By Cassell Ferere originally published on Forbes.com

Niyah Kerr is a born and bred Brooklyn native who has made a path for himself in streetwear with Le Meux, a clothing brand sharing  an appreciation for elevated design on the urban market. Kerr had to learn from within the confines of exclusive office spaces and retail arenas to garner the know-how to build a streetwear brand with a distinct taste for what Kerr describes as “selfish design.” 

In 2017, Le Meux came about as the last stop along a retail journey for Kerr. Starting in streetwear for the young designer and entrepreneur found him at the cusp of the streetwear boom. He was at the center of it working at KITH, where Kerr was a retail associate from 2011 to 2013. KITH was on the verge of creating name-brand fashion and accessories, and fortunate enough for Kerr, he was present during these pivotal moments. 

At KITH, Kerr sat in on garment production meetings between a local manufacturer and the rest of the KITH team at their retail location. These meetings offered valuable insight into unknown areas of fashion for - at the time - the consumer that he was. He learned about fabric weights, the cut process, and the communications involved in producing something like a t-shirt. Kerr would see ways to even make his brand more sustainable through his cut processes with garment manufacturers.

“As I’m doing [Le Meux] I’m learning in creating certain pieces and the waste that [comes out] of it. There is one thing I learned in creating the cargoes. When you buy the material by the yard, the spool widths are different sizes.” Kerr says. “Sometimes when the sizes are too big, they just cut in the middle of the [fabric] and throw away the rest. Now I’ve been conscious enough to buy the right size so it goes immediately to the edge so I’m not wasting as much. Even down to the packages we use which are recycled plastic.”

In 2013, Kerr would leave his post at KITH in search of more knowledge and opportunity to create streetwear. He took notes during those production meetings that helped him make clothing. But, more importantly, make garments that he would want to wear as his own. This is what fostered the idea of “selfish design.” Kerr and his design aesthetic is luxury fashion for street culture and not high-end streetwear. 

Moving on from there, Kerr joined The Collective, an apparel company that housed other streetwear brands such as Lemar and Dauley, 40 oz., and SlowBucks. He would become an assistant to the creative director of SlowBucks, ultimately turning to his style to create a label, Le Meux. He also found inspiration in his commute from East Flatbush, Brooklyn, to the cobblestones of Soho, and other relevant fashion neighborhoods of Manhattan. 

Streetwear was the initial outlook on life for commuters like Kerr, who saw an opportunity to create his interpretation of streetwear in which he grew a refined affinity. His taste developed early from his parents' flashy habits.

Kerr recalls,

“My parents are Jamaican - I’ve always had the younger parents of all my friends. [They] were into [stuff.] It was my mom - I could remember as far back as elementary school, the Air Max Tuned Airs were coming out, and us driving to Staten Island to make sure I got that colorway that came out. It was a classmate's birthday, and she would want me in the latest. Tommy, Polo, even Iceberg, and Diesel, - S&D Underground - I remember going there.” …

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