Meet Nigre Neal of Stockedup in Uptown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nigre Neal.

Nigre, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Growing up my stepfather was a tailor and that was my first introduction to men’s fashion. Since that time I have been interested in style and design. Growing up in North Philly was rough and I felt like we all were placed and kept in a tight box. I traveled a lot when I was a kid going to places like Jamaica, Cancun Mexico, Disney World and several trips to Aruba and Dominican Republic.

I felt different from the people I grew up around because no matter where or how often I traveled, I had to go back to an environment where people never been outside of their city, or neighborhood, who viewed life and things in it with narrow mind and perspective.

I understood my experiences gave me advantages so in 2015 I had an idea to create a brand that would motivate kids and adults, who come from similar neighborhoods like mine, that the world and everything in it are yours. I flooded every neighborhood in the city of Philadelphia and roughly three months after my launch I consistently sold over 60 units per week.

The first trip I took as an adult was to Miami and there I felt right at home. During that trip, I garnered and cultivated a lot of relationships and organic sells. I was moving around so much that I ran into A Boogie leaving LIV and coincidentally he was wearing one of my most recent pieces. To this day I do not have any idea how he got the piece but he was enjoying the garment so I assumed he had to like it. At that moment I realized that I was heading in the right direction and I needed to use that same method inside and outside of my city.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
One of my biggest blocks has been the quality of pieces, friendships/business partners. Launching a clothing brand and deciding what is good for people to purchase and draw them in repeatedly is challenging when you are surrounded by wholesalers who buy to sell rather than buy to cater to customers who prefer quality pieces that are sustainable for years. The best route I discovered is overseas manufacturers who manufacture garments from scratch. The biggest issue is communicating every single detail via online messaging and expressing your vision of exactly what you want. I order from China and Pakistan often but I have also taken loses on the poor product due to misunderstandings. Coming from the lowest part of America’s ghettos we are not taught business structures at all. My friends and I had to learn from the street but that is not the same thing as a legitimately structured business. For us to figure it out we simply have to take risks and hope for the best. Me and one of my closest friends let business get in between us because we did not know how to handle it. Although we hit a rough patch he and I have an even stronger relationship because of it. If we were not close outside of the business, we probably would not have continued the relationship.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am most proud of Stocked up for being sold, worn and talked about in cities outside of Philadelphia and America. Being active and productive in other cities than where I’m from is the biggest difference between me and other brands in addition to versatility in style and designs. My garments are street and made to be worn for everyday use, Stocked up is a brand inspired by the slums and where I come from. Stocked up shows you that anything is possible and promotes elevation from wherever you are no matter what. That is why I use the rocket as the icon because it symbolizes elevation and propelling regardless of opposing forces. All of the pieces that I release carry a meaning. For instance, one of my most sold pieces is of a lion hearted t-shirt and that means to have a heart of a lion because without heart you are already defeated and the shirt is vintage style with a lion dripping blood red and green. The red is power and the green is energy.

My proudest moment to date is how far I have come and being able to overcome and conquer the trying times and the uplifting moments and being able to share knowledge to the people who follow my footsteps wanting to pursue their dreams and leading them in the right direction, not exactly as I did but by making their processes a bit easier regarding information and resources.

What were you like growing up?
Growing up I played sports, my dad led me in that direction to keep me out the streets. That was my first love as a kid but I kind of grew out of it once I didn’t get a scholarship coming out of high school. I was on one of the best little league teams in the city and we won a lot of games so after each game we used to go to the skating rink and celebrate each win but we had to get our mom to get a fresh fit or we weren’t going out, we were no trouble kids so our parents supported it and most of the time got us new things to go party but eventually we started throwing our parties as teenagers and we were making a lot of money from them. We were a teenage group called BFA it means brothers from another a bunch of football kids and basketball kids who came together and threw the best parties in the city. That’s most likely the reason why I know so many people in my city and how I have so many resources. The team was full of kids who lived all over the city and most of my clients till this day.

Contact Info:

• Website: Stockedup.shop
• Phone: 2672653509
• Email: [email protected]

Image Credit:
@jamezlaflame

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