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Truth be told, I find most of the brands and products I write about on Racked through Instagram. It’s where I discover all of the best-kept secrets while they’re still (sort of) secrets, and at the end of the day, I’d rather take fashion cues from real people I think are cool than from any magazine.
So, when I started to see more and more of those people — from a girl I used to work with at a shoe store in Soho to Glossier founder Emily Weiss — wearing the same hand-embroidered personalized sweatshirts on my feed, I wanted in.
Turns out Recho Omondi, the designer behind the New York-based womenswear line Omondi, had been hand-sewing the pullovers for her friends exclusively in anticipation of the brand’s upcoming collection, its first since its fall 2015 New York Fashion Week debut. Great for them, but how am I supposed to get in on the fun?
Thankfully, the brand put out a version for everyone online last week; a simple tan crewneck with the same embroidered lettering in a stark yellow that says “Original Content.”
At $215, it’s more than I’d normally spend on such a no-frills piece, but considering most of the collection is double (if not more) the price, it was the perfect time for me to support the black-owned brand I’ve followed for so long. I imagine it will be a conversation starter, and will take the place of all my other not-as-cool sweatshirts I reach for on days when all I care about is being comfortable and cozy.
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