Young East Van entrepreneur's streetwear line hits Footlocker (PHOTOS)
A 21-year-old East Vancouver man is living his dream after iconic streetwear store Footlocker stocked up on his clothing brand earlier this month.
The partnership is a major fashion feat for Nicolas Budisa, the creator of “Our Block Clothing,” and the youngest entrepreneur to ever have their clothing brand sold at Footlocker.
His designs, which are inspired by several Metro Vancouver neighbourhoods, caught the attention of one of the world’s leading shoe retailers last year.
“Footlocker reached out to me because they were beginning their new venture to start working with Canadian “homegrown” clothing brands,” Budisa told Daily Hive.
Budisa started “Our Block Clothing,” two years ago during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The clothing style features designs inspired by Vancouver and Burnaby, and neighbourhoods like Champlain Heights and Killarney.
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Budisa, a former aspiring pro soccer player, created his clothing line during the pandemic lockdown when he found his athletic dreams were cut short.
His late-night idea would give way to a massive undertaking to represent his neighbourhood and city on the fashion stage.
He would spend the next few months creating his clothing and launching his brand with no prior business or design experience.
“Over the past year, I’ve been investing in new equipment to increase quality and turnaround time. Recently, I hired my first employee who is now the director of sales for Our Block Clothing. I’ve also started working with new suppliers across North America who operate sustainably,” said Budisa.
Nicolas Budisa holds up an “Our Block Clothing” tee at Footlocker Robson. (Nicolas Budisa)
“What I’m aiming for next is to release the first city design outside of Vancouver and expand across Canada this year. I’m also working towards being able to have a warehouse/compound location and be able to hire more employees. I would also like to collaborate with professional sports teams, athletes and artists across Canada,” Budisa said.
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Based in Vancouver, the brand strives to be a sustainable business by doing all the printing and sewing at the local level. The brand has partnered with Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), the largest cotton sustainability program in the world and 80% of OBC’s garments are made in facilities powered by renewable energy.
Shoppers can pick up OBC’s new release, “Vancouver Holographic” and their original “Vancouver Royalty” apparel from Footlocker locations around Vancouver.
The streetwear is available at the following Footlocker stores:
- Downtown Robson, Vancouver
- Metrotown Mall, Burnaby
- Guilford Mall, Surrey
- Richmond Centre, Richmond
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