Hats Ouf
Talking about my weekend escapades has become a great starting point for my articles every week. With the new year making its way in, I’ve been reassessing how I spend my time and prioritizing showing my face in places that align with my professional and personal brand. Most of the time, that’s all you need to do—show up.
After working “Top of the Morning”, a beautiful, 9 am turn up for those who can get up that early, I made my way to the after party at Cloudz and Cocktailz hookah lounge. Remembering that I hadn’t caught up with Robby 88 in a while, I thought to stop past Ouftur, as I drove by the flagship store on my way to the hookah lounge. Robby is one of my favorite “clients” and friends and he is part of Ouftur, one of the biggest Baltimore clothing brands. Robby and I used to have weekly meetings there to discuss whatever his business focuses were at the time.(You can book me for that!)
Upon entry, the traffic and vibes were high. The lower level was occupied by a bar, food spread, and one of my favorite Djs, DJ Gush. My first thought was let me get a piece of chicken. My second thought was why is DJ Gush and Hip Hop Chicken here? My friend and bartender, Kiara, exclaimed, “It’s Ouftur’s Anniversary!” Of course it is! I had no idea that I stumbled into Ouftur’s 1 Year Anniversary Sip & Shop.
I was greeted by the cool, most fly Dovell, the creator of Ouftur. To know Dovell is to know that he is a master of detail; he is a fashion visionary, as he’s built the brand to become Ouftur Luxury, from what was once Million Dollar Clothing, an out-of-the-trunk clothing line. Dovell is a true hustler, a style connoisseur and quite ridiculous at times because how did he have the same hoodie on as Robby 88? They let me know that they were supposed to wear different hoodies to showcase the new drops, and he didn’t update anyone as he changed his mind LOL. Like a true artist.
I worked with Dovell once before for his birthday party in 2024 and my favorite thing that I learned from him is that he isn’t scared to scrap everything and start all over if it means getting it right. Throughout my career, I’ve always been extremely frustrated when visions don’t work out, content is wasted, and ideas aren’t used. But he prioritizes things being displayed in a way that aligns most with what his gut feels it should look like.
I, personally, love chatting with Dovell—he opens doors within the conversation, leaving room for devil’s advocate, and always leaving you with something to think about.
Music artist Young D occupied the counter; we had a chat about his upcoming music project. Entrepreneurship expert Andrea England, Ty from the Ouftur team, and loyal Ouftur customers were just a few of many notable guests in attendance.
It was nice to celebrate and take a moment to appreciate a thing we just drive past because it was always there. The original 25th street location set Ouftur into motion for this fresh, stylish North avenue location. I would “work from home” in the original store on Fridays just to chat with the 25th street girlies and see what new looks everyone was excited for, watching them spend their freshly earned paychecks. The boys I dated at that time did NOT like that. Nightlife people always stopped by, grabbing a look for them to wear that night, while also venting about the backend of the business or securing new deals for upcoming events. During the pandemic (before I was around the store), long lines spilled out of Ouftur onto 25th street. I even heard rumors that Mr.Nacho Banger, Dinzy Killa, would come in, buy loads of clothing, and sell it for more outside, helping people avoid the long wait and making a quick profit! Crazy times.
Thank you Ouftur for your inspiring business-minded people like Killa, giving endless style for all ages, and for the TV-worthy jokes and conversations that happen in the store. Thanks for expanding my style from just girly and fitted to exploring looser silhouettes that add dimension and confidence to how I show up.
I’d like to take a moment for the redirection I experienced, all because I set my intentions. Hookah is cool, shoot, hookah is GREAT (I love hookah, I want to be a hookah.). But I know, and God knows, that my goals and business growth mean more. I ended up at the right place at the right time. Focus on areas that align with your business, especially when on social media. Granted, I wasn’t paying attention to Instagram that morning or Friday, after winding down from the holiday, but I should have been. When looking at brands like Ouftur on Instagram, surely my algorithm will think of me when there are other celebrations and major events in the city, coming from our biggest brands. When you make the change mentally, everything else around you follows suit.
P.S. Ouftur can y’all please bring back the pink and brown “f*ck ouf” shirts and the oversized zip up hoodie with the white abstract design from Fall 2023? Thanks.