About
42+ Years of Fashion, Innovation & Independence
Maurice Malone didn't follow fashion — he changed it.
Maurice Malone is a pioneering American fashion and denim designer whose career spans more than four decades. Known for helping bridge the gap between hip-hop culture and designer fashion, Malone built influential brands including Maurice Malone, Mojeans, and Williamsburg Garment Company. His work has earned industry recognition, including a CFDA Perry Ellis Award nomination for Menswear, while his innovations in denim development, garment manufacturing, and wash techniques have influenced the global apparel industry.
Maurice Malone has been called the “Steve Jobs of Denim” and was named one of Rivet magazine’s Top Denim Designers. A self-taught fashion designer with more than four decades of experience, Malone is known for his innovations in denim, his influence on hip-hop culture, and his role in helping bridge the gap between streetwear and designer fashion.
Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Malone started making clothing as a teenager in the basement of his mother’s home. On February 15, 1984, at age 19, he launched his first company, Hardwear by Maurice Malone. What began as a small operation selling to local boutiques quickly expanded, with his clothing appearing in Dayton Hudson department stores by the late 1980s.
Detroit, Hip-Hop, and Streetwear
In 1989, Malone relocated to Brooklyn, New York, seeking a closer connection to the fashion industry. There he immersed himself in New York’s emerging hip-hop culture, which would profoundly influence the direction of his work. After a year in Brooklyn, he returned to Detroit and helped ignite what would become the city’s golden era of hip-hop.
Through a series of legendary events, venues, and promotions—including The Rhythm Kitchen and The Hip Hop Shop—Malone helped create the environment that launched and nurtured many of Detroit’s most influential artists. More than a decade later, these venues and events would serve as inspiration for the film 8 Mile, with Malone assisting filmmakers in recreating the atmosphere of the era.
At the same time, his clothing brand grew alongside the culture. Maurice Malone became one of the pioneering brands of the urban streetwear movement, helping establish a category that would grow into a global industry.
From Streetwear to the Runway
In 1995, Malone returned to Brooklyn with a new goal. While hip-hop fashion was largely confined to streetwear, he envisioned something different: bringing the culture into designer fashion.
He began presenting collections during New York Fashion Week and, in 1997, received a CFDA Perry Ellis Award nomination for New Menswear Designer of the Year. His success helped demonstrate that designers emerging from hip-hop culture could compete within the highest levels of the fashion industry.
“Few designers have been able to marry hip-hop flavor and designer fashion as successfully as Mr. Malone has.” — Constance C.R. White, The New York Times
A Lifetime in Denim
Following the rise of his Maurice Malone and Mojeans brands, Malone continued to push denim forward through product development, manufacturing innovation, and wash techniques that would influence the industry worldwide.
In 2011, he founded Williamsburg Garment Company with less than $2,000 and a simple philosophy: start small, focus on quality, and build from there.
If you know denim, you know Maurice Malone
More than 42 years after launching his first brand, Maurice Malone continues to design, manufacture, and teach—passing his knowledge to the next generation through workshops, mentorship, and hands-on education.
