CITY: Brooklyn, NY

SINCE: 2005

FOUNDED BY: Gene Han

PRICES: $$$ (out of 5)

WHY WE COSIGN: As far as we can remember, Manhattan’s Soho district has been the place to cop the latest sneakers, T-shirts, fitteds, and basically anything else considered to be poppin’ in the streetwear world. But while Manhattan always held us down, until recently not much could be said about the other four boroughs (except Vinnie’s Styles, we see you!) Back in 2005, Gene Han noticed the void in Brooklyn and decided to fill it by opening his own boutique: Wealthy Ho$tage. Dedicated to stocking only the dopest product it can get its hands on and giving new brands a chance to shine, this shop is helping to make BK a desired cool-guy shopping destination.

Located just south of Prospect Park on Church Ave., Wealthy Ho$tage specializes in kicks, T-shirts and hoodies, denim, and accessories—basically everything you need to get fly. By being extra picky about what they stock, even well-known labels like ALIFE, Penfield, PRPS, HUF, and Sabit NYC have to come correct just to get their product on the shelves. No matter what your style, you’re guaranteed to get the best of best. And just when you thought things couldn’t get any better, these guys even stock Tier 0 Nikes. That alone makes this shop worth the trip over the bridge.

Read on for our interview with Gene Han, pics of the store, and the address/web site…

BRANDS CARRIED: 10 Deep, Adidas, Air Jordan, ALIFE, Amongst Friends, Clae, Creative Recreation, Converse, Crooks & Castles, Dr. Martens, Fiberops, Frank 151, Generic Surplus, Hellz Bellz, HUF, Incase, In4mation, Keds, KidRobot, Krink, Married to the MOB, Mishka, New Balance, New Era, Nike, Naked & Famous, Nooka, Nudie, Penfield, PF Flyers, Play Cloths, PRPS, Princess of the Posse, Puma, Red Wing, Rich Yung, Rocksmith, Sabit NYC, Sperry, Supra, Staple Design, Stone Throw, Stussy, Timberland Abington, TOMS, Undefeated, and Vans

MOST POPULAR ITEMS:

NIKE BLAZER HI VINTAGE
Click here to Buy It Now at Wealthy Ho$tage, $100

10 DEEP PADDINGTON PLUS HOODIE
Click here to Buy It Now at Wealthy Ho$tage, $95

DR. MARTENS X STUSSY TYLER BOOTS
Click here to Buy It Now at Wealthy Ho$tage, $135

Complex: What was the inspiration behind Wealthy Ho$tage, and how has it influenced the overall look and feel of your store?

Gene: What inspired us location-wise was the lack of good quality products in the Brooklyn area. I essentially wanted to bring the dope styles of Soho to Brooklyn. The name “Wealthy Ho$tage” came about when I was driving around in Coney Island. On a random day I witnessed shady undertakings by some interesting-looking Russian men and a jet-black van on a side street. I saw the name “Wealthy Ho$tage” flash before my eyes right there. I like to think of the name to signify how the “hype” of the market has basically made consumers “hostages” to the market itself. We want to be beyond the hype and provide quality, everlasting product as opposed to what’s in for just the season.

Complex: What are your retail plans for the future?

Gene: There are so many plans that I don’t know where to begin! Overall, we plan to keep doing what we do and do it well. We will work hard and play hard. We will always be at the forefront of premium streetwear in Brooklyn and we’re aiming at taking over the globe!

Complex: What are the next trends in men’s style?

Gene: Currently I see a shift back to classic. Classic American brands like Polo are definitely doing well. I think the emphasis will now be more on longevity and value of the product especially because of the economy. Quality and the “story” of the product itself will be the defining difference in the market. I cannot stress enough the importance of the meaning behind any product. New brands and competition is at an all-time high right now and I believe only a unique story behind a product will make it stand out.

STORE INFO:
Wealthy Ho$tage
1924 Church Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11226
718.856.3043
Monday – Saturday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Related: Fabolous Stars In Complex’s August/September 2009 Fashion Feature

Tune in to Complex.com every morning at 8 AM for your daily “Wake N’ Watch” video.

AGE: 22

OCCUPATION: Model

HOME BASE: Brooklyn

SHIRT WORN AS HAT: Juicy Couture

SHIRT: Vintage

BLAZER: General Idea by Bumsuk

BELT: Vintage

WATCH: Nooka

DENIM: General Idea

SHOES: PF Flyers

What are you saving up for the summer? Future investments.

What summer trends have you seen? Capri pants and mohawks.

What is your dream vacation? A hotel stay underwater.

What’s your summer drink? Brooklyn. It’s what we call an Obama Hennessy.

What country has the best style? Japan.

Vote on whether this week’s subject is “Stylin” or “Wildin” below…

What movie best captures your style? The Matrix.

Who has wack style? Anthony Hamilton.

What trend do you want to see die? Timberlands in the summertime.

Last clothing item you purchased? Triple Five Soul shorts and a couple of fresh tees.

