Jason Richardson's clothing line reflects his cancer and hoops experiences
Jason Richardson says he tries to design clothes that make a statement and tell a story. The statement is bold and bright.
Jason Richardson says he tries to design clothes that make a statement and tell a story.
The statement is bold and bright.
The story is even better.
Richardson, 25, is a cancer survivor and former basketball standout at Winslow Township and Rutgers-Camden University. He tries to weave his unique life story into every aspect of his clothing line.
"My basketball experience taught me so much," Richardson said. "All I ever heard was, 'You're too small. You're not big enough. You're not good enough.'
"You hear that enough, it motivates you. You learn how to fight, how to never give up. I bring that to everything I do."
Through his company, Avenue Black, Richardson designs clothes for his Urbane line that are creative and colorful, with a street-smart sensibility, with a basketball star's flamboyance.
"I've never been a traditional guy," Richardson said. "I've always dressed differently. I'm the kind of guy who will wear a striped shirt and a polka-dot bow tie."
Richardson said he wanted consumers to get "emotionally attached" to his brand for reasons other than its sartorial splendor.
He had kidney cancer as a 2-year-old and spent months in Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He tries to tuck a little of his own tale into the lining of every hat, shirt, and vest.
That's why his first collection in the Urbane line was the "Survivor Collection" and featured a fist on the back of a jersey and had the numerals "9" and "3" embroidered on different places on the garments.
Richardson's cancer diagnosis came in 1993.
His latest collection is the "Foundation Collection" and reflects his memories of playing with a special set of building blocks during his stay at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia.
"My first Christmas home, my parents bought me the same table, same set of blocks," Richardson said. "Certain things, when you've been through what I went through, they stick with you. They become part of your story."
Richardson said he had a kidney removed as a child and was advised by his doctors to avoid sports with the potential for contact for fear of damaging his one remaining kidney.
"I played in middle school with a kidney guard," Richardson said. "But in high school, I stopped wearing it. I just wanted to play."
Richardson was a solid player at Winslow Township, where he was a member of the National Honor Society and president of the senior class.
Norm Ingram, who resigned as the Eagles' head coach after last season following consecutive South Jersey Group 3 titles, was an assistant coach at the time.
"Words can't truly express how proud I am of him and his accomplishments," Ingram said. "Jason is a true entrepreneur. He is an inspiration for all of us."
Richardson said he decided to attend Rutgers-Camden after plans to enroll at a college in Florida fell through. He went out for the basketball team, almost on a whim.
"I walked in the coach's office and told him I wanted to try out," Richardson said. "I wasn't even sure I was going to play."
At Rutgers-Camden, Richardson became one of the top players in the history of the program. He is the Scarlet Raptors' all-time leader in games played (101) and ranks second in career steals (177).
In his senior year in 2014-15, Richardson led Rutgers Camden to one of its best seasons, including a berth in the ECAC postseason tournament.
"He's the definition of a winner," Rutgers-Camden coach Jason Curbison said. "I can't tell you how many games he helped us win just by doing little things, the extra pass or a deflection or taking a charge.
"I regard him as the poster child for this program. He represents everything we want to be as a basketball program."
Richardson graduated with a degree in marketing and works full-time as a store manager in retail. But his passion is his company, which also serves as a consulting firm for younger designers, and his clothing line.
Urbane is beginning to generate some buzz. He has been invited to be part of the collections during the Haute show at Philly Fashion Week, which starts Monday.
"It's not New York Fashion Week," Richardson said of the Philadelphia event. "It's not Paris or Milan. But I'm going to get there."
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