Fashion brand Amongst Peers tailors a retail hub centered on creative collaboration
Beyond creating its own stylings, Columbus fashion brand Amongst Peers has formed a retail hub in the Short North that’s promoting and selling streetwear brands from around the world.
Along with offering working class-inspired street and leisurewear branded under the Amongst Peers moniker, co-owner Mario Hairston said the store, located at 15 W. 5th Ave., carries brands and high-end garments from Montana, Miami, New York, Los Angeles and France.
The spirit of Amongst Peers is reflective of the brand's name, Hairston said, as he and fellow co-owners Jarred Sibert and Scott Wooten look to knit together an international community of like-minded creatives in the worlds of fashion, art, food and music.
"The voices of the unheard, the young creative, the streetwear kid — it's the breakthrough of this type of fashion and retail," Hairston said. "It's not really something that Columbus is known for, but we're here and this what we do and it's dope. And once people see it, they'll love it."
Chuck Daniels, who helps the group with retail operations, said having local and global brands under one roof gives local streetwear connoisseurs avenues to explore emerging trends in the industry.
"When (Hairston) told me about the idea, I thought it was brilliant and give Columbus more (diversity) when it comes to clothing brands," Daniels said. "Rather than just (highlighting) more popular brands, it's giving the city more to offer."
Hairston said the brand's collaborative model is inspired by his passion for the arts. Above all things, he's a fan and wants to support any clothing or accessory brand that aligns with his vision.
To that end, Amongst Peers carries local brands such as Good Behavior and Korrupt Anarchy. In the coming months, Hairston said the store intends on bringing in other Columbus-based brands one at a time, so the companies can build relationships and grow together.
"I'm drawn to the work, then I learn about the brand, the story and the individual behind it," he said. "And if it aligns with the message we're trying to push, then it's a perfect marriage."
Hairston said all Amongst Peers designs are made in-house from fabrics produced in the U.S., but he plans to collaborate with other designers around the world for special projects.
After working for Tackma, a brand founded by Columbus-born Jeffrey Schottenstein that now operates in Los Angeles, Hairston, 30, was driven to launch his own clothing store. He said the vision for Amongst Peers was sparked years ago, but he, Sibert and Wooten pushed to develop an entity centered on partnership.
This past year, the partners searched for store spaces and brands that aligned with Amongst Peers. For their Short North shop, which opened in November, they created a minimalistic floor space with TVs and lounge seating.
With retail giants such as Saks Fifth Avenue and small Columbus boutiques alike struggling through the coronavirus pandemic, Hairston said he and his co-owners strategized ways to succeed despite the challenge that comes when customers decide not to shop in-person out of safety concerns.
"It makes you add another layer to minimize risk and protect yourself in current times," Hairston said. "(Amongst Peers is) built to survive in COVID-19, but it's built to be something much bigger and faster and much more flexible when COVID-19 is over."
Hairston said he hopes the store will benefit from the movement to shop locally, especially the renewed commitment to support Black and minority-owned businesses that grew out of the racial justice reckoning that began last summer.
Hairston, who grew up between Columbus' South Side and the Linden area, also hopes to inspire others. He said it's easy for young kids in the inner city to feel like the entrepreneurial track isn't set up for them to succeed, but he hopes seeing the impact of Black-owned brands will inspire them.
"For me, it's important to show people an alternative way of living, an alternative way of being an entrepreneur," Hairston said. "The more of us that are doing it, the more attention people will pay to it."
"It opens new doors of opportunity," the co-owner said. "It actually shows people you can be successful with being creative — you don't have to follow the traditional route of success. Your art is appreciated, whether it's painting, fashion, sculpting, whatever it is. Your art is what you believe it's worth."
Going forward, Hairston said he and his partners are developing a way to host pop-up shops in and outside of the store. Once the pandemic slows, he said Amongst Peers will launch a mentorship program and host business workshops. Though no dates have been set, Hairston said several entrepreneurs already have agreed to take part in those initiatives.