Anyone doing their own thing automatically has a leg up in my book. No, not pyramid schemers with the audacity to claim they “run their own business.” No, not motivational Instagram Folk who’ve titled themselves “coach” with overpriced services, zero credentials, and vague results from behind a screen (#StopPreyingOnPeoplesVulnerabilities2018).
I’m talking those with the moxie to materialize…
The kid plugging away at his start-up long past midnight, knowing 8 AM comes quickly and he has a grueling day ahead at his full-time job.
The yogi squeezing in hundreds of hours to meet the teaching requirements established by the Yoga Alliance.
The poet scribbling her next submission on napkins behind the counter at Starbucks. She’s more grateful for that $1 tip than you know, by the way.
Sometimes my appreciation for city life knocks the wind out of me. There are dreamers and doers on every corner, drinking white wine on balconies as summer changes to fall, manifesting their next great move. It’s electrifying despite my weekly “get me out of the city and into the woods” breakdowns.
I’ve been following Robb Lim on Instagram for a while. I felt immediately connected to his creative energy and eye for art. I quickly learned he owns and operates Philadelphia-based streetwear brand, MODEST, whose minimalist pieces are a direct reflection of Robb’s taste. I caught up with him a few weeks ago at Tela’s in Fairmount to chat all things MODEST and how we could potentially collab as creatives. I figured the first step would be a Q&A on my blog, so let’s pop off:
D: Human connection is my jam, so it’s important to me that readers know as much about you as you’re willing to share. Give us the breakdown on all things Robb.
Dia! Thank you for thinking of myself and MODEST. My name is Robb Lim, 24, I graduated from Temple University last year. I am a Maryland transplant that currently resides in South Philly, I moved out when I was 17 looking to find something that was lacking; I had no clue what I wanted. I found it here in the City of Brotherly Love and haven’t looked back since. Philly gave me a sense of purpose and gave me a community I really try to contribute to directly.
D: How did you know you wanted to start a clothing line? Was there a particular event, brand, individual, etc. that inspired your lean toward fashion?
Fashion has always been near and dear to me, I think Maryland Culture contributed to that directly early on in my life. Maryland breeds very prideful, borderline cocky, individuals and I am right here for it. It all comes down to giving a “statement” through your fit — this thought process of having clothing tell a story is embedded into MODEST’s DNA.
The Hundreds was the first “streetwear” brand I really embraced. This was before you could find The Hundreds in a mall, owning some really made me feel part of a community. This is the foundation of MODEST — who we are today is a direct reflection of our supporters and believers in this brand.
Side note: If you have not listened to any of Bobby’s (owner of The Hundreds) podcast features I highly recommend it.
D: How did MODEST come about? Let’s hear the who/what/when/where/why/how on your brand.
MODEST was established in 2014 during an ‘Intro to Zen’ class with Professor Nagatomo. It was during this time that I felt like I had to spread this knowledge of Zen ideology because it really helped me with anxiety and anger. What better way to do this than through clothing? This went off and on for about two years.
In 2016 we rebranded into who we are today. The minimalistic elements and subtle allusions to Zen concepts can still be found in our designs but we have since dropped the direct connection to Zen. We are now a concept-driven streetwear brand that also hosts Modest Supper Clubs—an effort to educate our following about culinary arts and how to source locally.
Our collections tell stories of myself and co-owner Dominique Rose’s personal journeys as we self-reflect and annotate the world in real time.
Our Supper Clubs are a platform to promote locally sourced resources and businesses involved with the amazing food industry in Philadelphia. Our overall goal is to create a judgement-free experience for individuals who currently follow the brand while meeting new faces along the way. Supper Clubs are free-to-the-public.
D: I love the pieces you gifted me (the Citrus L/S and Practice Safe Sauce tee, which I’ve gotten a million compliments on, by the way). I also love that they came with some dope little freebies, like stickers and a patch. What’s your philosophy on a good customer experience that might separate MODEST from other brands?
With us, our customer service is really based on a mutual respect with our community. Purchasing MODEST apparel is like purchasing pieces of myself and what we believe in – we are extremely grateful for our supporters. Brand loyalty is a two-part process: the customer’s perspective is obvious and common knowledge, but I believe a business should demonstrate loyalty to their reason for success, consumers of the brand, consistently and to the best of their ability. We make sure to resolve any refund issues, reply to all emails, and try our best to create campaigns that engage the public. The PHL Flag patch is an example of us trying to push for our customers to create for themselves; we have seen it on backpacks, t-shirts, etc.
D: What challenges have you faced in building your brand? What pieces of advice would you give anyone considering getting into this business?
