Darel Dawson, the owner of Grindstone Universal, never imagined that he would be showing at New York Fashion Week. He ignored emails from the planning committee for months because he assumed they were spam. Only when his assistant proposed the idea to him did he realize it was happening.
Darel founded Grindstone in 1997 as a way for his art to reach a wider audience. Instead of creating singular pieces and exhibiting them in galleries, clothes became his canvas. He built a large following in D.C. through a guerilla marketing campaign and sheer tenacity. He recalls posting stickers and posters around the city with his logo before social media and widespread internet access when you had to be in the know to understand what it meant. His shadowy hustle added a unique layer of coolness to Grindstone. As the brand grew, he was able to leverage connections in the music industry to ensure that almost every rapper who stopped through D.C. had Grindstone merch when they left. Soon after, stores throughout the DMV and across the country wanted to carry Grindstone gear.
The early 2000s brought about a massive increase in “urban fashion” brands, a term Darel hates. Brands like Sean John and Rocawear filled department store shelves and sold out. They soon became his direct competition.
Darel discovered a method of printing clothes called sublimation–transferring dye to a fabric using heat. He could now use the entire shirt as his canvas without limits. From there, he began to dive more into materials and sewing techniques, becoming more involved in creating the whole product– cut and sew.
Being invited to New York Fashion Week ‘23 this February was a surreal experience for Darel. The show by Runway 7 Fashion occurred at the historical Sony Hall, in the middle of the theatre district and around the corner from Times Square, where they featured on a huge digital billboard. The show featured Lauren Von Der Pool, aka “The Queen of Green,” and was spurred on by Sir EU, a local rapper, and frequent collaborator, Darel–who also raps under the name Grindstone–decided to perform during the runway show. The show was a hit.
This experience has sparked a new flame under Darel. When I spoke to him, he worked with new materials and prepared for his upcoming collection in his studio. He understands the need to innovate and reinvent himself constantly.
To learn more about Grindstone Universal, visit www.grindstoneuniversal.com or visit their shop in Adams Morgan at 2118 18th St. NW.
