We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Loki Blaque-peak a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Loki, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

I actually went through several name, but something about them didn’t feel right. They were basic and just kind of “meh”. I can’t recall EXACTLY how I came up with Blaque+Ninety5, but it’s basically my last name and my birth year. I knew I wanted my name in it and I wanted it to be striking but not corny. I was in the bathroom when it came to me, I remember that much.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

So, I was born in the mid 90s which is cool enough but I wish I was teenager in mid 90’s early 2000’s because they style era was amazing! I am deeply inspired by all Y2K fashions, not just the McBling and velour tracksuits, low rise jeans, baggy clothes eras, (don’t get me wrong that’s absolutely my ish as well), I am talking all that plus the mall goth and grunge fashions as well. Since I wasn’t a teen or even a preteen during some of the best fashion trends of my generation I’ve elected to take it upon myself to sort of recrete some of those styles. So I can rid of the FOMO I’ve felt the last 20 years. On top of not being old enough to dress in those fashions, I didn’t have the money. I grew up pretty poor. When I wanted to get new clothes it wasn’t really an option. I was tall and lanky I grew out of my pants very quickly. Jean skirts were in. I had zero dollars, but I had scissors, thread and a single needle. I made two mini jean skirts out of old pants. They were way too short, but I was proud of myself for doing it with no prior knowledge of sewing or upcycling. That’s really what started my love of fashion for me. I realized I could make my old clothes new clothes,I cut up everything I could get my hands on.

I think what sets me apart from other brands is that I try to live up to the golden rule of treating people how you want to treated and a sense of originality with a hint of nostalgia. I have been on a sort of hiatus for few years as I have been going through a lot personally, but I also needed to tweak somethings with my business. I am working on two collections right now so that I may showcase them in fashion show that I will be throwing next year. This is where I’d be able to show my love and admiration for y2k street fashion along with some more alternative pieces. I am pretty excited I figured it’d be the best way to relaunch Blaque+Ninety5.

I also have deep unwavering love for my home city Los Angeles. So I have shown this in my clothing and will continue to do so. I hadn’t been able to show the Y2K elements yet, but I will be able to soon !

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Funny enough the funding came from unemployment! I no longer had job due to Coronavirus and in Los Angeles, where I lived at the time, added an extra $600 weekly on top of the normal amount I was approved for. I took that and bought my first blanks for t-shirts and hoodies along with dying supplies and paying for screen printing services.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

I have my own website. I built it myself, but with the relaunch I’d like to have a professional re-do it for me. I find that it gives a better experience for potential customers when there is a stand alone website, because it shows the brands vibe or personality better than say an Amazon storefront. As of right now I don’t see any cons with my choice in building my own website. I actually found it quite fun!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: BlaqueNinety5