Growing up, Shareef Mosby was upcycling his clothing before he even knew what “upcycling” meant. After moving to Richmond as a youngster from New York, his creative streak led him into a number of arts careers, including photography and interior design. Eventually, his fashion label, Victim15, became an outlet for the unconventional designs he created.
“We specialize in testing different boundaries with creating pieces,” Mosby says. “I would say our stuff is very avant-garde. We use a lot of different foreign objects and unconventional methods of creating clothes.”
Mosby, who has shown his creations on runways in Richmond and fashion hubs including New York City and Miami, builds on this ethos of shaking convention in his latest show, “Loading Perfection.” The collection of fall/winter streetwear was part of the Art Basel showcase in Miami on Dec. 9.
Mosby says the collection revolves around the idea of rebels within society. “To me, ‘rebel’ means to highlight one’s flaws instead of hiding them,” he says. “At the end of the day, it is not our business to worry about what others think of our being.”
Mosby takes inspiration from gaming and action films to conjure the rebel spirit. “It’s going to be more edgy, you’ll see a lot of ‘Mad Max’ and ‘Tomb Raider’ references,” Mosby says.
Victim15’s production studio is located in Manchester. This is where Mosby creates, samples and photographs the products. He says he has witnessed the city’s evolution, both physically and in the fashion industry, for the past eight years, and finds inspiration in fostering the local fashion community.
“Staying in Richmond means actively creating opportunities rather than merely pursuing them. … We’ve made strides in Richmond, empowering local talent and nurturing creativity, which is personally rewarding.”
Mosby has always been more interested in helping others than selling clothes. “It’s about creating experiences with the people that we work with and our fans and supporters,” he says. “I definitely want it to continue to feel more community based.”