From the South Side to the World: The Story of Englewood Branded

On a brisk November morning in 2017, on Chicago’s storied South Side, a small storefront at 1546 W. 63rd Street began selling more than T-shirts. It sold identity, pride, and possibility — a new kind of cultural artifact rooted in one of the city’s most misunderstood neighborhoods. That shop was the first incarnation of what would become Englewood Branded, a local fashion house with a mission as bold as its block-letter logo. 

At a time when national headlines about Englewood often focused on violence and loss, one resident saw a different story — one of resilience, creativity, and community. That resident was Corie Luckett, a lifelong Englewood resident who had grown up seeing both the challenges and beauty of his neighborhood. Over time, his clothes would become a canvas for that story. 

Beginnings — A Love Letter to Home

Luckett’s vision for Englewood Branded didn’t start in a corporate boardroom or a fashion incubator — it began with a simple dissatisfaction. “I didn’t like the way T-shirts looked,” he later reflected. He felt the existing apparel didn’t speak to him or the people around him. So, he dug up an old photograph of his siblings, taught himself screen printing, and printed it on a plain tee — his first creation. What began as a personal experiment blossomed into a brand. 

The early days were grassroots and intentional. In 2017, every shirt was sold at the physical location. Luckett deliberately avoided a website at first, wanting people to come to Englewood — to see the neighborhood with their own eyes and challenge stereotypes they might hold. His message was simple but radical: Englewood was a place worth loving, celebrating, and investing in. 

Rather than retreating from the stigma attached to the neighborhood, Englewood Branded embraced it and transformed it. The brand is a love letter to Englewood — its people, values, and untold stories. On its tees and hoodies, phrases like “Love, Respect, Honor, Dedication” and “Replace Gunz w/ Hammers” echo a philosophy of uplift and transformation. 

Growth Beyond Apparel — A Community Hub

By 2020, Englewood Branded was no longer just a clothing line; it was a community institution. In addition to selling apparel, Luckett launched Kid Englewood, a line dedicated to youth with its own launch celebration featuring contests, games, and art — a fusion of commerce and culture. 

Under Luckett’s leadership, the store became a gathering place, hosting community events, dance parties, and engagement activities with local youth that were explicitly aimed at reshaping how neighborhood residents interact with one another — and with authority figures like the police — in positive ways. These were not promotional stunts, but interventions: spaces where kids could see themselves celebrated, not policed. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, many small businesses struggled — but Englewood Branded shifted to strengthen its digital presence, mobilizing its community through social media while continuing to frame its fashion as identity and allegiance, not just merchandise. 

Branded for More Than Fashion

In 2019, Luckett expanded beyond commercial enterprise by founding a nonprofit arm called Branded Englewood. This initiative focused on mentorship, entrepreneurship training, and practical skills such as screen printing, music production, and DJing for local youth. The nonprofit actively works to empower young people, providing the tools to start their own ventures — an antidote to the often narrow economic narratives imposed on neighborhoods like Englewood. 

Englewood Branded’s influence has rippled across the city. At cultural showcases like the annual Englewood Music Festival, Luckett is frequently featured as both creator and community representative, testament to the brand’s growth from a neighborhood seedling to a symbol of South Side celebration. 

Merch as Manifesto

If you walk into Englewood Branded today, it’s rare just to see apparel. The storefront doubles as a community hub, a place where neighbors browse hoodies and hoodies help incubate hope. Reviews from patrons consistently highlight the shop’s role as a community pillar, even as they reflect the authentic quirks of local retail life. 

The branding itself today extends to hoodies, jackets, caps, mugs — each a wearable piece of cultural rhetoric declaring that Englewood is not a story of deficit but of dignity. A trademark application filed in late 2023 underscores the brand’s intention to protect and expand this message into broader markets. 

A Legacy of Love, a Future of Impact

What started as a single screen print has become a movement with momentum. Englewood Branded stands at the intersection of fashion and civic identity: a symbol of neighborhood pride, an incubator for youth-led enterprise, and a testament to what story shapes can create.

In Luckett’s words, the brand isn’t about changing Englewood — it’s about showing the world that Englewood always was worth celebrating. That conviction continues to fuel collaborations, projects, and cultural moments that redefine what it means to be branded — not by struggle, but by strength.