ever had Uncle Ted's.

[Interviewer 1]

No.

[Aaron Maldonado]

What's ways ways.

[Interviewer 1]

What's ways what it's like the GPS app.

[Aaron Maldonado]

No.

[Interviewer 1]

What is it?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Wei apostrophe S. It's on Taiwanese. What was that?

[Interviewer 1]

Taiwanese. Oh, no, it's.

[Interviewer 2]

There's.

[Interviewer 1]

Is there one in Green Point? There's one in Green Point.

[Aaron Maldonado]

No, no, it's in South Williamsburg. Okay. Like, right under the bqe. Almost. Don't know it definitely tap in. That's like the spot for Chinese food. Not really. It's actually the chicken's kind of sauce, but, like, the vibes are cool. Right?

[Interviewer 2]

Right ways.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. And the dumplings are really good.

[Interviewer 2]

And what's Uncle Ted's or whatever?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Ted's? Yeah. That's just like a classic. Not classic. That sounds really cool. It's really not cool. It's like a place you don't bring anyone to impress them. It's just good Chinese food.

[Interviewer 2]

Okay.

[Aaron Maldonado]

It's by nyu.

[Interviewer 2]

So you did. You were doing a Chinese food bang bang.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, yeah. We did the double hell yeah, man.

[Interviewer 2]

After my own heart.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Casa Della. There's.

[Interviewer 1]

It's not like fine dining. Like, just like good home comfort spots.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Find dumplings. Yeah, I love dumplings. Damn. I'm trying to think, bro, because I be went on an Anthony and Sons kick lately. I like Anthony and Sons.

[Interviewer 1]

You like Anthony Sons On Graham or Grant? Graham.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, yeah. You? Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

Sandwiches are too big for me. They're

[Aaron Maldonado]

skill issue.

[Interviewer 2]

Got his ass, bro.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Can't take the meat.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

Too much meat.

[Aaron Maldonado]

12 inches. Huge. They're huge.

[Interviewer 1]

That's like a Kujin New York Nico spot.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer 2]

Kuji's new casa.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Kujin n Windson. Shout out to Classy. Love Windson. Shout out to Josh. He's the man. I don't if you. If you've met him.

[Interviewer 2]

No, he's like, I'm a fan of his work.

[Aaron Maldonado]

We did a collab last year and. Right. So scared to meet him because I was. I don't know anything about the restaurant world in New York, and I thought he was gonna be this, like, suited up, like, suited up. And it came through and he was so smacked. And he's like, dude, whatever you guys want to do, let's do it.

[Interviewer 1]

What did you.

[Interviewer 2]

Was it tease?

[Aaron Maldonado]

What was it? Yeah, we did tease. Like, work shirts for complex family. Fester family style.

[Interviewer 2]

Got any work shirts laying around still?

[Aaron Maldonado]

No. Those. Those actually the best selling product.

[Interviewer 2]

I was gonna say that.

[Interviewer 1]

What's your biggest product of, like, units moved while time?

[Aaron Maldonado]

No. Pillbox hats, no cap. Yeah. If you.

[Interviewer 1]

Because that's just like a season. It's perennial.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. If you include, like, all the colorways and stuff, then, yeah, we've pushed, like, a good amount.

[Interviewer 1]

What are we talking?

[Aaron Maldonado]

The good price point.

[Interviewer 2]

Honestly, we haven't talked once about the bang for your buck or the. The quality that you're. You present, like the value prop and it's not that expensive.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, that's what we try. We haven't even mentioned, like, that's like my whole thing. It's like trying to create, you know, the conversation about, like, sustainability and fashion. Right. It's like pre Covid. Right before COVID I was. I went down a crazy capitalism rabbit hole and then Covid exacerbated that and I was shaving my head every Sunday and living like a freak and reading, like, crazy books.

[Interviewer 1]

Day prepper.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, pretty much.

[Interviewer 1]

You vaxxed.

[Interviewer 2]

You get the shot.

[Interviewer 1]

You got the job.

[Aaron Maldonado]

All right. Yeah. I will be a zombie in the next few years.

[Interviewer 2]

Join us, brother.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Somebody told me I have a bullet save for you. When you become a zombie, I'll like,

[Interviewer 2]

what told you that.

[Aaron Maldonado]

That's also.

[Interviewer 2]

That's a hard ass. Another hard tea you should make. I've got a bullet saved for you. Welcome to New York.

[Interviewer 1]

That's sick.

[Aaron Maldonado]

But I read this book, Fashionopolis. I don't know if you guys have checked that one out.

[Interviewer 1]

I don't know.

[Aaron Maldonado]

It's about the, like, how fashion is destroying the world.

[Interviewer 2]

Oh, yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

She presented this data or this number, like, in 20. I think it was 2019, 2017. A hundred billion garments were made for, what is it, 7 billion people on earth.

[Interviewer 2]

That was everyone.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah, bro.

[Aaron Maldonado]

She. Dude, that number, like, destroyed me. And then I went on this existential crisis, like, why am I in fashion? I'm so dumb. I'm part of the problem. And then I. I tried to get into, like, the recycled stuff and, like, you know, and I was like, this just isn't really. This is whack. Yeah. This is so whack.

[Interviewer 1]

As a production guy, you must be like, that really limits what you're able to do.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

And also who you're able to work with.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Exactly. And, like, what I thought about then is, like, there's also this other side of the sustainability coin of, like, making things out of good quality.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

You know, where it's like, last forever. Yeah. If you make something that's going to last 10, 20, 50 years. I'm not saying that all of our things will do that.

