A FEW WEEKS AGO, WE SHARED THAT UPTOWN ALL-STAR WAS HEADING TO NEW YORK CITY FOR GOT SOLE AT PIER 36. AFTER MONTHS OF PLANNING, THE WEEKEND FINALLY ARRIVED, AND IT WAS EVERYTHING WE HOPED IT WOULD BE.

FROM THE MOMENT THE DOORS OPENED, THE ENERGY INSIDE THE EVENT WAS UNREAL. IT FELT LIKE NEW YORK IN EVERY WAY, ESPECIALLY COMING RIGHT AFTER THE KNICKS’ PLAYOFF WIN. EVERYONE WAS EXCITED, THE MUSIC WAS LOUD, AND PEOPLE WERE GENUINELY INTERESTED IN WHAT EVERY VENDOR HAD TO OFFER. BETWEEN THE LIVE DJ, CUSTOMER RAFFLES, AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WALKING THE FLOOR, THERE WAS NEVER A DULL MOMENT.

ONE OF OUR FAVORITE PARTS OF THE EVENT WAS GETTING TO MEET SO MANY PASSIONATE VENDORS. NO MATTER WHERE YOU WERE FROM, IT SEEMED LIKE THERE WAS ALWAYS SOMEONE WHO HAD A CONNECTION TO YOUR HOMETOWN, WHICH MADE SUCH A HUGE EVENT FEEL SURPRISINGLY PERSONAL. THE STREETWEAR COMMUNITY IS MUCH SMALLER THAN IT SEEMS, AND THAT WAS SOMETHING WE REALLY EXPERIENCED THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND.

THE BEST PART, THOUGH, WAS HEARING PEOPLE RECOGNIZE UPTOWN ALL-STAR. AFTER OUR POP-UP IN ATLANTA, SEVERAL PEOPLE CAME UP TO US AND REMEMBERED WHO WE WERE. THAT WAS ONE OF THE MOST REWARDING MOMENTS OF THE TRIP BECAUSE IT SHOWED US THAT PEOPLE ARE PAYING ATTENTION AND THAT EVERYTHING WE’RE BUILDING IS STARTING TO STICK. IT WAS A REMINDER THAT ALL THE WORK BEHIND THE SCENES IS PAYING OFF.

BEHIND THE SCENES

GETTING TO NEW YORK WAS AN ADVENTURE ON ITS OWN. WE PACKED THE UPTOWN VAN WITH OUR INVENTORY, DISPLAY WALLS, AND EVERYTHING WE NEEDED FOR THE BOOTH, THEN MADE THE 24-HOUR DRIVE NORTH.

THIS TIME AROUND, SETUP WAS MUCH SMOOTHER THAN ATLANTA. WE ARRIVED A DAY EARLY, AND WITH FOUR PEOPLE HELPING, EVERYTHING CAME TOGETHER MUCH FASTER. SINCE OUR DISPLAY WALLS WERE ALREADY WRAPPED BEFORE WE LEFT, WE WERE ABLE TO FINISH SETTING UP BY AROUND 2 P.M., LEAVING US THE REST OF THE DAY TO ENJOY THE CITY.

IT WAS BUS’S FIRST TIME IN NEW YORK, SO WE SPENT THE AFTERNOON EXPLORING SOHO, DOING A LITTLE SHOPPING, AND LATER MET UP WITH SOME FRIENDS WHO ARE LOCALS OF THE CITY. WE ALSO FILMED SCENES FOR MASON’S UPCOMING MUSIC VIDEO, WEST VILLAGE, AND DOCUMENTED THE ENTIRE TRIP. WE’LL BE RELEASING A FULL VLOG SOON SO EVERYONE CAN EXPERIENCE THE WEEKEND WITH US.

EVENT DAY

BY THE TIME EVENT DAY ARRIVED, WE FELT COMPLETELY PREPARED. INSTEAD OF WORRYING ABOUT SETUP, WE WERE ABLE TO FOCUS ON WHAT MATTERED MOST—MEETING PEOPLE, TALKING WITH CUSTOMERS, CONNECTING WITH OTHER VENDORS, AND REPRESENTING UPTOWN ALL-STAR.

WE HAD SOME INCREDIBLE INTERACTIONS THROUGHOUT THE DAY, INCLUDING MEETING JIM JONES AND SO MANY OTHER AMAZING PEOPLE WHO STOPPED BY THE BOOTH. ONE OF THE BIGGEST HIGHLIGHTS WAS SHOWING OFF SAMPLES FROM OUR FALL COLLECTION. SEEING PEOPLE’S REACTIONS AND HEARING HOW EXCITED THEY WERE FOR WHAT’S COMING NEXT GAVE US EVEN MORE CONFIDENCE IN THE DIRECTION WE’RE HEADED.

OVERALL, THE WEEKEND WAS ABOUT SO MUCH MORE THAN SALES. IT WAS ABOUT EXPOSURE, BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS, AND PROVING TO OURSELVES THAT UPTOWN ALL-STAR BELONGS IN ROOMS LIKE THIS. EVERY CONVERSATION, EVERY FAMILIAR FACE, AND EVERY PERSON WHO RECOGNIZED OUR BRAND REMINDED US WHY WE STARTED THIS JOURNEY IN THE FIRST PLACE.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO STOPPED BY OUR BOOTH, SUPPORTED US ONLINE, AND FOLLOWED ALONG THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND. WE’D ALSO LIKE TO GIVE A HUGE THANK YOU TO GOTSOLE FOR PUTTING TOGETHER SUCH AN INCREDIBLE EVENT AND CREATING A SPACE WHERE BRANDS, VENDORS, AND THE STREETWEAR COMMUNITY CAN COME TOGETHER. IT WAS AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE THAT WE’LL NEVER FORGET. WE CAN’T WAIT TO SHARE THE VLOG AND TAKE YOU BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE ENTIRE TRIP. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING FOR UPTOWN ALL-STAR. REMEMBER THE NAME!