What is Edward Joiner?

Where do I begin? Edward Joiner is a lifestyle brand that combines minimalism, sustainability, streetwear, culture, and beauty into one. I created the brand because fashion has over the years become a passion for me. I grew up in a suburb of Colorado called Aurora. Growing up in Colorado, I always felt lucky to have the beauty of the mountains in the distance and the surrealness of the sunsets in the summer evenings. But, as a young boy, I had no interest in traditional art or beauty. I just wanted to play basketball, play video games, and eat ice cream. Anyone who knew me in middle school knew that my first love was the game of basketball. Growing up in the mid-2000s and 2010s, I looked up to superstars like Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, and Lebron James. These, along with Goku from Dragon Ball Z, were my superheroes. They embodied greatness to me, and I strived to be them. In high school, I didn't have any semblance of style or “swag”. I just wanted to be great at basketball and get a scholarship to a Division 1 school. Being a freshman in high school was tough but also really fun. During the second half of my freshmen year I met someone who, without them, I would have never developed the love I have for art and fashion that I have today. In my freshman science class, I met New York native, Michael Cuasito. Michael was this 5 foot 6 inch tall Filipino kid from Queens. Something that stood out about him was he always looked fresh, always repped New York, and he always carried himself with the city’s swagger. We hit it off right away. I found out that he lived right up the street from me, and we bonded over basketball, NBA 2k, and Doritos Locos Tacos. He and I were close friends. I remember taking cues from Michael on what sneakers to wear and fashion in general. He probably never realized it, but his style influenced me so much, and as both of us grew into young men, we would talk about the newest sneaker drops, new hot brands, and anything relating to fashion. Once, we camped out together for 11 hours just to get our hands on Jerry Lorenzo’s Fear of God Vans. That was one of the most fun and exhausting nights of my life, but it goes to show how dedicated we were to the lifestyle. 

In the next phase of my life, I slowly realized basketball was not going exactly how I had planned. I transferred from a division 3 school to a Division 1 school in my sophomore year of college, however, I wasn’t getting any playing time. At this point in my life, I was 6 foot 3 inches, I had a  jawline, and I carried myself with much more confidence. Thanks to Michael, I also had an increased awareness of fashion and dressed with much more flavor than I did in high school. It felt good being able to be an athlete while at university, but I started to fit less and less in with my teammates. Something had switched in me, and I cared more about being well-dressed than being an athlete. I felt the urge to be creative and to seek creative outlets. After my last season as a basketball player, I was devastated. I had given my whole life to the game, but someone that gave me hope was Kobe Bryant.  Kobe had recently won an Oscar for his animated short film “Dear Basketball.” I was inspired by Kobe’s ability to evolve from a basketball savant to a creative storyteller and writer. For me, this was huge because I started to believe in myself more and more as a creative. This moment of realization is when I began coming up with the plan to start Edward Joiner.

Before I started Edward Joiner, I did a lot of thinking. If I were to create my own company, what would it look like? What would it feel like? What value could I bring to the world? I unleashed my creative energy by beginning to sketch every day. I took the same discipline I had for the game of basketball, for creating. I drew the visions in my head of what my brand would be. I sketched every day and honed in on my artistic vision for potential collections and products. There were many discouraging days that made me ask myself can I do this? But I just kept on practicing and visualizing the brand I wanted to create. I studied other creators and artists like Jerry Lorenzo, Kanye West, Brian Donnelly, Teddy Santis, and Akira Toriyama. They inspired me to carve out my own design style which is currently crystalizing into the brand today. It has been a lot of fun creating a business about something that I have a lot of passion for. My hope for this brand is to be able to bring joy and inspiration to others. As well as, creating garments that are uniquely my own, and that stand the test of time.l

There have been endless hours put into this moment to create something that reflects what Edward Joiner is. I am so excited to share the work of our first collection with the world. The Premiere Hoodie will release mid-2020 exclusively at Edward Joiner’s online store.

Written By: Andrew Joiner (Founder & Creative Director)