We catch up with the Forbes magazine-declared “Newest and Coolest All-Around Entrepreneur” in Brooklyn and get the latest on his trendsetting lines of city spirit-fueled fashion, beverages, and cigars

by Catherine Gigante-Brown

At 27, Brownsville-born Egomeli Hormeku has already made an indelible and multi-platform mark on his borough and beyond. Much like the man himself, his successful clothing line, Nothing Nice New York, has a classic, yet no-nonsense urban straightforwardness. Hope This Helps, his chapbook on contemporary chivalry, chances, and choices, is set for re-release, with several further sequels scheduled. Apparel entrepreneur and author tandem status seemingly not quite sufficient, Hormeku is also a man of drink and smoke enterprise; his liba-tion (Steel Wine and Spirits) and luxury cigar brand (Vida Chocolate) are currently operating under the Hormeku Group umbrella, a collection of largely internet-based endeavors.

So, what makes Ego run?

“Living,” he replied simply. “I live, I love, and then I create.”

Part of his appeal is that Hormeku manages to make the intangible tangible—a magic hand that translates into a wildly tasty smoke (particularly the Elite, with its Viso and Ligero priming in a dark, oily, lovely wrapper) or a custom-tailored smoking jacket with liquid lines and creamy curves. Everything Hormeku crafts is intensely personal and distinctive.

The entrepreneur’s mother is an RN at rough-and-tumble Kings County Hospital, his father was a caseworker for the Human Resources Administration before he retired. Both helped develop their son’s solid self-image.

“Looking back, my parents taught me why and how I should follow my own heart,” he reflected. “I learned everything else by going outside and figuring it out on my own.”

Hormeku puts practical business theory behind passion, however, excels at positioning in a variety of markets, and has an almost uncanny sense of timing.

“I figured out what I’m about,” he explained. “I know why I use the colors, textures, words, and techniques I do.” Perhaps this unabashed confidence is why everything falls nicely into place for his business group, its sleeve of endeavors neatly dovetailing one into the other.

This year found Hormeku unveiling a much-anticipated line of women’s clothing, which promises the same stylish silhouettes and bold versatility as the men’s line. In addition to the reprise of Hope
This Helps 101, its sequels 201, 301, 401 and 501 are set for release this year.

“The animated romantic comedy based on the book series is piecing together slowly,” is all Hormeku will offer on the project. “Everything has to be right before I speak on it.” But he promises that the film will live up to—even exceed—the written HTH series.

Until a secret flagship store is complete, Hormeku rocks the pop-up concept with a different address every month. (This summer saw a Delancey Street location in the heart of the old Garment District.) Because each bespoke piece is tailor-made, the designer never needed a brick-and-mortar store, but a pop-up permits him to take measurements for a new breed of customers and show off new fabrics. The Pop-Up Shop Post reported that the brand surpassed its goals of sales and clients by better than 100% at its Lower East Side locale.

Even after multiple successes in a myriad of markets at such a tender age, Hormeku remains grounded…and humble. When faced with kudos like Forbes’s declaration of him being the borough’s “Newest and Coolest All-Around Entrepreneur,” he simply responded, “It’s an honor…the best intro anyone can have.”

And Hormeku won’t take all the credit himself. “So much of who I am and what I do is inspired by my city. Brooklyn is it for me. There is no other place. I understand the language and personality of Brooklyn. The simplicity of it, the soul of it, the old-fashioned quality of the natives, the modernity of the transplants, and the subtle, sometimes abrupt changes.”

To the entrepreneur, the borough is also, interestingly and unmistakably, a woman.

“I get her and she gets me. It is my first love. Everyone has ‘the one’ they put on this unreachable pedestal: the one who gets you excited, the one you’d do anything for. That was, is, and always will be Brooklyn for me.”

Nothing Nice New York
nothingnicenewyork.com