Honestly, we have faced every challenge imaginable with plenty more to come. Juggling your personal life, your business, and everything in between can be extremely stressful. Persistence is key. Challenges are inevitable for anyone trying to do something from nothing. Expect them and do not panic. My advice is simple: find purpose in what you are doing and be yourself. Not until our rebranding did we have a definitive purpose and list of values for MODEST. Knowing what your brand stands for will give an enormous amount of guidance and will keep you grounded when battling external pressures. Similarly, keeping things as organic as possible as an individual will be critical to the long-term success of your brand. Acting out of character is something I try to avoid at all costs. It is so easy to be influenced by social media and what other people are doing.
D: Are there any streetwear brands you’re loyal to or inspired by? What’s your take on the streetwear landscape as it stands, and where do you see it going?
Nowadays I am more so inspired by the people behind brands then the actual products themselves. I respect Virgil for his footprint on the culture, same with Ye minus all the BS. It’s funny though, I am more out-of-the-loop than people think. I let inspiration come and go. I tend to not follow someone or a brand too closely. I get more inspo from things not related to fashion at all.
The landscape is in a weird space where it seems like everything is super trendy and won’t necessarily last much longer ex. text designs, dad shoes, punk inspired jewelry, etc. I LOVE streetwear for this reason, it really is a free-for-all, not constrained by limitations in ‘high-end’ fashion or other industries. There is this constant pressure to do the “next big thing” that is really engaging and fun when you are in the mix (but equally stressful lol). Obviously, we are now seeing the two merge (streetwear + high end) which is also super interesting, we will just have to wait and see what happens.
My view on the future of the streetwear landscape is more “DIY” concepts until the trend phases out; but honestly fashion is super cyclic, if you live long enough you will see everything come back around.
D: I know you’ve collaborated with some Philly organizations and businesses. Can you tell us about that?
Absolutely, our partnerships are all cohesive with who we want to be as a brand. As I said earlier we are trying to create a community and impact Philadelphia directly. Our biggest commitment is with Chosen 300 – $5 from all apparel purchases goes directly to Chosen 300’s efforts of feeding Philadelphia’s homeless. When we made the decision to incorporate culinary arts, I felt it made sense to make a long-term commitment to an organization that first and foremost, believed in us, but also was related to food. Helping others has always been at the root of MODEST, the sales from our first collection went towards sponsoring shirts for a West Philly tradition called “Fun Day,” a back-to-school fundraiser and school supply drive. We have also hosted work shops at Mastery Charter about ‘Creative Confidence.’
Other collaborative opportunities revolve around our Supper Clubs. We were fortunate enough to have the first 5 in partnership with Reading Terminal Market. Our goal was to “bring the market” to other neighborhoods in Philly to create visibility for its merchants. Many locals avoid the market due to the negative connotation of being a tourist trap. We wanted to save people the trip and tease what they were missing, since local retention is a big issue at the market. The purveyor to lunch merchant ratio is very equal, these purveyors (defined by RTM as “merchants selling raw ingredients”) need YOUR help during the week. We partnered with 3 purveyors: La Divisa Meats – our first supper club ever (NICK IS THE BEST BUTCHER IN THE CITY), Condiment, and Iovine Brothers Produce as well as a lunch merchant, Fox and Son Fancy Corndogs, and the oldest creamery in the US, Bassetts Ice Cream.
D: Where do you see the future of MODEST? Do you have any exciting drops or projects in the works?
We want to expand our reach and create those real relationships with like-minded individuals by expanding to other cities. We are dropping a Capsule Collection in about a month’s time loosely about mental health, followed by our winter collection inspired completely by DMV (DC/Maryland/Virginia) culture. Dropping a cut + sew collection is on our horizon for Spring 2019.
Side projects right now involve our ‘Artist Spotlight’ series that officially launched October 3rd where we co-create with a selected artist and release a limited-edition product after their 3-month residency. If you are an artist that is interested, please feel free to email us! We will start planning for our next round of Supper Clubs as well. We consciously decided to slow down on the Supper Clubs because we are working hard to create loyalty to the brand versus our events.
D: Where can readers currently buy MODEST? Are you working toward more stockists in the city or elsewhere?
All sales are currently done via our online store (modestphilly.com/shop) or at our pop-up events in the city. We will have stockist soon – please follow @modestphilly to stay up to date.
D: Anything else we should know?
IT’S ALL LOVE! I am extremely approachable and love meeting new people. I act as a brand consultant and facilitate creative direction for businesses as well, don’t be a stranger!
Want to stay in the loop? You can shop MODEST here and follow their journey on Instagram:
@robblim
@rose.nique
@modestphilly