Style Influencer : Austyn Wyche

At what age did you start to like dressing up?I’ve been dressing up all my life, both of my parents are into fashion so I’ve always been fresh. But I think I really started being intentional about how I dressed in the 5th grade. 

What influences your style the most? My upbringing in Chicago influences my style the most. Chicago’s famous for our fashion scene and icons i.e. (Kanye, JoeFreshGoods, Virgil, Don C). Being in a creative city with people like that setting the tone that set pushes you to get fly in ways that separates you from everyone else. I would describe it as a hustler’s chic: clean yet comfy to maneuver in any setting, but bold in details to make a statement. This gives me versatility in looks. 

How was the fashion culture in the Auc while you were there? The fashion culture in the AUC made want to step my suit game up and turn my grown man swag up. There was a big emphasis on being clean cut and polished. Aside from that, most of the streetwear & high-end fashions I saw people getting into in college, my friends and I were already on in high school. Guys from Chicago and DC definitely had an edge over everybody when it came to dressing on campus. 

What made you start your own brand? I started my own brand for multiple reasons; i felt streetwear had gotten to a point where a lot of brands were under-designed and overpriced… a lot designs lacked artistry and the ones that didn’t, were too expensive so I figured I’d be better off making my own clothes to wear instead of trying to find something I liked and could afford. I’ve always been interested in fashion and designed clothes as a kid, but I didn’t actually make a brand out of it until I realized I could use merchandise as a marketing tool for my photography and graphic design business, which is what I’m best known for. I was heavily inspired by early Pyer Moss campaigns which informed how I understood the relationship culturally relevant visual storytelling and products. After my first drop in 2020, apparel became my #1 stream of revenue of for my creative empire and evolved beyond being a marketing tool.