By JEFFARAH GIBSON

Tribune Features Writer

jgibson@tribunemedia.net

HIP HOP culture is the major inspiration behind a new streetwear brand by young Bahamian designer Rashad Germain.  

The Trap Mogul line, he said, represents dreamers and go-getters; the people who work diligently to ensure success is their only outcome, regardless of circumstances or obstacles.

“This is why I named the line Trap Mogul and call a lot of our supporters young moguls. Being referred to as a mogul means that you have achieved the ultimate success in your field. I think that the people who gravitate towards our line do so not only because they like how our clothes look, but because our actual message of attaining success by any means resonates with them,” Rashad told Tribune Arts and Entertainment.

The collection currently features T-shirts, tank tops, snapback caps, beanies, bucket hats and socks. The line will also expand to include hoodies and crew neck sweatshirts later on in the year.

Rashad’s deep-seated fascination with the hip hop culture is was what ultimately led him to create the Trap Mogul brand. 

From a very young age, Rashad said he was always interested in all things hip hop, including the music, fashion and movies. He said tried to find out what brands his favourite rappers wore with the hope of purchasing the same clothing. However, being just a teenager at the time, Rashad said he was not able to afford the clothes the hip hop stars were wearing.

“Hip hop is a big influence on urban international fashion, and around 2010 there was a big shift in the things being worn. Streetwear started to be the choice for what people wore because a lot of the artists that were becoming popular around that time like Wale, Wiz Khalifa and Kid Cudi were shedding more light on streetwear clothing lines. Brands like LRG, Diamond Supply, Crooks & Castles, 10 Deep and Supreme were already well established, but that added attention from the hip hop community made more people aware,” Rashad said.

“During that boom was when I started buying a lot of streetwear clothing and became seriously interested in that industry. People around me saw that I was really into it and started to jokingly ask me when I would be coming out with my line. Being business minded, I started to wonder if I really could have my own line and started to do research into how I would go about starting it.”

The Trap Mogul line was in the works for years before it became a reality. Instead of a full scale launch, the young designer released certain pieces to test the waters and see how consumers respond to his creations.  

“Now was just the right time. With social media being as big as it is now, things are a lot easier to do compared to a few years ago. Instead of only being able to market your brand here in Nassau, you can reach people all over the world thanks to things like Twitter and Instagram,” he said.

As for the significance of the brand’s name, Rashad had this to say:

“The ‘trap’ is better known as the ghetto. No matter where you are in the world, there will always be several things that all inner-city neighbourhoods have in common. Things like poverty, crime, and drugs are always prevalent. Most times the people from these places are overlooked because it’s difficult sometimes to not become a statistic, hence the term ‘trap’.  What I intended to do with the line was show that you can take all these negative aspects and still come out with positive situation. A lot of people may get the idea that the line glorifies negativity, which is an understandable misconception. The ‘Don’t Get Trapped’ campaign that is gearing up to launch in a few weeks will hopefully clear that up.”

Rashad’s hope for the line is that is becomes an internationally recognised brand, crossing all barriers.

“I do not want to just conquer the world of fashion, I want to use this line as a vehicle to venture into other avenues – things like music, film, design and content creation are all things that I would like Trap Mogul to have a hand in somewhere down the line. There are a lot of talented people here in Nassau, so I would like to get this brand to the point where it can be used as an outlet for these people to get noticed on an international level for their talents,” he said.