Fashion Geek, a Chicago-born streetwear brand known for collaborations with Puma and Jay-Z, has soft-launched a Harper Court shop.
The brand got started in 2005, when Alonzo “Zoe” Jackson, the eponymous fashion geek, sold T-shirts he designed in barber shops and from the trunk of his car. A Roseland native, Jackson said he has a lifelong passion for fashion that grew out of “being underprivileged and not being able to afford the things that I like.”
“When I got to an age and a place to afford the things that I wanted, then it was just over from there, my obsession began,” he said.
After playing college basketball, he interned at West Loop streetwear store Leaders 1354, where he picked up tips and tricks for merchandising, marketing and collaborations from founder Corey Gilkey. A year later, Jackson launched his brand, “at a time being a geek was frowned upon.”
“Then it was just a transition, just to celebrate and really let people know that being a fashion geek is cool,” he said.
He amassed a social media following over the years, which gave him some opportunities to sell in streetwear and boutique stores internationally, often in Japan. That following, coupled with some work as a brand ambassador, turned into collaborations with Puma and celebrity clients, including Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, Jagged Edge and Jeezy. In 2020, he opened the first brick-and-mortar location for the brand in Beverly.
Jackson said he chose to open the brand’s second location in Hyde Park, 5241 S. Harper Ave., because it’s a spot with a lot of foot traffic. (The storefront was formerly home to Sneakerville 88, a shoe resale store that closed quietly earlier this year.)
“If I’m not in the store, you still see the logo,” Jackson said. “I still see a million fingerprints on the door every morning when I get there, (which) means people are looking inside and they’re just excited.”
Though there’s a hard launch planned for October 1, the store has been open since last weekend. At that September 13 soft launch, Jackson said he was “blown away” by the response.
“(There were) people who’ve never heard of the brand, or were visiting from out of town, or were just excited that I was in Hyde Park because it’s close to where they live,” he said.
Fashion Geek is now open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. During Chicago Fashion Week, October 9 through 20, Jackson is planning to host multiple events, ranging from collaborations with different artists to wine tastings to fashion mingles, including in partnership with his podcast, “Ghetto Runaways.”
Fashion Geek stores are minimalist, with glossy white interiors to help the clothes’ colors pop.
“I like the art gallery look,” Jackson said. “I let the clothes be the decoration.”
The brand’s signature merchandise are hoodies, T-shirts, jackets and hats bearing colorful, bold letters spelling “geek.” Alongside those staples, the store will also sell limited releases and collaborations not available elsewhere. Jackson is planning a November release in partnership with Jay-Z’s streetwear brand, Paper Planes. The store will pretty much be “all exclusive drops,” he said, because “that’s just where the game is right now.”
The move into a second storefront comes with a price-drop in products, something Jackson attributed to the current economy and not having to split profits with a wholesaler. Items that used to cost between $75 and $125 now run from $40 to $75.
His goal with the business now, he said, is “scaling” up and “making it affordable for everybody.”
