From Detroit to the World: A Founder’s Journey
FROM DETROIT TO THE WORLD: A FOUNDER’S JOURNEY
JULY 11, 2025 | BY CRAIG D. WASHINGTON
Every legacy has a birthplace. Mine is Detroit. Before Top Notch NME reached the world stage, before the code “2854” became a cultural signature, my journey started with a dream and a pair of hands determined to create something real.
The Early Days
I was just thirteen—pressed up against the window of a sneaker store on the Eastside, wishing for the freshest Jordans. My mom couldn’t afford them, but that never stopped the vision. I started hustling odd jobs and flipping secondhand clothes, just to stack enough to design my first custom fit. Every dollar, every lesson, every long night went into those early experiments—tearing down what was old, remixing it, and building something new.
The Spark: Why Top Notch NME?
The streets of Detroit aren’t easy, but they build you different. I wanted a brand that matched that energy—luxury quality, but with a code only real ones understood. “Top Notch” for the craftsmanship. “NME” as in ‘enemy’—the voice inside that pushes you to outdo yourself. The vision: merge the highest standards of design with the rawest street influence, proving Detroit’s best could stand on any global runway.
The Struggle Is the Foundation
I started in a friend’s basement, heat-pressing hoodies and sneakers by hand, with YouTube tutorials as my mentor. I learned to fail, to pivot, and to rebuild. The grind taught me that style isn’t just what you wear—it’s the code you live by. For me, every setback was a lesson, every “no” a challenge to level up.
Breakthroughs, Sacrifices, and the Code
The first time a stranger stopped me on Woodward Avenue to ask about my custom Top Notch gear, I knew the vision was real. But growth wasn’t overnight. It took late-night road trips, trunk sales at underground shows, and endless cold calls to break through. My wife Nora stood beside me, grounding the dream, while the city became both my stage and my inspiration. The number 2854—a sequence that came to me in a dream—became our code, a spiritual cipher for legacy, alignment, and fearless evolution.
Detroit to the World
Word spread from block to block, then coast to coast. Suddenly, artists, athletes, and tastemakers from Paris to Tokyo wanted a piece of Detroit’s new signature. What started as a single basement press now powers limited edition drops, luxury collaborations, and global campaigns. But I’ll never forget the roots—the energy of the city, the hunger of those first nights, and the responsibility to build a bridge for the next generation.
Top Notch NME is more than a label—it’s a movement born from hustle, vision, and the streets of Detroit. My journey is still being written, one collection at a time.
ABOUT THE FOUNDER
The Early Days
I was just thirteen—pressed up against the window of a sneaker store on the Eastside, wishing for the freshest Jordans. My mom couldn’t afford them, but that never stopped the vision. I started hustling odd jobs and flipping secondhand clothes, just to stack enough to design my first custom fit. Every dollar, every lesson, every long night went into those early experiments—tearing down what was old, remixing it, and building something new.
The Spark: Why Top Notch NME?
The streets of Detroit aren’t easy, but they build you different. I wanted a brand that matched that energy—luxury quality, but with a code only real ones understood. “Top Notch” for the craftsmanship. “NME” as in ‘enemy’—the voice inside that pushes you to outdo yourself. The vision: merge the highest standards of design with the rawest street influence, proving Detroit’s best could stand on any global runway.
The Struggle Is the Foundation
I started in a friend’s basement, heat-pressing hoodies and sneakers by hand, with YouTube tutorials as my mentor. I learned to fail, to pivot, and to rebuild. The grind taught me that style isn’t just what you wear—it’s the code you live by. For me, every setback was a lesson, every “no” a challenge to level up.
Breakthroughs, Sacrifices, and the Code
The first time a stranger stopped me on Woodward Avenue to ask about my custom Top Notch gear, I knew the vision was real. But growth wasn’t overnight. It took late-night road trips, trunk sales at underground shows, and endless cold calls to break through. My wife Nora stood beside me, grounding the dream, while the city became both my stage and my inspiration. The number 2854—a sequence that came to me in a dream—became our code, a spiritual cipher for legacy, alignment, and fearless evolution.
Detroit to the World
Word spread from block to block, then coast to coast. Suddenly, artists, athletes, and tastemakers from Paris to Tokyo wanted a piece of Detroit’s new signature. What started as a single basement press now powers limited edition drops, luxury collaborations, and global campaigns. But I’ll never forget the roots—the energy of the city, the hunger of those first nights, and the responsibility to build a bridge for the next generation.
Top Notch NME is more than a label—it’s a movement born from hustle, vision, and the streets of Detroit. My journey is still being written, one collection at a time.
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