BengalNews Reporters
‘Streetwear’ fashion is an emerging movement in Buffalo, and the West Side is home to many boutiques that carry the specific style. One boutique in particular that has influence on Buffalo’s streetwear sub-culture and carries the style exclusively is Krudmart, which recently celebrated its grand re-opening at its new location at 212 Grant St.
On the surface streetwear appears relative to contemporary urban apparel, which is where it draws most of its influence. Two unique ‘guidelines’ most streetwear brands follow are: to keep most of their collections extremely limited and to work with prominent designers/artists. The two go hand in hand in that many designers are likely to make smaller runs of a specific piece as opposed to when their styles are picked up by more commercial means.
Streetwear has evolved from all-over print designs to clean detailed graphic t-shirts, snug fit denim jeans, and a multitude of fitted cardigans, hoodies, sweatshirts as well as many other everyday articles of clothing one could think of with not-so-average messages behind them.
Krudmart‘s role in Buffalo’s streetwear movement is to serve as a hub for the sub-culture, meaning the clothes and those individuals who choose to identify with the style. Local designers are also encouraged to participate, which was successful in the store’s past at its former location on Elmwood Avenue. Habes currently has home made jewelry on up for sale as well as jewelry she’s had a hand in discovering on random jewelry hunting trips.
Erin Habes, co-manager and longtime ally to Krudmart, said the West Side reminds her
of her time spent in Brooklyn when she first got involved with the fashion industry as a sales rep for shoe brand Faryl Robin.“Before there weren’t places for these kids to shop, but now when they go out to shop it almost feels like they’re in New York. People don’t have to travel to find stuff like this, it finally exists here in Buffalo,” Habes said.
Habes’ reminiscence of her time Brooklyn is important when considering streetwear, because the borough is deemed as being a Mecca for everything streetwear related. Customer Sam Turner said that there is a parallel between Buffalo and Brooklyn the significance of stores like Krudmart to Buffalo’s emerging sub-culture.
“Having stores like Krudmart and Sunday Skate Shop are essential to keeping what we represent alive. Living closer to New York City has allowed me to engage in the streetwear culture in Brooklyn, and when I’m back in Buffalo for school, going out to shop at places like Krudmart is almost like plucking a boutique right out of Williamsburg,” Turner said. Williamsburg is a part of Brooklyn that has, in recent years, become a permanent dwelling for streetwear enthusiasts.
Krudmart began as an online clothing store in 2002 carrying New York City specific brands, 10 Deep and Mishka, which have both gained popularity over the years, which was also partial to the reason Krudmart too gained some popularity.
It was in 2006 that former owner Steve Krzeminski opened the Elmwood location and began operating both the online store and the new retail headquarters. Flash forward four years later and Krzeminski sells the company off to longtime friend and streetwear enthusiast, Lance Kutrybala, who now co-manages the store with Habes.
Krudmart’s current location on Grant Street represents potentially greater positives for the West Side. With Sweetness_7 Café on the corner and a neighborhood boasting multiple diverse cultures, Krudmart might have found its permanent home.
At what she calls “the pinnacle of my career,” Erin Habes, both lecturer at Buffalo State College and co-manager of Krudmart clothing store, believes her vision is finally coming true.
ReplyDeleteHabes was born in Brooklyn before moving to Buffalo and says the new location of Krudmart reminds her exactly of what she first envisioned with the switch from Elmwood Avenue to Grant Street. “We really needed to find a place that speaks to us, and this place, it really truly does” Habes said of the new store.
Located at 212 Grant St., Habes says that Krudmart now replicates her initial desire to own a building that was symbolic of lower East Side stores she would encounter back home in Brooklyn. Habes believes she gets such a strong vibe from her current store because of the vast multi-cultural population on the West Side. And for Habes, this is exactly what it is all about. “It is the bread and butter of what we do,” she said.--Jeff Buchman
Sam Turner is a DJ from Rockland County, New York who has been a streetwear enthusiast for about five years. His “obsession” started out with camping outside of shoe stores for limited runs of sneakers from brands like Nike and Reebok.
ReplyDelete“I would camp out for six to eight hours just get a pair of shoes. I used to be really into it, but nowadays its harder because I’m in school and money is tighter,” he said.
‘Sneakerheads’ were around long before streetwear made its debut. The culture evolved from New York youth efforts to stand out in crowds. Getting limited ‘color-ways,’ or rare color patterns specific to that one shoe, and collecting rare shoes establishes status within this sub-culture.
Streetwear can be considered the ‘little brother’ of collecting shoes as many brands pay homage to Michael Jordan’s shoe brand which branched off from Nike, as well as Nike itself. Krudmart just released its latest tee printed at Positive Approach, a local printing shop, which uses colors specific to ‘dead-stock,’ or extremely limited runs of, Nike shoes, the Air Max 95 (a neon green shoe) and Air Max Infrareds (a shoe with a unique bright red color-way). --Mario Burks