I was six years old when I moved from Manhattan's Lower East Side to the South Bronx. The switch was a shock that hit deeper than just location. The Bronx taught me to stay alert, stay guarded, and ready for anything. It shaped me FAST and EARLY.

At home, life was complicated. I'm the oldest of three kids, so a lot landed on me whether I was read or not. My dad was present and he loved us, but he was fighting his own battles with substance abuse. My mom developed bipolar disorder, and the woman I grew up with didn't always feel like the same person. I was watching two people I loved the most wrestle with shadows I didn't have the language for. That became my understanding of mental health... and survival.

In September 2024, I lost my uncle - my artistic inspiration - in a tragic accident on the FDR, one of Manhattan's notorious highways. He lived with schizophrenia, and his battle was often silent and misunderstood. Losing him shook something loose in me that I didn't even know how to process.

Then June 2025, a work incident changed everything again. The PTSD and anxiety that followed hit differently and forced me to confront shadows I didn't even know I was carrying.

All of it stacked up.                         

 Pain, loss, responsibility, resilience.  

Brick by Brick.

From that, 5HDWZ was born.

This Brand isn't just clothing. It's the shadows we carry, the ones we fight, the ones we hide, and the ones we grow through. It's turning struggle into expression. Pain into purpose.

5HDWZ is for everyone - not just the people living within their own 5HDWZ, but for anyone who knows someone going through something and wants to rep the message with them. Supporters, loved ones, friends... the whole circle.

If you've lived it, seen it, or stood beside it, you're part of this.

5HDWZ