The Brooklyn Circus Founder Ougi Theodore on His Varsity Jacket

Ouigi Theodore, founder of the preppy-meets-street brand The Brooklyn Circus, explains how his signature varsity jacket speaks to American history—and his own.

The varsity jacket, for me, dates back to when I had to choose between buying my high school football team’s varsity and a pair of Jordans. I really wanted the jacket, but it didn’t have the value and the sentimental weight that I wanted it to have. I got the Jordans.

That sent me on a mission. The Jordans were basketball sneakers you could wear off the court. And one day I was like, “How does a varsity jacket become this thing?” We had created The Brooklyn Circus at the time—we were about a year in—and I wanted to add our signature to something that was so iconic, so American, that existed in sports but also had enough sentimental value to be worn outside the athletic realm. I didn’t want it to be all about hype, and I didn’t want it all to be super nerdy. I wanted it to be cool. We were trying to balance style and character. You can strip down a varsity jacket to its core and it’s still a varsity jacket. Besides, our sport is the culture—to tell this story, to continue to shift the narrative. We’re always speaking to American history, Black history, Brooklyn Circus history, and creating parallels between them. Every statement, every patch on a Brooklyn Circus jacket is in connection to that.

And my jacket, I want it to represent my own journey. The pins are from our Gap collaboration, and from my buddies at Art Comes First, who do great work in our global village. The small green rug swatch, I got that from Mexico City, a city that I love. Right next to that, it says, “Putting up a resistance.” It’s from Beres Hammond, and I’m a huge fan of his music and Jamaican culture and reggae. That’s close to the heart as well.

Every year, I’ll continue to add to it. Because the more I add, the more I can draw people in. It’s me speaking to the world and inviting whoever’s listening to have a conversation.

This story appeared in the September 2023 issue of ESQUIRE MagazineSubscribe

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