Meet Taylor Johnson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Taylor Johnson.

Hi Taylor, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Well, my name is Taylor, but everyone calls me Tay. I grew up in a small town in Minnesota called Brooklyn Park. My parents have always been blue-collar, hard-working people. My father, a Polish Marine, and my mother a hustling Mexican raised four kids all on their own. We didn’t always have everything we wanted, but we always had everything we needed.

Growing up, I never really fit the ‘mold’ so to say. I was involved in everything from Cheerleading to Theater, but never really found that group of people that I could solely connect with, but I always strived for perfection in everything I did. My parents had worked so hard their entire lives to give us the best life they could, even if it meant risking their freedom to do so, so I didn’t want their sacrifices, nor the sacrifices of our Polish and Mexican ancestors that came here for a better life to be for nothing. I had always felt I was put on this earth for a bigger purpose, not to be cocky nor egotistical, I just knew my path was going to be different but much harder.

So I enrolled in college at the Art Institute, studying Fashion Merchandising and eventually became the first person in my lineage to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. Then just two weeks after college graduation, I moved to Atlanta. I had only been to Atlanta once, and that was to interview for jobs, but I felt this huge pull from God to be here. My first few months in Atlanta were a dream. From growing up in a small town to being in the studio and going to parties with some of the biggest rappers in music, I thought I was living a fairytale. Well, that dream came to a screeching halt after a life-altering situation. After that, I realized Atlanta is either going to take away everything I had worked my entire life for, or it is going to catapult me to the life I’ve always dreamed of and I decided on the dream.

I had went to school for fashion and it was something I just always had an ‘eye’ for. So after this life-changing situation, I decided, it’s now or never Tay, that’s when Brooklyn Park was born. I decided to name my brand after my hometown because I wanted a constant reminder of where I started and why I came to Atlanta. So that I could always be reminded of how far I’ve come.

Brooklyn Park is not your standard streetwear brand. We are a cut and sew label. Which means everything I produce is made from a sketch. I wanted to create things that didn’t already exist. So after so many failed attempts, I finally found a decent manufacture, then bam, covid happened and everything stopped. But I wasn’t going to allow that to be the end when I had worked so hard to just get to this point, so I went to New York and started ‘literally’ knocking on doors in the design district until I found a manufacture that understood my style and my desire for quality. Now, this is where my story picks back up and Brooklyn Park will be launching its latest collection at the end of February/Early March, titled Basics.

I have gone through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in my seven years in Atlanta, but they are all a part of my testimony. Atlanta is not for the faint of heart. Either you make it, fake it, or lose, there is no in-between. I am thankful to this city for teaching me some of the biggest lessons of my life that have shaped me and molded me into the designer that I am now and will continue to grow to be.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
This road has been anything but smooth for me. I’ve had no one to teach me the way. I’ve had to figure it out on my own through trial and error and mistake after mistake. There is no road map to being a designer. You have to truly know who you are as a person to figure out who you are as a designer and that’s been the biggest struggle for me. A part from the obvious business struggles that I think all entrepreneurs go through, that’s just part of the game, but to look yourself in the mirror and figure out who you are and what impact you want to make on this world that’s been the biggest obstacle for me.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a men’s streetwear designer. I specialize in cut and sew streetwear fashion. What I am most proud of and what separates me from others is the quality of the garments that I produce. Everything is made specifically for Brooklyn Park, from the fabrics to the trims, to the patterns. Everything is designed and curated by me and produced in my factories in New York and China. We are not your regular streetwear brand that buys wholesale and slaps a label on it. We are producing high-quality fashion for the street, yet chic. I am also most proud to be a Polish-Mexican Female designing men’s clothes. I know of no one like me in the industry, so I hope to be a trailblazer for other Polish Latinas to thrive in a male-dominated industry.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
The fashion industry is forever evolving, that’s why it’s so important to me to set a firm foundation and grow my brand at a pace that can withstand this wave of streetwear culture that we are seeing now. Right now, streetwear is the biggest market all over the world, so that’s why everyone thinks they are a designer, but you can only ride that wave for so long. It’s becoming more important to consumers to buy quality fashion that will last and not fast fashion or ‘hype’ fashion that goes in the trash two weeks after buying it. Sustainable fashion is a trend that is talked about but not mainstream yet, so designers that don’t pivot with that will slowly dry up. However like I said before this industry is forever changing so if you don’t have a good grasp on trends and how to capture them and pivot your brand, you won’t be successful in this industry.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shopbrooklynpark.co
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/shopbrooklynpark
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/shopbrooklynpark

Image Credits
Image Credit: Thomas Crowder III & Jay Patterson