*Ricardo London is a new socially ambitious luxury streetwear collection created by fashion collaborators Antonio Ricardo and Evrice Cornelius. Their first capsule collection gives vintage throwback vibes with a modern feel to wake up the inner activist in fashion-conscious Gen Z and millennials.
Unapologetically progressive, the line’s inaugural capsule collection turns premium cotton T-shirts and hoodies, and high-end bomber jackets into social statement pieces that uplift the Black community to provoke thought and conversation.
According to Ricardo London’s co-creator, Antonio Ricardo, “This capsule collection makes a statement about the importance of Black people loving on each other, supporting each other, knowing who we are, culture building, and celebrating each other. It also expresses a collective frustration at the historical devaluing we have experienced as a people.”
Adds co-creator and designer Evrice, Cornelius, “Antonio had ideas for statement T-shirts and hoodies, and a modern take on the bomber jacket. With my European training and background in luxury apparel, I knew we could catapult the concept for this collection and bring it to market.
Ricardo London’s debut collection is USA made, with imported accents and materials from Italy and the UK. We sat down with Ricardo London’s co-creator, Antonio Ricardo to learn more.
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You are the founder and creator of Ricardo London, a capsule collection of T-shirts, hoodies, and bomber jackets with some socially ambitious phrases, like “Stayin’ Alive is the New Hustle” “Loyal to the Black Man” “Loyal to the Black Woman.” What kind of emotional or intellectual reaction are you hoping to elicit from this line?
Antonio Ricardo: Even though we’re an all-inclusive streetwear brand, I hope the Black community understands who we truly are as a people and that we originate from kings and queens, literally. The Internet waters have muddied who we are as a people, and who we are to each other. There are a lot of damaging narratives being thrown about in Black social media, but like Dr. Martin Luther King said, “ You can’t push out darkness with darkness, you can only push out darkness with light.”
Ricardo adds: If this capsule collection can inspire people to think, then maybe people will fall back and not throw their own people under the bus regardless of their personal dating preferences. Maybe we can shift the division amongst us and truly build something long-lasting. It would be amazing if Black people truly used their voice for good in these internet streets.
For those who are not in the know, can you explain what a capsule collection is, as opposed to a seasonal collection? And what are you planning for Ricardo London’s second capsule collection?
Antonio Ricardo: A traditional collection ranges anywhere from 12-30 pieces, sometimes a lot more depending on the brand’s budget; and it normally drops during traditional Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall schedules. A capsule is less than ten pieces, and the collection is available for a short time, in limited supplies, and with no set seasonal calendar; almost like a pop-up.
For Ricardo London’s next collection, our supporters can expect it to be more mainstream and all-inclusive. We really enjoy the streetwear culture, and a lot of our inspiration comes from brands such as Palm Angels, Off White, and Kith.
If you had to sum it up, who is your dream customer? Who would you like to see wearing the line?
Antonio Ricardo: When I think about our dream customers I think young, ambitious, and unapologetic about achieving their dreams and wanting to look stylish while doing so. We love aligning with outliers.
This collection was designed to be provocative as well as unisex, but we noticed that it also seems to pay some homage to a classic urban 1990s aesthetic. It reflects moments of hip hop’s golden era and a time when people found creative outlets of expression before social media entered the picture. Are we hitting the mark or not?
Antonio Ricardo: I definitely agree. T-shirts and hoodies have always been staples of streetwear and that won’t change, though it may take a break from time to time. Streetwear has always been about self-expression.
Some observers of the streetwear culture may have found such expression offensive, but people have to understand that streetwear wasn’t conceived and executed to be politically correct. It was conceived and executed in the streets of life.
You collaborated with Casey Levan designer, Evrice Cornelius on this collection, and his eye for fashion comes from his training in London. How has Evrice’s collaboration helped your vision come to life?
Antonio Ricardo: Evrice is an extremely talented high-end fashion designer. I consider myself blessed to have had the opportunity to work with him on this capsule, primarily the strapped bomber jackets. His experience, guidance and know-how really put us on the right track.
Tell us about the quality and construction of the line. What can people expect in terms of the fit and feel of these pieces?
Antonio Ricardo: We consider Ricardo London to be a high-end luxury streetwear brand, so we stand ten toes down on delivering a quality product. We only use top-tier raw goods to bring our pieces together. For example, we had the zippers for the bomber jackets imported from Italy and we brought in uncut fabrics for some of our hoodies from the United Kingdom. When people wear our garments they will definitely feel the high-end quality. The feedback we’ve gotten so far from supporters backs this.
You only have one chance to make a first impression with a new customer and we’re focused on the legacy of our brand, and not just a transaction. People can expect superior customer service and some really creative brand-bonding opportunities between us and our supporters.
Your plan is to donate a percentage of the collection’s profits to HBCUs. Which HBCUs, in particular, do you think are really innovating and elevating the Black community?
Antonio Ricardo: I think all HBCUs elevate the Black community, and I feel they are all innovative in that they are for us and by us. And who could possibly understand our community better than us? This is why the public declaration of our profit donation to all 107 HBCUs is so important to us. Money should be used to do good for others, and not just to enrich the self. When I think of success from a monetary standpoint, I don’t think about what I will buy. I think about how I will give.
Do you plan to continue to design unisex collections, or is that unique to this first capsule collection?
Antonio Ricardo: The next collection will be a men’s collection, but unisex collections will always be part of our mix, even if it’s just a single garment out of the blue.
View the debut capsule collection from Ricardo London.
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