The New Black History: Interview With Terrel Marcus
By
By Stadium Goods |The New Black History: Interview With Terrel Marcus
Our “New Black History” interview series for 2023 kicks off with NYC’s own Terrel Marcus, the famed sneaker collector, stylist, and owner of Styled by T-Mark.
Matt DeSciora
Stadium Goods is proud to present our “New Black History” series, an event that shines a light on the folks contributing to the better good of the cultures of music, sports, fashion, entertainment, and more. Just like years past, we couldn’t be more excited and appreciative of all of the guests we will be featuring in this year’s “New Black History,” such as Terrel Marcus.
Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, Terrel is the founder and lead designer of Styled By T-Mark, the hat brand you may have seen on social media that puts custom embroidered patches on some of the most iconic and recognizable hats in sportswear. The brand has quickly become a favorite in hat and streetwear communities, and has amassed co-signs from hip-hop royalty such as DJ Clark Kent and Jadakiss, among others.
In addition to putting his own unique twist on hats, Terrel happens to boast one of the most impressive sneaker collections in the game today. Between designing dope hats and collecting some of the most enviable shoes in the world, it’s pretty clear that Terrel is winning on all accounts.
In spite of his obvious success, Terrel is incredibly humble and appreciative of those that have helped him get to where he is in life. That couldn’t be more obvious when reading his interview below.
What’s up, Terrel. I want to start by thanking you for taking the time to talk with us today, I appreciate you!
Some know you for your insane sneaker collection thanks to Sole Collector’s “Sneaker Battles” show, and many more know you as the brainpower behind Styled by T-Mark, the brand you founded that puts custom embroidery on fitted and knit hats. First, can you talk a little bit about how you got into sneakers? What was your introduction into sneaker culture?
Well, I gotta give credit to my mother and my two older brothers for introducing me to sneakers. They were already into sneakers well before I was even born! My older brother was into Jordans, so I became aware of what those were because of him. My other brother was into Jordans, too, but he was also into shoes from the Nike Basketball collection. They both had a huge impact on my life in sneakers.
Moving onto Styled by T-Mark, what was the inspiration behind the brand and what does adding custom patches to legendary fitteds and beanies mean to you?
Man, funny story about how I started Styled by T-Mark. Basically, I wanted to collect all 27 New York Yankee World Series hats with the different side patches. When I started collecting them, I learned that New Era also made hats for the years the Yankees were in the World Series they lost. They also made Yankees hats with anniversary patches, player patches, etc. After realizing there were so many different Yankees fitteds with patches, I started thinking to myself, “So what happens after I finish collecting all of them? Do I stop? Do I start rebuying the same hats?”
I was on vacation when the idea popped in my head to start designing fitteds with iconic hip-hop logos embroidered on the side. After doing my research and finding out nobody had ever made a hat like the one I was envisioning, I went full steam ahead. Once I started getting co-signs from people like DJ Clark Kent and Mayor, I knew I had something special.
The side patches mean a lot to me, and they mean a lot to hat culture because it was an original idea that wasn’t commonly seen. There’s just something about a side patch that just makes a fitted without an embroidered patch seem like two totally different hats, even though in theory they could both be a fitted of the same team.
What advice do you have for young Black creatives trying to start their own brands?
Honestly, my advice to young Black creatives looking to start their own brand is: if you have a passion for it and a true love for it, go for it. I quit my job to start my business because I was more passionate about starting a business than working my job. I felt like my job was holding me back. There’s definitely going to be times when you’re gonna get discouraged, but never quit. I won’t have any regrets no matter how the outcome plays out.
How did you get involved with Sole Collector’s “Sneaker Battles?” What was that experience like?
I was on “Sneaker Battles” twice, once remote during the pandemic, and the second time was at the Sole Collector office, which was super dope. Tony (the host of “Sneaker Battles”) was doing the remote segment, and had reached out to me to join the show. When I went into the office, Smoke DZA was the host of that episode. Both experiences were dope, especially because I didn’t know who my opponent would be. I’m not going to lie, I definitely did my homework on who I could potentially be facing for both battles (laughs).
You’re born and raised in the Bronx in New York City. How has growing up in the Bronx influenced your interests in sneakers and fashion?
Growing up in the Bronx wasn’t easy, especially in my neighborhood. I lived in one of the toughest neighborhoods in New York City, Soundview, so just being able to make it out is truly a blessing.
My mother and my brothers were my earliest influences on sneakers. My mother was so into fashion when I was coming up, and I learned so much from her and her style. Looking back, I could say that I started coming outside at an early age, so when I really got to see people outside of school, it was, in all honesty, the people doing not so great things in my neighborhood that were some of the biggest influences I had as far as fashion and sneakers are concerned.
Since this is Stadium Goods, we have to ask: what’s your all-time favorite sneaker?
My all time favorite shoe is the Air Jordan 3 “Black Cement.” If I can pick a year, I’d definitely go with the “Black Cement” release from 2001, the one with “Nike Air” on it. Also, the Air Jordan 6 “Infrared” from 2000 would be 1B for me.
You can check out Terrel’s Styled by T-Mark site here and follow him on Instagram: @tmarkgotkickss