Archival
A photo essay by John Midgley

So I met photographer John Midgley on the corner of Bergen and Nevins roughly about 10 years ago. He lived on the block and was very intrigued with how loyal and specific our customer base was. We were new to the corner at our 150 Nevins location but not that new to the neighborhood.

We operated a multi branded shop 1RACE from 2003-2005 at 25b Bergen st, selling everything from Evisu Jeans, to Nudie, Chip and Pepper and Seven jeans. In late 2005 my partners and I decided to part ways, which put me under the gun to make a quick decision about staying in retail or pursuing my initial dream of opening up a graphic design firm. I chose retail and my love for story telling through visuals and clothing/retail would be my platform.

John approached me about the work that he did as a photographer. As a creative director, I love meeting new and talented photographers-so I was eager to see his work. I took his card and quickly jumped on his site to see the work. Yikes!!! This guys is a pro, he is your favorite photographer’s favorite photographer. I knew we couldn’t afford him. John had a different plan- I trusted it and 10 years later he’s not only become a friend but one of our biggest collaborators, having shot some of the most important and beautiful portraits of the BKc to date.