SU alumna curates vintage secondhand pieces for Black Citizens Brigade
Courtesy of Cjala Surratt
The Black Citizens Brigade line includes patterned shirts and thick sweaters which reflect a retro aesthetic.
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Mother-daughter thrift shop excursions during the pandemic began as a way to pass time for Cjala Surratt and Sarhia Rahim, but they ended up having lasting impacts on the duo. These shopping trips inspired the creation of a local business, and eventually became a way for Surratt to pay homage to her seamstress ancestors and practice sustainability.
Surratt, a Syracuse University alumna, has been building her business, Black Citizens Brigade, throughout the pandemic. BCB is a curated vintage and secondhand clothing company that operates online and through local pop-up shops. Surratt said the BCB’s mission is to combat fast fashion through the sale of unique, well-made secondhand garments.
“Supporting the Brigade through purchase from our collection of curated apparel and second-cycle clothing is a conscious approach to intervene in small yet sustainable ways that impact the larger systems,” Surratt said.
Surratt’s daughter and SU freshman Rahim models for BCB and works at the businesses pop-up events. Rahim said that a variety of customers visit the pop-ups and they all appreciate the clothing. She said she associates a community feel with the pop-up events and spoke fondly of her mother’s brand.
“At its core, BCB is not just about clothing, but providing a space for people to connect,” Rahim said.
At the Syracuse pop-ups, Rahim said customers frequently say they wish that Syracuse had more events like it. When meeting shoppers from out of town, they are often surprised that events like BCB pop-ups exist in Syracuse.
The BCB line includes vintage leather jackets, chunky sweaters and patterned shirts which reflect current styles while maintaining the retro aesthetic and quality construction. In addition to secondhand apparel, Surratt plans for BCB to “work with BIPOC artists and creatives for new supplemental products that complement and align with our brand.”
The inspiration behind BCB stems from Surratt’s connection to the history of hand-me-down clothing, she said. She added that she resonated with the history because her family traditions include ”people making clothing, getting secondhand clothing and passing things down.”
“Going to places like secondhand shops has been something that has been part of a community that had to have those resources available to them because they did not necessarily have access to some of the shops, and also didn’t have access economically that some of their white counterparts did,” Surratt said.
Historically, accessibility and economic inequality have left marginalized groups out of certain clothing stores. Shopping second hand and repurposing hand-me-downs was a practice born out of necessity for the community.
“Looking at the establishments that were downtown reinserts us into the narrative, and not just into the narrative from the perspective of the one that is common, which is blighted neighborhoods and violence,” Surratt said. “And though there were those social challenges going on, there were prospering businesses going back to the 1940s that were integral to the economy and were a safe place for Black people to go when traveling across the country.”
Customers can shop the collection on Instagram or at local pop-ups in Syracuse. The most recent pop-up took place on March 20, at the Westcott Theater. Two upcoming events include the Anti-Fast Fashion Show at Little Shop of Hoarders in Rochester on Friday, April 22, and a pop-up in Albany with the Vintage Roundup market on Saturday, April 30. Additionally, Surratt is planning to open a brick-and-mortar location on East Washington Street and anticipates a move-in date in September.
As an entrepreneur, this is not Surratt’s first business, but will be her first brick-and-mortar endeavor in which she will join a legacy of Black proprietors in downtown Syracuse.
“It’s important because growing up here, there are a lot of times that the papers will share retrospectives and images of downtown Syracuse, and it’s quite jarring that we don’t see Black and brown people,” Surratt said.
Part of the shopping experience is the story and history behind each piece, and Surratt said that she offers conversations through every garment she sells. The history is central to BCB’s marketing strategy and is shared on the company’s social media platforms.
The promise shown by BCB was recently recognized by Caeresa Richardson, founder of sustainable fashion company Ecodessa. Richardson created the retail incubator program to support African American retail entrepreneurs in downtown Syracuse, through which Black Citizens Brigade was awarded funding to grow their young company, Surratt said.
Retail incubator program applicants present their business plan and explain the intended use for the funding before the recipient is selected. Richardson said that BCB submitted “a stellar application and business plan that showed they are poised for future success,” which is why she chose them.
As a woman of color, starting her own company was no easy feat for Richardson. Now, Ecodessa is a successful company with the mission to “empower women to express their social values through their personal style.”
“It is important to me to ensure that I help to build a foundation that helps the next group of business owners so that they do not face the same hurdles in ensuring they are successful in their startup years,” Richardson said.
For BCB, the challenges of opening a brick-and-mortar business are ongoing, but Surratt said she feels “validated and empowered” with Richardson’s support.
“I’m learning new things about building codes and permits and aspects that I was not necessarily familiar with, but have found that there are a great number of resources here to help people to support people who desire to go into those spaces,” Surratt said.
Published on April 7, 2022 at 12:40 am
