When it comes to fashion, inspiration can come from anything. Whether it’s styling, designing, or curating, there’s never one way to approach it. As long as you love the finished product, then that’s all that matters.
Joel Ramirez, a 22-year-old designer, founder of clothing brand 49archive and senior at Baruch College, feels strongly about this as he explains what fashion is to him and the impact of culture. Ramirez, aka “49,” has a unique outlook on fashion. He was born in New York City, Washington Heights to be exact, but was raised in the Dominican Republic until the age of four.
Although he has been in NYC for most of his life, Ramirez never fails to visit his roots often and translates this duality of culture into his designs. He gets inspired by the world around him. He calls himself a “sponge,” as he gets inspired by the world, incorporating ideas, trends, and his own experiences into his sketches.
Memories like watching his father put outfits together, mixed with the love and acceptance from his mother, motivated him to express himself through designing. On his birthday in 2022, he decided he needed a change. He’s been creating pieces that fit his personal style ever since.
“My inspiration comes from anything,” he said. “All these things that I think of have been things that I have either envisioned or seen in the past even before I started designing.”
As a digital communications major and Black & Latino studies minor, he plans to expand his brand past the walls of Baruch. His business mindset, along with the knowledge of his people, helps him give back to the community by selling his designs at his place of work and co-hosting events that bring a number of creatives together.
“A lot of creatives feel like they’re on their own and alone, even sometimes I think that, but we’re not,” he said. “We need to break out of that mindset that we are and bridge gaps.”
Is it easy to fall into a box when pursuing fashion? Ramirez likes to stray away from things that don’t align with him or his brand.
“For me, culture is what your ideals and values are, I’m never tied to anything I’m only tied to myself,” he said, making it clear that he doesn’t care to be associated with the labels society tries to impose on him. “I don’t consider my clothes as streetwear, I just call them clothes.”
Upon being asked what it is from his environment — both DR and NYC — that translates through his work, he says, “the culture of having fun and just being yourself.”
Ramirez stresses the importance of individuality and not being influenced by what others may think or say. This way of thinking has helped him shift his perspective on what life has to offer, and take everything as a learning experience.
“Be you and even if it doesn’t make sense to the world, as long as you’re happy, as long as you’re grateful, I think everything will work out in life,” Ramirez said.
49archive will be featured in the Caribbean Student Association and West Indian Culture Club’s annual fashion show coming up in May. They can be found on Instagram @49archive, @csabaruch, and @wiccbaruch or in NVC 3-233.
