East Texan launches ‘Weird and Different’ clothing brand to encourage authenticity

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - One East Texan is getting national recognition for his talents in the fashion industry and a clothing brand which was born from the hurtful words of others. In 2020 fashion designer Romereo Brown Jr. started selling clothing and apparel through his brand, ‘Weird and Different.’ The idea came to him senior year of high school.

“I wanted a brand that makes people feel good about being themself and who they are. The best way to express yourself is fashion, right,” he said.

Now he’s got a kiosk in the Broadway Square Mall, but his success hasn’t come without pain and hurt from the words of others. Brown was born deaf in his right ear and said he had a bad speech impediment when he was younger.

“In high school they’d call me Mushmouth from ‘Fat Albert’ (TV show). So I kind of got teased and bullied back in the day, not the best name to have in school,” Brown said.

Over time, he used the hurt to help himself and others. Earlier this month his brand was featured in Texas Fashion Week in San Antonio. He said it was his first show and he was a little nervous but,

“The whole process of it, it just felt natural,” Brown said. “The models didn’t even want to take the clothes off because of how much they loved it. It was a blessing.”

From that, Brown has since been invited to fashion shows in New York next year.

“When I was in the center of the crowd, I almost cried because it was that moment of, I finally made it,” he said. “We finally did something with this, something achievable. And people that have been in fashion for so long, in the industry, love our brand, love our material, love the fabric.”

Everything from the colors, fabric, and small detailing from the place he got his start have been carefully considered in the design. And the logo, a person eating ice cream, “When you eat ice cream you immediately feel better, so we want a brand that makes you feel good about being yourself,” Brown said. “It’s okay to stand out from the crowd, it’s okay to be yourself, it’s okay to be weird, it’s okay to be different. Who doesn’t like ice cream?”

‘Weird and Different’ will be opening their first store front in the Broadway Square Mall on November 5th.

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