FASHION

Published October 2000 

MAURICE MALONE

Detroit Designer Living His Dream

BY CHERYL HAZELL

At first glance Maurice Malone, his trademark locks recently lopped off, seems quiet, soft-spoken. "I'm going for the nappy afro look," he explains, his brown hands wrapped around a freshly popped Heineken as we relax on the rooftop patio of a popular Queen West club and restaurant. This self-taught progressive 35-year-old, one of the Council of Fashion Designers of America's most promising designers, stands squarely up against other cosmopolitan creators with much to say when it comes to urban fashion. It's a tough world out there but Malone has been doing it his way from the get-go with the constant support of loyal buyers who loved his style.

"I first started by making a hat I had seen that I couldn't buy," he remembers with a smile. "Then I started making other outfits and people started buying them and after a couple of months I'm like `Hey, being a designer is all right, too.'" When I look back 15 years ago I guess I'm living my dreams now because I did everything. The only things I thought about were being on the big runway shows in NYC and driving a nice convertible sports car."

Runway shows? Top models have flaunted his fashions on the catwalk of die-to-be-shown-there collection gatherings where top designers, fashion editors, stylists, and photographers converge several times a year. Convertible sports car? His custom-designed titanium blue Ferrari Spider parked out front was hot enough for passersby to stop and take a long hard look at.

Not one to be put in a box, Maurice tries to hold stereotypes at bay and going haute couture has been one way to do it. "It's what I enjoy doing and something I have a talent for and like it doesn't matter if, the way I do things, if everyone's picking it up or not. I know the consumers want it. I know there's a market." There certainly is considering that people of color are known for their dramatic expressions of individuality fuelling the desire to be draped in the identifiable cultural garb of the up-and-about. And if his company's target market is the well-rounded brother or sister who frequent art exhibits, restaurants, or people who travel a lot, then well-rounded we should all become if only to don a Malone.

"The best way I can describe it is, I'm my own customer and my lifestyle is everything from jeans to suits. And I thought about it, like what consumer is from this level to that level."
And even if high prices keep black designers under a cloud of stiff competition the brand of the black urban male is magnetic. "Even the white kids want what the black kids are designing," Maurice acknowledges says with a nod. Out of the 32 million African-Americans in the United States there are less than 250 industrial black designers in America to serve them, proving that there is room for growth and creativity.

Orlando Moseley, Toronto representative for the Maurice Malone group of companies agrees. "Maurice is a total go-getter whose creativity is apparent in the photographs that are in his ads and through the innovative way he deals with fabrics. Malone is the only black urban designer who owns 51% of his company. He's the dude next door, down to earth. And he's opened doors for many people, especially folks from Detroit, who are on the fashion and music scene."

And as far as people "on the scene" go, "We loan clothes to just about everybody in the business," says Malone. But this season even non-celebs can bank on being seen in more Malone creations now that the new designs are upon us and the jeans have taken on a new name, MoJeans.

The inspiration for Malone's Fall 2000 collection was textures and colors with an active, young, trend-setting crowd in mind.
"I wanted to be all over the board," Maurice reflects. "Make it bright with classic fall hues. We wanted mainly the fabric to have a look and feel to it to be a little different. We wanted to mix synthetic fabric with natural fibers." Two favorites are the men's cashmere mushroom tweed full-length coat with matching flat front trouser worn with a midnight blue crinkled cotton shirt. And for women? A honeycomb knit top and camel lace up pant with faux snake detail topped by a strawberry fields pony coat was definitely worth a second and third look.

Maurice is top notch when it comes to celebrating modern clothing design but this major player also has designs on being a record company magnate in the hip hop community. Having different expectations of himself has Maurice looking to be on another level. "We also have a record label called Hostile Takeover," he said above pulsating reggae rhythms. The first single came out last October from a group from Harlem named B.A.G.S or Bullets And Gun Smoke. They debuted at #17 on Hot Rap Singles and made it all the way up to #11. This September, we're dropping our second single from an artist, RUSH, It's Like That - from the compilation album featuring the six other groups that are on the label. The compilation should be out in October or November. Not to be overlooked is Proof, a Detroiter, Dr. Dre's and Eminem's hype man, and free-styling champion of the Source Magazine who will also be bringing out a smash single for release on Hostile Takeover record label.

Simply put, Malone is making his dreams a reality