Ignorant/Reflections: PDX Clothing Brand Provoking Conversations

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Monday, March 16, 2015

Kemea Smith, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Donovan Smith, founder and designer of clothing brand Ignorant/Reflections, is making intriguing clothing to get people thinking critically about race, class, culture, and politics. 

“Ignorant/Reflections is centered around my thoughts and questions coming up as a young middle class Black man in Portland, while the city gentrified around me,” says founder Donovan Smith. 

Ignorant/Reflections’ clothing is thought provoking, essentially “these graphics are bold for the sake of the conversation,” says Smith. The brand currently has two main items for sale; the “I Survived Portland Police” t-shirt, and the “Ignorant” beanie. 

"I Survived Portland Police" T-Shirt 

“I have to admit the wide scope of backgrounds that have been drawn to it has been surprising, disheartening, yet dope at the same time,” says Smith while talking about the “I Survived Portland Police” t-shirt. The shirt has appealed to people of all backgrounds; artists, people out of state, people of color and the Caucasian community.  

“I was also honored to be able to pass off the shirt to Angela Davis,” says Smith. “So yeah just the fact that she accepted it makes me happy.”   

"The Reverse Gentrification" Collection

Ignorant/Reflection’s debut collection, “Reverse Gentrification”, will be out this summer and will consist of seven pieces. “Reverse Gentrification is a representation of my search for a cultural home and defining myself, something I’m still in the process of doing,” says Smith. 

It is a collection of scattered thoughts about reverse gentrification and reverse racism, with Smith admitting that the collection has a “odd cohesion” that ultimately goes back to this idea of “defining community and spirituality in a way that’s beneficial to your growth.”

In the near future Smith hopes to get his “Reverse Gentrification” collection in local Portland stores like boutique and gallery Kyoto. “Clothes for me are a medium of expression that I understand, and the graphics I put on these clothes are simply that,” says Smith. 

You can get Ignorant/Reflections gear on April 6th at Willamette University, during the screening of Arresting Power. The documentary focuses on the history of Portland police and race relations. For more information on the screening click HERE. 

Homepage Photo Credit: Intisar Abioto

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