Savant Studios
“I take Brooklyn to the world, and I bring the world back to Brooklyn,” says Michael Graham, designer and owner of the clothing boutique Savant Studios.
It’s a fitting point of view for Michael, 41, who was born and raised in the Bed-Stuy/Bushwick area and has traveled the globe for creative pursuits: he lived in South Africa while making his own feature film, in Colombia for work as a National Geographic documentary producer, and he’s bounced across Europe as a motivational youth speaker.
For the past few years he’s focused on his Savant clothing line from an elegant Bed-Stuy boutique, which he opened in 2019, taking occasional treks to the Mexican state of Yucatán, where he works with leather artisans to produce the handcrafted tote bags, wallets and bucket hats displayed among the store’s graphic tees and hoodies, tunics, varsity jackets, work vests and other fashionable wares.
“Some people think this shop doesn’t belong here,” Michael says of Savant Studio’s location on a non-gentrified stretch of Fulton Street. “When I opened up, people would come in and say, ‘Oh, this feels like SoHo.’ And it’s like, no, it feels like exactly what it is. It feels like Fulton Street. It feels like Bed-Stuy, and I absolutely love it. This is the heartbeat of Brooklyn and, I would say, New York. Like, where else do you want to be?”
“When I opened up, people would come in and say, ‘Oh, this feels like SoHo.’ And it’s like, no, it feels like exactly what it is. It feels like Fulton Street. It feels like Bed-Stuy.”
In advance of Savant Studio’s latest collection, Michael recently closed Savant Studios for a few weeks. On March 26, the boutique reopened to debut the new lineup, aptly titled “Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself…” Taking inspiration from the textiles, dyeing techniques and history of the Yucatán, it includes unique pieces like cotton kimonos, flowing plaid patchwork tunics, quilted shorts and a rainbow of roomy, hand-dyed suede and leather bags.
“The collection also introduces colors that have a bit more pop because that’s what I felt was happening in Brooklyn,” he says.
You can also get Michael’s signature items at Savant Studios — a range of soulful, stylishly detailed pieces that have drawn fans including Zendaya, filmmakers Radhamus Prime and Shaka King (seen in February 2021’s Vanity Fair wearing a Savant tee), and painter Jordan Casteel. Sweatshirts with Nina Simone on the front and the sheet music to “Young, Gifted and Black” on the back. Long-sleeved tees adorned with Brooklyn cityscapes, portraits of Thelonious Monk and the works of Octavia Butler. Bucket hats proclaiming “Black is Beautiful.” Jackets stitched from patchwork quilts and embellished denim.
“We’re doing something that’s a little bit elevated, right here where we’re at,” Michael says of the line’s juxtaposition of streetwear with high-end quality and taste. “You don’t have to go to the $4,000 mark to have something good.”
Renaissance Man that he is, Michael sees Savant Studios as far more than clothes. The boutique also serves as a creative hub for film screenings, photo exhibits, poetry nights and other community gatherings.
“The core people here all bring something to the table, and we create together,” he says. “Instead of having a very specific plan about what the shop is going to be, I want the shop to grow with the people. My plan is to evolve into the thing that we all think it should be.”
Two years into Savant Studios’ existence on Fulton Street, Michael is clearly executing the vision.
“I’m excited and proud to be standing as a Black man from Brooklyn, from the Tompkins projects, in all this stuff that people have imagined that I didn’t belong in,” he says. “Having this platform is like a lighthouse to show people who we are — because it ain’t just me; this is you. You got something incredible; you’re strong; you’re from Brooklyn; you’re Black. The world is waiting for you to do your thing, so go for it.”
1463 Fulton St, 917- 868-4923, Savantvision.com
