BGNYC is a series of
collections designed by, Brownsville born Architect Winston Bartholomew Holder
III. All pieces are hand cut and sewn by Winston and a two-person team at
his NYC garment district showroom.
We like to move with the natural way of things..
We like to set trends and try new things’ - Maximo Augusto Garcia C.O.O./ Vice President of BGNYC
We are really excited to show you our exclusive
interview with the C.O.O / Vice Precsident of BGNYC, Maximo Augusto Garcia!
How
and why was B.Gold NYC started?
B.Gold NYC was started as an IDEA in 2010
Winston and I worked together at an Architecture and Design Software company.
Winston being an Architect by Trade always played with design and altered his
clothing. This lead to him doing it for some private clients which over a few
months turned into B.Gold.
He's always been the designer, I work on the
business, branding connecting the dots part of the business. We officially
launched a full collection at our Joint event with Yelp.com Their 2011 Holiday
Giftacular.
What's
the story behind B.Gold? Why is it different?
We grew tired of brands that all offered
basically the same designs with different "tags" on them. Made in
China. Not to take anything away from China but we just felt like the mass
production of our culture was sucking the life away. It is almost unheard of to
meet someone in our neighborhoods with a "Tailored" suit. We wanted
to bring that to our community but not just with suits but also with every
article of clothing. We want you to B.Gold from head to Toe.
How
would you define the style of B.Gold?
To define it would take a lot more than an
interview, I think you'd have to experience. We are a collection of young
entrepreneurs from around the world on a mission. To even begin to crack that
Egg I think you'd have to check our Youtube Channel or our Twitter and Instagram . But B.Gold is a Life style, a movement towards a
better self.
Who
are the designers of B.Gold? How do they draw inspiration?
The Designers of B.Gold NYC are primarily
Winston B. Holder (Our CEO, Founder) and Jennifer Emiko (creative Director)
Inspiration is drawn from our every day surroundings. The music we listen to the
weather we deal with in our daily lives. The Majority of our Influence comes
from our Friends who are all In the Industry like Sam Webb, Jacey Ethalion,
Pete Bolton, Sophie Holmes, Betty Adelowe, Cat McNeil, Miles Langford just to
name a few. We hang out together go on wild adventures and wake up with
some awesome ideas. We like to move with the natural way of things.. We also
like to set trends and try new things. We notice a lot of bigger and better
known designers borrow from us very often.
You
are the C.O.O. / Vice President of B.Gold, what made you enter this industry?
I've
always had a love for working with people, seeing how they operate with and
against each other. I went to John Jay College here in NYC where I studied
Criminology, I primarily wanted to be a Criminal Profiler for the F.B.I.. The
deeper I got into it the more I realized it wasn't for me, so I moved on to
managing a Skate Shop, Then a Video Game store, Then a Hedgefund at the Empire
STate building fllowed by the ARchitecture Software company, I was pretty much
just going full circle with jobs and realized I didn't want to work for anyone
anymore.
Winston was first to leave his job and go Full time with B.GOLD NYC
then I decided a few months later it was time for me to aslo B.Gold.
Winston has always been knowledgeable on all things fashion, Me not much
but what I do know is People and how they work. After doing Social media
Consulting work for companies like HBO,Pandora,SKYPE, NodeJitsu and a few more
I know I could use my knowledge and understanding of people and building
communities to bring B.Gold NYC to the world so that's what we did.
What's
been the biggest challenge since you started?
The Biggest challenge has been breaking into
this industry with minimal understanding of how it actually worked. Thankfully
having great friends and mentors in the industry, as you'll see in our youtube
videos helped us learn what we had to Fast. We still face challenges every day
bringing up newer and more innovative designs consistently, which is definitely
not an easy task.
Where
do you see B.Gold in 5 years?
In 5 Years I see B.Gold still being run and
operated by Winston and Myself with a few more branches and a bigger team. We
can go deeper into accessories, Work our way more into Womenswear and pretty
much solidify our Presence in this Industry for the Long run.
What
are two things you feel contribute to the success of the brand?
The
Internet and NYC. The Internet is how we connect with the world and bring our
message to everyone. Between Twitter,Facebook and Instagram we have managed to
get our Clothing on MTV, VH1, HBO, Pay Per View, And a Number of Music Videos.
The City of New York is the best place I could ever hope to be located in. We
have access to everything with our social engineering skills we manage to get
into any and every event we should be at for our industry. We are also a very
social and vivid bunch so networking comes to us with ease.
Could
you give us an insight into your working day?
I wake up at 7 AM make my Daughter Breakfast
take her to School at 8. Leave The Bronx and Arrive at the B.Gold Workshop at 9
AM Wake up Winston, Jenn is usually in her room Drawing and we get to work.
Cutting and Sewing Pieces right on the spot filling orders and answering emails
to stylist from all over the world. At around 2 or 3 we make our usual run to
the Garment district pick up some new fabric for some Ideas we want to execute
and specific fabrics for orders we have to fill. Get back to the Lab continue
working then hit up the Night life to see what if anything is going on this
great city.
How
do you select your models?
Our
models for the most part just happen to be our good friends. And by awesome
coincidence they just happen to be of the minute top models. We also have test
shoots where we welcome lots of aspiring models to come by and strut there
stuff and depending on how they fit in with the team and the vibe of our
movement we continue to work with them.
Who
is one of your favourite local models to work with?
To
be honest I have not worked with any New York Models we have quite the British
Invasion when it comes to our Team but we have so Much In Common with the Gang
we are drawn to each other. My Favorite Model to work with who you could say is
Local now since he does stay in NYC is Miles Langford, Great Bloke super laid
back and not afraid of much. Always a pleasure to work with Miles and I look
forward to working with him lots more in the future.
Where
can readers buy your products?
BGold
NYC is fresh, different from most of the brands out there. Their designs have
been worn by 50cent, Alicia Keys, The Wanted, just to name and few and have
been featured in Vogue, Dazed and Confused and much more.
Now go and check out their website! v&f xx