Most money you ever spent on a single item of clothing? The Juicy Couture shirt that I’m wearing on my head.

Favorite online shop? Karmaloop.com.

What do you collect? Produced beats.

What is your favorite brand? Y-3.

What do chicks dig about your style? They like my Nooka watch and think my look is fresh and appealing.

What’s the most common statement people make about your style? I was born a model and stand picture perfect.

What do you see as the next big trend? Japanese fashion.

What is your favorite city? Hollywood, but there isn’t anything like New York.

What is your dream job? Music producer or NBA player.

Who is your dream date? Jordan Richardson.

Last book read? There is More to the Secret: An Examination of Rhonda Byrne’s Bestselling Book “The Secret”, by Ed Gungor.

What is your trend-proof style advice for our readers? All you need is one shirt and a black tie.

Want to be featured in our weekly Street Detail blog? Email a head-to-toe picture of yourself to: streetdetail@complex.com

What happens when a completely contrived reality series moves to a real-ass New York City borough home to real-ass people who will really blast a second hole in that ass if you look at them the wrong way? The world will find out tonight at 10 PM EST when MTV premieres The Real World: Brooklyn. Well, it would if the show'with all its manipulated racial, sexual, religious and socioeconomic tension'weren’t complete bullshit.

The eight fraudulent fame whores whose names we won’t even put on blast here were no doubt guarded from the Brooklyn realness, so Complex can only imagine what could have been if they’d stopped being polite and actually experienced these hallmarks of real life in BK…


NYPD SODOMIZATION
• Brooklyn is famous for its friendly police force, which serves and protects the community by performing free prostate exams on men'especially non-white men in predominantly non-white neighborhoods'with retractable batons, broomsticks and anything else that can be shoved lovingly up someone’s ass. Just ask tourist board reps Abner Louima and Michael Mineo (above, crying tears of joy). The bloody good times that could have been!

HASIDIC JUDAISM
• Williamsburg brims with hipster douche bags who live 20 to a flea-ridden loft and think they’re pushing the boundaries of art with wheatpastings that are best used as toilet paper. We’re sure The Real World Brooklynites were really tight with them. The nearby Hasidic Jewish community, not so much. You haven’t broken challah bread if you haven’t been stared at by a mob of 25 to 100 Hasidic men whose eyes seem to say, “Go back to your own kind, goy.” And no, they can’t get you Matisyahu’s autograph.

CONEY ISLAND BEACH
• In the good old days, life was a beach, and then you died of a heroin overdose. The Requiem for a Dream days when zombie addicts camped out underneath the boardwalk of Brooklyn’s most famous attraction are mostly gone, but if the cast was lucky they could still have caught a nice tan and hypodermic needle before hitting the carnival for some quality time with a bearded lady.

THE WEST INDIAN AMERICAN DAY CARNIVAL
• Every summer, BK’s Eastern Parkway catches fiyah for the West Indian American Day Carnival, which is marked by flags, skimpy costumes, riddims, dutty wining, a three-day contact high and 15 cops huddled on every corner. We can’t think of anything more intriguing than dropping The Real World cast, including the show’s first post-op tranny, Katelyn, into the middle of it. If there’s anything Caribbean people love, it’s lily white people and batty (lady)bwoys.

DIRTY, FILTHY, NASTY SEX
• Once upon a time, Third Avenue straddled the Brooklyn Queens Expressway with loads and sticky loads of seedy strip clubs and porn shops. Thanks to quality-of-life-obsessed former New York City Mayor Adolf Rudolph Giuliani and gentrification, much of the smut and nut has been mopped up, but a few outposts remain (you know, way out, where they’ll only bother those people). Nothing boosts ratings like the world’s filthiest, nastiest sex. No seriously, all the dirt from the BQE makes it the most wonderfully disgusting experience. It may be too late for the cast, but you should still check it out. Just be sure to bring wet wipes.

As a member of Bad Boy’s Hitmen collective, Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie was undoubtably one of the greatest hip-hop producers of the '90s. While helming countless hits and mentoring a young Kanye West, D-Dot’s other claim to fame became his hilarious alter-ego, The Mad Rapper. What began as a skit on Bad Boy albums that parodied player-hating underground MCs culminated in a full album on Columbia in 2000. And in a strange case of life imitating art, D-Dot allegedly assaulted an editor at Blaze magazine for exposing his character’s “secret” identity.

Nearly a decade later, D-Dot still works sporadically with Bad Boy artists, but his bitter persona has been pretty quiet until now. A new Mad Rapper song called “Brooklyn Let’s Go Part 1″ leaked a few days ago, and D-Dot is trading bars on it with the younger generation of his borough: Red Cafe, Maino, Wais P (from Da Ranjaz), Papoose and Joell Ortiz. Hear the song after the jump.

The Mad Rapper f/ Red Cafe, Maino, Wais P, Papoose & Joell Ortiz
“Brooklyn Let’s Go Part 1″ (2008)

[2DopeBoyz]