Joseph Millman wearing "After Dark" Sweater sold at MPorium Source: Joseph Millman '23

Fashion Merchandising student Joseph Millman ‘23 founded his own label, Chamberlin Streetwear, in 2020. Recently, he collaborated with MPorium at Marist College where some of his pieces are being sold. He is thankful to the Marist fashion program and faculty for supporting him throughout his journey.

This September, NBA basketball player, Langston Galloway, wore his red Elevated Basic Shorts from the Chamberlin Essentials collection, which Millman described as a “dream come true”.

Growing up in New York City, Millman draws most of his inspiration from the metropolis area. “Whenever I go to the city to visit my family, I observe and experience new things and that is how I came up with the idea of exploring NYC through clothing,” said Millman.

Another driving factor that pushed Millman to create his own brand was to bring affordable and good quality streetwear into the market. “Whenever I went to buy clothes for myself, I saw hoodies and sweatshirts that were $90 to $100, but not of good quality, so I wanted to offer better quality items to consumers that they take pride in,” said Millman.

He designed his first collection, “Exploring NYC”, which offered Statue of Liberty printed shorts, green “Thank You for Exploring With Us” hoodies and caps based on reusable “Thank You for Shopping With Us” bags given by retail stores in New York City. However, when he was about to launch his first collection, he faced some challenges in the process.

“A month after coming up with these great ideas, I realized that my business plan had many mistakes,” said Millman’ 23. “At first, I was leaning more towards having my product manufactured overseas to reduce cost, but Professor Doori Chung explained how manufacturing locally would be much easier and efficient and that’s how I decided on a manufacturer in New Jersey.”

He also reflected on how Professor Richelle Valenzuela helped him to specify products. “I wasn’t a design major, so I didn’t know about the different specifications and details, but Professor Valenzuela spent an entire night explaining it to me and I am so grateful to him.”

Additionally, Millman mentioned Professor Rebbecca Brown, who approached him to have his collection featured in MPorium. “Professor Brown has not only helped me with my successful collaboration with MPorium, but she has also offered me great suggestions on how to grow my brand, such as successful pricing and retailing,” said Millman.

Currently, Millman’s “After Dark” and “Chamberlin Park” collections are offered at MPorium. The “After Dark” collection consists of knit sweaters and shorts with a heart and dagger, reflecting the Halloween theme. Meanwhile, the “Chamberlin Park” collection features New York City Skyline shorts and “Chamberlin Park” labeled hoodies, highlighting the dialogue between nature and the city.

To develop his social media presence, he asked his friends, cousins and those close to him to model for shoots. Millman has also partnered with Marist students to assist him in social media and marketing.

Upon graduation, Millman plans to open a store and add luxury streetwear to his line. He also reflected on his experience of how much he has learned about design, promotion and sourcing aspects of the fashion industry throughout his journey and hopes to continue it in the future.

Joseph Millman starts Chamberlin Streetwear Brand Featured in MPorium

MARIST CIRCLE