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4/10/2022

From Shoes and Streetwear to Record Labels and Candy: Claudio's Story

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 If you haven’t heard of Greenville, South Carolina yet (yeah, THAT Greenville), you’ve been living under a rock. For the past few years, Greenville has been expounding its city with more local restaurants, breweries, coffee shops, and all-around chill places to hang out and relax. As a result, musical artists of various kinds have been lined up the block to nab the chance to perform in these delicious-grub-turned-venue spots: blues, indie, acoustic, and so on. What you don’t see often is a venue that not only represents rap artists but a boutique that showcases these performers’ style and vibes.
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Photo Provided by Lucky Cat Designs
Enter Claudio, a 23-year-old Greenville entrepreneur who co-owns Piez Boutique, a local store and online presence. In 2016, Claudio began collecting shoes while working in construction. He’d come across a cool pair only to find the next hottest pair, which would often be more expensive than the last. “Now I need more money,” he’d often find himself saying. Then, it occurred to him, “I can sell these shoes I just got to get the ones I really want.” And he’d repeat the process. To be a shoe reseller was a bad thing then, but Claudio jumped on the train before it’s now become one of the most popular businesses.

Spending roughly $1000-$1500 a week on shoes, Claudio decided to apply for a job at Champs at Haywood Mall. There, he learned the back end of the trade and discovered more tricks to shoe-flipping. Eventually, he figured out methods he did and didn’t like in his approach to the game. Working at the shoe store also allowed him to get the top-tier brands and styles for himself, and his friends would always comment he had the coolest shoes. He thought to himself, “You can’t just have the shoes.” On the contrary, you have to have the whole outfit.

Modern clothes rub people the wrong way (pun intended) for many reasons. Materials range from cotton to nylon to polyester and more but are often quite thin. Sizes aren’t true to fit. Simply put, for Claudio, “quality of clothes isn’t up to par.” Thus, he wanted to start his own brand with unique streetwear, partially inspired by his own shirts he purchased from Champs and embroidered with the Evil Boy logo, a silhouette of a head, two eyes, and two horns. “They’re still in good condition [today],” Claudio states.
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Photo Provided by Claudio Davila
Because of some differences, Claudio parted ways with Champs with determination to start his own storefront. Though it took some time to get the ball rolling, Claudio acknowledges, “Everything happens when it’s supposed to.” And things sure did start happening about a year and a half ago. His dream unfolded before his eyes as Evil Streetwear aka Evil Boys Streetwear, his very own clothing line, was selling out left and right. Claudio was serious about business and continued to network with like-minded people who took him and his clothes just as seriously. Buyers began to see he was legitimate, which contributed to his success. Now, he co-owns Piez Boutique, a hub for both sneakers and streetwear alike.
So what is Evil World? What does it mean? Claudio explains that Evil World is the overall bigger picture of his multi-faceted business plan and it’s kind of like J. Cole’s Cole World. It’s a cold world out here where lots of bad things happen. He refers to Einstein’s quote: “The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.” To Claudio, this means you could be bad, but you don’t have to be. Despite everything existing in an evil world—life, stores, music, food, etc.—we can live in a new world, a new community. The logo serves as a reminder we can be better people. Furthermore, it’s led him to pursue more than one component under the Evil World brand.

 Inspired by a friend who used to record music, Claudio branched out into the music business. When you step into Piez Boutique, you not only get the latest street fashion and sneakers, but you also get The Venue, a space in the back of the store for artists to share a platform. Complete with a stage, a bumping soundsystem, professional lighting, and more, rappers can come perform and put their names out there. By providing this feature, Claudio hopes to give Evil Boys Streetwear more meaning. “Other people really didn’t have their meaning to it. I need[ed] to attach something to it to make it cool. You know, music tells stories,” Claudio states. If rappers wear a lot of street clothes, then his line could be the attire of choice, a uniform for the culture.
So what’s in store for the future of Evil World Records? Claudio shares that there are already a few local artists on the label, such as TYK Steezy and LjDaDeuce. He wants to continue offering support by bringing his own fan base to them to grow their audience. He’s also collaborated recently with DaVinci Kitsuné on their track “YSL Chanel” (@davincikitsune). “What I like to think about is, when Evil Boys touches something….if you collab with Evil Boys, your power level goes up,” Claudio beams. “So DaVinci’s power level went crazy.”

Clothing collaborations are also definitely on the shelf. The Goosebumps collab with Trey Johnson and the Protect collab with Kenzie are two of the projects Evil Boys Streetwear has under its belt. “We’re really just trying to go back to the basics. Evil Boys was supposed to be something gothy…it’s kind of, like, dark,” Claudio explains.
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You can catch Evil Streetwear’s new clothing drops, special discounts, and more at the next pop-up shop, Evil World 2022. While last year’s was mainly for streetwear clothing with a few local artist performances by DaVinci, Phoenjx, and Holliday, this year will consist of a festival or carnival vibe. Piez Boutique will offer a sort of hypebeast flea market. Claudio intends for new brands to set up shop, including artists who can play their music for potential fans. And let’s not forget the delicious reasons we attend events: snacks and food. Evil World even has its own candy company. You read that right: candy company. Claudio hopes this inspires people to bring their food businesses to the party, too.

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DaVinci Kitsuné Photo Provided by Piez Boutique
Where does Claudio see himself and the brand in the next five years? He wants to see the sneaker store flourishing and have another location by then. Evil Boys will be pushing into the mainstream limelight. “I might put it in Zumiez,” Claudio offers. “You really never know. Just growth in every aspect. The store is probably the stuff you can actually track. Everything else will just happen in its own time.”
Visit the Piez Boutique at 60 Airview Dr in Greenville, SC, Monday through Friday, 11AM-7PM or online at piez-boutique.business.site. Follow the store on Instagram: @piezsneakerboutique and the Evil Boys Streetwear: @evilstreetwearco.

Becca James

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