Tell me about the name Staci Morae. It rolls off the tongue and when I hear it, I immediately think fashion. Was that the goal?

Brill: “Honestly it wasn't, because when I created the name Staci Morae, Sean was getting yelled at by his mom *laughs*. From that happening, for some reason I just decided to put together my alter ego/brand (Staci Reign) and his last name flipped around.”

Morae: “I always say that one of the most important aspects of a brand is their name, and while if you’ve ever had to name a clothing brand, podcast, etc. you know it’s not as easy as some people may think it is. The name STACiMORAE came from Brill putting our names together with his half being Staci and me being Morae and when I heard it for the first time I knew we had something good with it.”

Staci Morae is a two man project, correct? Tell me about the co-founder. What’s your relationship like and what led to the merger?

“Man, Morae! That's been my BROTHER since we went to ASTROWORLD 2019. Before that trip, we didn't really hang out but we knew of each other because of school and bro loved how I dressed. Morae is honestly one of the very few people I can call my real friend, he has my back just like I got his. I'm real grateful that we got closer because I couldn't imagine life without my slattman!” 

“Like I previously mentioned, my partner in this is Staci aka Brill. That’s my Slatt (LDB) we went to school together and our friendship started with a common interest in clothes, music, etc. Both of us realized after starting separate brands that if we put our skills together that we could create some dope shit!”

You are also the founder of the aforementioned brand Staci Reign of which I am also intimately familiar. Is Staci Reign now defunct or is it now a part of the greater Staci Morae?

“Staci Reign is archived and done for, SADLY. I really did enjoy creating and growing with that part of my life but my issue was I was never dropping. But one day I would LOVE to put out some archived Reign designs, one day for real!”

You are also the founder of the brand Amore X Clothing. Is Amore X Clothing now defunct or is it now a part of the greater Staci Morae?

“Ahhhh yes, AXC. AmorexClothing was my first brand that I started in 2019 and is separate from STACiMORAE, that is for all of my cut & sew stuff, I took a break from it to get better with my sewing skills and actually am planning to release some stuff in there real soon!”

Your designs seem to become more concentrated and mature with each drop. Was this intentional or are the more experimental designs being saved for future drops?

“A bit of both, we really just see what works and everything just comes out great each time. Definitely expect more experimental designs though, we really going crazy soon!” 

Your designs and style from the Amore X Clothing brand seem to somewhat juxtapose a fair bit of the Staci Morae catalog thus far. Do you and Jabril ever butt heads over designs or ideas? How do you guys different tastes play off one another?

Me and Brill definitely have different styles but I feel like that’s what makes us so good together, it’s two totally different minds working together to create one product.

Speaking of designs, what is the creative process like when creating a piece?

“It depends, because it could be art or clothing. Lately my process has just been going into Photoshop and typing a random idea up or just having something already in mind.” 

“So far it’s been just hanging out or texting each other whenever we get an idea. When we have a bunch of ideas, we take the ones we think are the best and then work on those in Photoshop together, (except for the G.O.D tee that was all Brill and is one of my favorites).”

You’re coming off the heels of what many would consider a very successful sample sale. Where’d that idea first stem from and what did was your reaction to seeing people purchase from the sale? 

“A sample sale has always been in mind, even back with Staci Reign, but like I said, I never dropped like a fool. The only people who got Staci Reign are Friends & Family, you definitely being the main one!” 

“We wanted to do something different than just “release a first collection”. We felt that with the sample sale we were able to show people a little piece of what we have to offer and to be able to fund the brand. I am extremely grateful for the turnout that the sample sale had and if I’m being honest I had a feeling [it would be successful].”

In the age of internet marketing, clicks are king. I’m personally a huge fan of your marketing style. Gifting samples to other artists, promo videos and music all seem to be chosen with a greater idea in mind. How’ve you learned to market effectively in a competitive space?

“I love this because honestly we don't even look at it that way FULLY. We love that we're meeting people who enjoy the same things as us and also want to see everybody else win. The New York scene right now is honestly the only reason we've been able to even grow at such a short rate. Shout out to all the gang out here!” 

“I feel we’re successful because we’re authentic! We want to be a hub for things even bigger than just clothes. For example, a big part of our brand is underground/fashion parties where we get to have fun and network and meet dope ass people. When we do send someone a sample it’s only if we genuinely fuck with that person and what they do, and I feel like that comes off [genuine] and people feel that. We want to be a community and have it feel like one.”

What was the moment that sparked your love for fashion? How did that transition into founding the two fashion lines we know today? 

“What sparked my love for fashion was really this virtual game called IMVU. Without IMVU I would've never been able to know about brands like HBA, Supreme, and similar brands. Overtime the love built up naturally because I've always been into different things since a kid. It was meant to happen and I'm just glad this is the beginning, there's really so much more to come!”

“I wouldn’t say it was a moment that sparked my interest in fashion, rather than a way for me to express myself. Ever since I was younger, where me and brill went to school it was like everyone was trying so hard to fit some standard and be a certain way that I feel it stopped people from being who they really are.”

Many of the Morae pieces are 1 of 1, if not limited quantity. Was this intentional when building the brand or a restriction turned selling point?

“Most of the pieces are 1/1 just off the strength that some pieces don't need to be replicated. But it also creatives exclusivity and who doesn't love that?”

“That love for fashion and clothes is definitely how the brands came about. While other kids were going to parties and hanging with friends I was in my room with my sewing machine just having fun, and from that I just always want to share my work with the world.”

Staci Morae is definitely a brand I can see taking the streetwear scene by storm. Do you guys consider yourself a streetwear brand? Do you have plans to expand into other areas of fashion?

“We honestly don't consider ourselves anything yet because we're still a work in progress at the end of the day. We're STACI MORAE if you want the true answer. We're definitely expanding into other things but y'all just gone have to wait and see!”

“It wasn’t the specific goal to have limited quantities when starting but we knew we had to save products for this first collection that’s going to be releasing real soon. We definitely aren’t a streetwear brand, but rather like to call ourselves an art house. Our goals for the future stretch way beyond just clothes. We want to have our hands in everything.”

In 5 years’ time, what should we expect from you and from Staci Morae?

“Definitely expect us to be in the scene a lot more, this is just the building blocks. Like we said, what do you think of when you hear Staci Morae?”

"“In five years’ time you could expect a bunch of dope shit being made, STACiMORAE hosted events, and so much more. I could write an article about all the things that STACiMORAE is going to do but I'd rather just have you see for yourselves!”

Are you guys open to collaboration with any other brands down the line?

“Definitely! Just not at the moment because we still need to form our image a bit more.”

“After this first drop that's definitely the goal. There’s so many dope musicians, artists, photographers, editors, etc. that we know and met through the brand that we would love to collaborate with.”