By Nancy Kane
They met three years ago and bonded over a TikTok. Now they are co-founders of Overt Streetwear, a fashion brand with a purpose. Their second collection, in collaboration with East Hampton’s Blue&Cream, just launched and has celebrities from Katie Holmes to DJ Cassidy among its fans. Teen co-founders Jasper Johnson-Weinberg, 13, and Bryce Lorenzo, 14, aim to disrupt the industry with their gender-neutral and sustainable streetwear brand.
Jasper—son of Untitled Entertainment founding partner Jason Weinberg—says he and Bryce have always been interested in fashion, but when they started learning about social justice, they discovered some things about the fashion industry that didn’t sit right with them: namely, the industry’s effect on climate change and its lack of inclusivity.
With extra time on their hands during the pandemic, they decided to start a fashion brand. Their initial designs became a reality when they debuted their first collection in collaboration with Blue&Cream last November.
They’re currently managing day-to-day operations as well as school and auditions (both teens are studying acting), with Jasper taking the lead in the designing process, and Bryce putting it all together.
Jasper and Bryce agree that the ‘Duality Hoodie’ from the first collection, depicting a power line of birds, speaks strongest to the brand’s mission to champion diversity.
“The reason why all our clothes are gender neutral is because we want to create a feeling of safety and awareness within our brand. In this hoodie, the silver and black birds commute to the same power line, even if they look different,” says Bryce.
“We want different types of people to come together through clothing, no matter their race, sexuality or gender,” adds Jasper.
That philosophy inspired the brand’s name. “The word ‘overt’ derives from the idea of not being hidden or secret. But we realized that creating clothing could be a substantial way for us to be overt about our opinions,” says Jasper. “From then on, we have been outward and confident in our strides to make the fashion industry a more inclusive environment.”
Bryce adds, “Anyone and everyone can wear our clothes. We are a gender-neutral brand and one of our main focuses is to be inclusive.”
Follow their journey on Instagram @overtstreetwear
