It’s been a labor of love for up and coming Bronx designer Mario Miguelito. He’s preparing a pop up shop of his newest fashion line in Harlem ahead of Small Business Saturday. 

“COVID rocked us all and so I was able to go back home, be in the house to quarantine and develop a new line of clothes, which was Void Asylum,” Miguelito said.

In September, Miguelito won Harlem Fashion Week’s Emerging Designer Award. The group gives local talents a spotlight for their work all year round. Yvonne Jewnell is one of the founders, and said she hopes the neighborhood remembers to support local designers this holiday season.

“These designers are amazing in their craft, but they just don’t have access to a widespread audience so an event like this would give them the opportunity to make more sales and give access to a wider, diverse network,” Jewnell said. 

Miguelito said his line Void Asylum offers creative styles that are gender fluid and cannot be found in big chain stores.

“It will be some things that you can order, some shirts that you can buy. Everything that I do, because I am an artist, is done by me, so like this would be something that I drew,” Miguelito revealed.

His collection mostly features clothing that he up-cycled, repurposing items to make new garments. 

“This is a rug fabric that I found on 39th Street upholstery store,” said Miguelito, showing one of his pant designs.

For customers like Kanessa Tixe, wearing clothing made by a local designer holds more meaning. 

“There’s nothing better than to wear something that you know was made with a lot more love than manufactured in factories. A lot of thought is put into it the colors, the patterns, the gems,” Tixe said.

Miguelito believes supporting local means appreciating craftsmanship and diversifying the market.

“I think it’s really important to uplift those of us who have paid our dues and those of us who put in the work to create something unique and beautiful,” Miguelito said.