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BY JASON COHEN
Local fashion designer,
Mugzy McFly, has been hosting
an annual holiday pop-up
in the Bronx for four years
uniting over 20 small black
businesses before the holidays.
The event is held the weekend
after Thanksgiving, but
this year due to COVID-19,
took place in Mt. Vernon.
“The website thing is cool,
but meeting people is different,”
said Jevaughn Williams,
owner of Signed By McFly,
a men’s and women’s street
wear label.
Williams, 33, of Edenwald,
wakes up every day and it
feels like he’s dreaming. When
rappers like Maino and Jim
Jones are wearing his clothes,
he must be doing something
right, he said.
He explained to the Bronx
Times that he fell in love with
sneakers as a kid, but always
fi gured he would work with
numbers.
“Growing up I never
thought fashion was a career,”
he said.
While other kids made bad
choices to sell drugs or get in
trouble, Williams would save
money from his allowance
each week and get the newest
kicks available at JP Footwear
at Bartow Plaza.
“My foot was smaller so my
sneakers were cheaper,” he explained.
“If I have these sneakers
fi rst I was able to win.”
He graduated in 2009 from
St. Johns University with a degree
in accounting. Williams
was told to become a fi nancial
adviser or stock broker, but
hated his fi rst job at the Natural
Resources Defense Council
because of the long hours and
quit after a few months.
“I wasn’t maximizing my
potential,” he explained. “I
was just turned off from accounting.”
His focus soon switched to
fashion.
In 2013 his friend was starting
a clothing company and
he asked if he could join. Williams
was turned down, yet
decided to launch his own
business.
With no investors or outside
fi nancial backing, he
launched Signed by McFly
from the ground up, managing
all sides of the business
himself, from fi nances, production,
event planning, to
graphic and fashion design.
“Designing is an extension
of me, and the brand truly represents
a manifestation of my
dreams,” Williams said. “I
came up hard and wanted to
look good. I couldn’t afford my
own taste level so I created it. I
remember owning three pairs
of pants and rotating them
strategically to hide my limited
wardrobe. Now, through
my brand, I offer a unique style
at a price point you wouldn’t
fi nd anywhere else.”
Starting out was not easy.
He wasn’t selling much until
suddenly one guy from Georgia
bought four items and
things slowly progressed. In
fact, the gentleman still purchases
clothes seven years
later.
Business began to increase
as he held fashion shows at
places like the University of Albany
and Fordham.
“College kids would see it
and want to buy it,” he stressed.
“The brand just kept growing.”
Over time he garnered national
attention as celebrities
began to wear his clothing and
sneakers, ranging from Denise
Burgos to NBA player PJ
Tucker.
Today, he sells authentic
athleisure wear, color-blocked
moto pants, sneakers, bodysuits,
face masks and jackets.
Looking back, the fashion
mogul is living life and happy
with his choices.
“I told people I don’t really
look at the fi nish line. I look at
the journey,” he said.
Bronx fashion gains
attention from celebrities
Local fashion designer, Mugzy McFly,
Courtesy of Supreme Shotz NYC