Boston Celtics All-NBA wing Jaylen Brown continues to plant deep roots in the city of Boston, this time collaborating with the clothing brand Johnny Cupcakes to create new merchandise for basketball fans and fashionistas alike. On Saturday, Brown hosted an event in the city’s Back Bay neighborhood to celebrate the launch of the new partnership. Brown signed autographs, took pictures, and modeled some of the new shirts for folks who showed up to check it out.
Brown has stayed busy off the court since joining the Celtics in 2017. He’s worked with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University to advance his educational goals and has helped provide opportunities to underserved youth through his 7uice Foundation in Boston and beyond. Through his 7uice apparel brand, meanwhile, Brown has worked to connect to the city’s cultural landscape.
Creative director for 7uice Malclom Durr explained that working with Johnny Cupcakes helps Brown’s mission of doing exactly that.
“I think that collaborations like this can kind of jump-start the work and energy within the community,” Durr said. “And then build on it and spread and spread. It’s all piece by piece coming together.”
The day itself was a rainy one, but that didn’t stop eager fans from lining up down Newbury Street for blocks. One fan, Alex, got to the store at 3 a.m. to ensure an early slot to meet Brown. Once at the register, Brown took photos, signed autographs, and spent time talking with visitors.
And while it may have been a long afternoon for store patrons, this collaboration was weeks in the making for 7uice and Johnny Cupcakes.
A look at some of the designs here pic.twitter.com/avNjswA4Jy
— Cameron Tabatabaie 🎃 (@CTabatabaie) October 21, 2023
According to Johnny Earle, the man behind the Johnny Cupcakes brand, he and Brown had been working behind the scenes for the past few weeks to make this project come together. For years Johnny Cupcakes has sold fashionable shirts and streetwear in retail spaces that look more like a candy store or bakery. Earle explained Brown was drawn to this concept.
“He’s just an average nice dude who happens to be really good at basketball and has a big heart,” Earle said.” And when he came into the store, he was like a kid in a candy shop.”
During the launch event, he helped ring customers up. In fact, the line moved a little slowly in part because Brown was being so personable with visitors and fans. Fellow 7uice brand creative director Shawn Clarke explained Brown was also a key part of the creative process as the collaboration began to take shape.
“He’s an artistic mind,” Clarke said.” And it translates to the court as well. But sometimes up at two or three a.m. he’s out thinking of designs and sending over thoughts on what it should look like or how it should come out. He’s very much involved in the creative process for sure.”
A crucial player in bringing 7uice and Johnny Cupcakes together was culture mogul Set Free Richardson. He’s known Earle for decades and explained that as a mainstay in the Boston cultural scene, pairing 7uice and Johnny Cupcakes was a no-brainer.
“It was just that whole Boston synergy,” Richardson said. “You look at the NBA and the Celtics on this level. And then the streetwear and culture and what Johnny does, to me they’re on the same level.”
After inking a supermax extension to remain a member of the Celtics for the foreseeable future, Brown has big plans for the city. And according to members of the 7uice team, some new projects are right around the corner.
“Hang around for the season opener on October 27th,” Clarke teased. “We’re going to have something very special for the city.”
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