"Tier is one of the industry's best-kept secrets."
Founded in 2014 by Nigeria Ealey, Esaïe Jean Simon, and Victor James, Tier is currently showing its fourth project, Tier Island. Brandice reached out about establishing a connection and offered them the platform to show at NYFW, and the associated grant helped the trio with production. Above all else, the brand is artistic, intentional, and experiential. Its aim is to offer customers more than a garment, but an experience.
Brandice Daniel: "Tier is one of the industry's best-kept secrets. The brand brings elevated streetwear to the fashion world from the perspective of three Black men who have Caribbean and Brooklyn roots. If I had one word to describe them, it would be audacious. Some of the things they pull off, I'm like, 'How did they pull that off?' If any other mainstream brand was doing some of the things they're doing, it would be this big, huge deal."
Cofounder and Creative Director Nigeria Ealey: "My mind wanders. Tier comes from inspirations of what I liked as a child growing up and life experiences. People always remember the experience they had with a person, moment, brand, or item, so I try to approach design from an experiential way."
This season: "I was thinking about the year we had in lockdown, not being able to see friends, family, and loved ones. Just like everything in life, I thought, 'This too shall pass.' There was so much going on with COVID, criminal and social injustice, and we wanted to make people happy and feel lively again, showing them somewhere they can be at peace and love, where opportunities are endless. The concept stemmed from me watching old movies and cartoons, specifically [Scooby-Doo: The Movie], Jurassic Park, and Yu-Gi-Oh!. We took our logo, turned it into our own island, and broke that island down piece by piece from the resorts, amusement park, and excursions to where the research labs are in the mountainous areas, the population, and means of transportation. The concept was a lot of work, but it was exciting work because it was piecing together things that we love and have experienced or seen through traveling."
