By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times
What better partner and place to debut a collection of vintage baseball jerseys during Black History Month than a museum dedicated to Black baseball.
That’s where brothers Raymond and Kwamell Laseter were last week to introduce Legacy Threads, a collection that pays tribute to the Negro Southern League during a one-day-only pop up shop at the Museum.
“Partnering with the Negro Southern League Museum on this [collection], it was like a dream of mine. It’s all about giving exposure to the things that I feel like are underexposed. This is Black baseball and this is our history and I just want people to support it and come to the museum,” said Raymond, who is a transplant to Birmingham from Chicago like this brother,
As guests enjoyed the sounds of a local deejay and the tastes of Chicago style hot dogs, Raymond said there is something for everyone from 100 percent cotton T-shirts to sweatpants and hats.
“We made it very economical so everybody could buy it. From kids to senior citizens. We have something for everybody to get in this collection,” he said, “… Everything is of quality. With my fashion background, I couldn’t give the museum anything less but the best. We sourced it, we took our time to find out the right pieces to tell the story of the Negro Southern League.”
“It’s a place where you can creative yourself. You can be innovative, and be authentically who you want to be. That’s something that I like about it.
Dez Wilson, creative director for Voltron Printing, who focuses on graphic design, photography , and film for Voltron, said, “If you look at how the jerseys we here back then, they used textile like factors, wool and heavy cottons with really thick embroidery. The designs weren’t very elaborate or intricate but they were very minimalistic. They had a certain feel to them that I wanted to relay in the collection.”
Looking at the original Birmingham Barons merchandise “[we] just wanted to stay in line with what had already been built, I thought the minimalism would catch more attention, he added.
Another important member of the team is Kwamel’s wife, Anshaunee. “I handle the books and I get in where I fit in. I’m just here to fill in the gaps and … “ou can’t beat being with your family all the time.”
“When we came down here, it was to visit,” she continued. “The emerging Birmingham grabbed me and said, ‘you have to come back.’ Went home and thought about it. Being in Chicago, everything is moving and shaking. I saw this as the perfect opportunity to make this flower blossom. We love Birmingham. It’s giving us this big ol’ cousin hug. Birmingham is the spot and we need to recognize and we’re here to put it on the map.”
