According to DataUSA, only 17% of all fashion designers in the United States are men, and less than 7% of them are black men. A black fashion designer from the Bronx is a rarity in general. It is about this unusual combo that we will talk about in today’s article. Sherwayne Mahoney was able not only to create his own successful brand in the field of fashionable clothing and footwear but also to open a flagship store in the Macy’s premium multi-brand chain. Read more on bronx1.one.
Childhood of the future designer
Sherwayne was born in the West Bronx to a family of Caribbean-American descent. Almost all of his friends were persuaded by their parents to pursue useful and respectable professions, such as medicine or finance. But Mahoney’s family had other interests and priorities. The whole family was involved in design, art, fashion and entrepreneurship. Her grandmother was a seamstress who made sketches herself and brought her ideas to life.
His mother worked as a model for a long time, then became an artistic director and playwright. His father made leather wallets, belts and other products and also worked with wood. It is worth noting that the young man took his cue from his relatives not only creatively but also learned from them how to monetize his skills. After all, his grandmother founded her own shop with her own designer dresses and managed it skillfully. Father, along with working in the workshop, took accounting courses to learn how to keep financial records.
Sherwayne has always loved to dress beautifully and unconventionally. Sometimes he even shocked his school teachers and peers with his unusual looks. He always received support from his creative family, so he was not afraid to express himself and constantly experimented with clothes. Music, theater and fine arts were an integral part of the boy’s childhood.
He was always drawing everywhere. There was a time when he was very interested in drawing comic books. As a teenager, Sherwayne enrolled in a fashion illustration elective at John F. Kennedy High School in the Bronx. After the first lesson, the teacher told him that he was incredibly talented and that he should definitely develop his skills. Which, in fact, Sherwayne never stopped doing throughout his life.
Thirst for new knowledge and development
When choosing an educational institution after high school, Sherwayne did not hesitate. He entered the Parsons School of Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology. He successfully graduated and immediately began to put his knowledge into practice.
It wasn’t always possible to find a job in fashion, but Mahoney tried to gain as much experience as possible in general trade, learn how to properly serve customers and master the skills of successful sales.
He worked in retail in various stores. Among them: Warner Brothers Store, NBA Store, Nine West Holdings Inc, Swiss-Army Victornoix and Restoration Hardware. Sherwayne quickly realized that a lot depends on the salesperson, so he paid attention to every potential client, was always friendly and welcoming.
Mahoney sought to constantly expand the range of his knowledge and professional skills, and tried himself in various positions. He worked in the visual merchandising department at the well-known H&M chain. Then he further honed his experience at the Tommy Hilfiger Company and premium stores of the German brand Escada USA. There, he delved even deeper into the psychology of the buyer and gained experience in marketing a separate category of goods, luxury goods.
For some time, Sherwayne also worked as a sample manager for the shoe brand and a designer of new models for Easy Spirit and Bandolino. It was then that he first encountered footwear, which would become a life-changing factor for him in the future. Mahoney drew sketches, chose materials, developed the design of new shoes, made presentations, forecasted sales and participated in meetings with partners.
“It was an epiphany,” Mahoney said. “I’m watching the designer sketch shoes — I’m like ‘I can do this.’ I have to train myself to sketch shoes.”
Read the article about another ambitious 17-year-old businessman from the Bronx.
Own brand, Things II Come
In fact, S. Mahoney created his brand, which he called Things II Come, almost immediately after graduating from college in 1995. But then he realized that he didn’t have enough knowledge and experience to promote it properly, so he went to get it all from more experienced entrepreneurs.
At the beginning of his brand’s development, Mahoney developed 26 products, including various clothing items: swimsuits, skirts, scarves, dresses, etc. He also did not understand how to sell, so he chose the easiest but most energy-consuming method, door-to-door sales. Soon, Mahoney expanded his assortment to include jewelry and sofa cushions. But he still didn’t make the expected profits.
His experience in shoe stores was a turning point. It was then that Sherwayne decided he had finally found his calling. He spent many nights working on his first collection, the models from which became the prototypes of the future luxury shoe brand Things II Come. By that time, Mahoney already had some connections with factories in Italy and suppliers in China, so he finally decided to focus on his own company.
Today, the Things II Come brand is associated with exquisite premium footwear. Mahoney often uses leather, velvet, elegant graceful shapes and spectacular color combinations (gold, sapphire, leopard, fuchsia, etc.) in his designs. Prices for a pair of shoes by Things II Come start at $110. The online store accepts orders from all over the world. Shoes and ankle boots by S. Mahoney are ordered by fashionistas from Germany, Australia, the UK, Canada and Japan.
Every cloud has a silver lining
It would seem that Mahoney had finally found a place in the market, his customer base and unique style, but the Covid pandemic ruined all plans. Life around us seemed to stop. Shops closed, people stayed at home scared and the fashion industry came to a standstill. Sherwayne was desperate to find some work. His search led him to the West Coast, to Seattle, but all his dreams and thoughts still remained with Things II Come.
It was August 2020. Mahoney was flipping through his news feed when suddenly his heart skipped a beat. He saw an article that made his eyes shine again. It said that Macy’s, the flagship of American multi-brand supermarkets, was announcing its participation in the movement against racial inequality. As part of this program, Macy’s promises to allocate 15% of the space in its stores to brands owned by black entrepreneurs.
Sherwayne didn’t even go into details, didn’t study the application process, the necessary documents, or the format of cooperation. He simply wrote a letter to the main representative, telling her about his brand and his desire to work in the Macy’s space.
“It was like shooting a three-pointer in the dark,” he said jokingly. “The worst thing that could happen is she not answer the email.”
But Mahoney received a response the same day. It was positive. Macy’s was looking for just such selfless and desperate business people. But it took almost two years to get to this level. All this time, Mahoney was designing new collections, carefully working out every detail, meticulously selecting fabrics and accessories. He faced many obstacles along the way.
The prolonged quarantine and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine contributed to the redistribution of markets and a slowdown in global supply chains. As a result, Mahoney’s international market relationships, which he had built up over years of hard work, could not be fully realized. Nevertheless, in August 2022, the Things II Come store opened in the Macy’s store on 34th Street in Manhattan. That’s how the global crisis pushed Mahoney to make a bold decision, he confidently offered himself and got the “lucky ticket.”
Read the story of another successful entrepreneur from the Bronx, Lloyd Blankfein, in the article.