[Interviewer 2]

You know, buy better, buy jackets.

[Aaron Maldonado]

We've made that, like, will definitely last generations. You know, when we do knits, we only do, like, long Staple cotton, which is like, not to get technical with it, but basically it doesn't pill and it doesn't fall apart in the washing machine and stuff, which most places would just use a short staple cotton. It's because is cheaper. So that's like the other side of the coin is making things of good quality and then trying to figure out how do you make it for like a good price, you know, and make it so kind of my diabolical plan to plant in the head of everybody, like, we can be the brand that, like, you guys, like, we're the reliable brand, you know, like, we make the good quality thing that's has a story that's swaggy, like, like, you know, and that's how this, like, taking over commences over the next 15 years with the

[Interviewer 1]

low pricing, which I imagine you're just having to eat some margin. Right.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I'm actually really good at getting it priced. Oh, great. Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

But margin, is there any like. Like, people, the perception is like, oh, it's cheap. It's not that good.

[Aaron Maldonado]

That's what this past season, we realized when we did the Biggie jacket. Because the Biggie jacket, we priced it before we had the price from the factory. So we did E30. That. Yeah. And that one was. We sold it for 350, which is insane because it's goose down.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah.

[Aaron Maldonado]

It's like good quality ripstop fabrics. You know, it's got all these crazy toggles and the skiing, you know, thing where you can snap it to your waist and the rubber inside, it's like everything. And I was like, yeah, Sarah, I could get it for like $100. And she was like, okay. And we sold it to stores and it ended up being more than that. Um, so when we were like showing it or whatever, I was like, all right, kids are going to buy it just because it's 350.

[Interviewer 1]

Sure.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Like, that's so cheap. Like a mammoth is like, yeah, $800, you know, and it's the same quality. But I realized that that doesn't necessarily translate to people. They just assumed it was not good quality. Oh.

[Interviewer 1]

And on the flip side, if something is expensive, a lot of people assume high quality.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

That might not necessarily be the case.

[Aaron Maldonado]

So expectations, again, like, that was a mess up. It should have been like a 500g jacket if we did the business right. But our friend Braylee came over and she works at Vasia. She's like the sales manager at Vasia. Yeah. And she was like, dude, if I got this jacket in the Mail. And I paid 350 for it. I would have felt like I robbed you guys customer for life. But looking at your Instagram and stuff, that's not what it reads to me. Like, it doesn't read to me as like this crazy expensive for like high quality jacket. And I was like, huh, all right, I gotta figure that out now.

[Interviewer 2]

Messaging problem.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah. That's where I'm like, okay, now I gotta be making TikToks. Like, did I make the puffer of the winter?

[Interviewer 2]

No, dude.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't do that, but that's. What did you just rob me?

[Interviewer 1]

Send the puffer that rob me this season. Send the puffer to that German guy who like, he's like, oh, shoulder seam just line up. So I don't know if it's that good stitch.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I thought about doing stuff like that before, but then, you know, I have a lot of ideas and then, sure,

[Interviewer 2]

it's a little self serving.

[Interviewer 1]

Seem busy. You seem busy. Yeah, you're about to go on paternity leave. Speaking of which, I think, you know, just in case your kid was born in the last hour. 52 minutes.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah.

[Interviewer 1]

Got to get you out of here. But before we.

[Aaron Maldonado]

We do.

[Interviewer 1]

Last question. Aaron, do you have any constructive criticism you would like to give us?

[Aaron Maldonado]

I mean, I think you guys are the. Thanks. Thank you. Constructive criticism.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah, I would say how can we be undeniably great?

[Aaron Maldonado]

Oh, you'd be undeniably great. I feel like you guys are undeniably great.

[Interviewer 2]

I like that.

[Aaron Maldonado]

I mean, I'm not trying to glance. Let me think of something mean.

[Interviewer 1]

Constructive criticism.

[Interviewer 2]

But just say with a smile on your face and we're good.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Yeah, like all of my problems.

[Interviewer 2]

Yeah, it's fine. We'll take undeniably great from the undeniably great horse's mouth. What would you like to plug? Where can the kids follow you? What's the URL go off, dude.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Enduring the waves. You know, Shout out depression. That's my username on Instagram.

[Interviewer 1]

That's your personal.

[Aaron Maldonado]

That was my personal. That was the username I made when I was shaving my head. Shout out to Phil Elverum. That was a song. This is very singer songwriting. Oh.

[Interviewer 2]

During the waves of depression.

[Aaron Maldonado]

During the waves of life.

[Interviewer 2]

Got it.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Okay. Got it. And it kind of stuck. And now I'm stuck with it.

[Interviewer 1]

And you have a brand.

[Aaron Maldonado]

Brigade USA @bradeusa on Instagram. We're not really on Twitter. Tick tock or anything. And then brigadeus.com if you other brands need help making your clothes yes. Who did that? Us will tap in.

[Interviewer 1]

They did that. Yeah. Aaron, we want to thank you for being you and for coming on to the only podcast matters and fulfilling the Bradley Carbone prophecy.

[Interviewer 2]

Did it.

[Interviewer 1]

Two years later to the day.

[Aaron Maldonado]

No.

[Interviewer 1]

Yeah, Chef, take us out.