MOMENTUM: CLUE’S “OUT THE CONCRETE” BLOOMS IN LITTLE VILLAGE

Presented by Moments Media, TA98’s Digital Storytelling Division

By Araceli Ramirez

A creative collaboration born and built in Little Village is set to launch tonight. The “Out the Concrete” project, involving artist “Clue?,” Burdeens Chicago and SRVD Chicago, will be released at a pop-up event from 7 to 9 p.m. at Burdeens’ Little Village location, 3255 W. 26th St.

The collection includes three hats, a T-shirt, a pin and five stickers, all designed by Clue?, also known as Emmanuel Gomez, the creative director at TA98. The event will feature light refreshments and a floral installation by SRVD Chicago.

The designs, including the signature Clue? Character, a green alien with question marks for eyes, were inspired by the resilience Gomez has witnessed in his neighborhood.

“Flowers growing out of the concrete represent some people's lives and how we can flourish out of the concrete, or out of the struggles too,” Gomez said. “We can bloom in places that aren't meant for us.”

The collection is the third installment of Burdeens’ “Chicago Artist Series,” which pairs local creatives with custom hat drops. While Gomez has previously collaborated with institutions outside Little Village, this release marks a rare, close-to-home and meaningful feature. 

The collaboration aims to reflect and uplift the neighborhood through wearable art. For Gomez, that meant designing hats he and others in Little Village could wear every day. Burdeens gave him full creative freedom, requesting only that a “B” be embroidered on the back of each cap.

“I usually think about my people in my art. I grew up on the Southwest Side of Chicago, in the Little Village neighborhood. There's a lot of struggles here, and I think we do what we can with what we have and what's provided,” Gomez said.

Burdeens Chicago dates back to the 1960s as a shoe store. Brothers Gerardo and Rolando Alvarez began as sales associates in the early 1990s before taking over operations in 2019. When the store acquired a New Era license, they shifted focus from footwear to headwear, specializing in unique colorways and hard-to-find styles. Their Little Village storefront opened Jan. 18, 2025, a decision that “just made sense,” according to Gerardo Alvarez, co-owner.

“The memories of walking up and down 26th Street, seeing the crowds, we had to open here,” Gerardo Alvarez said. “On the business side, we were one of the few stores in the country that carry Mexican League baseball hats and jerseys, and everybody knows Little Village is like the mecca for Hispanics.”

The artist series emerged from Alvarez’s desire to connect that legacy with the neighborhood’s creative talent, including previous collaborations with Sentrock and Ramiro Huizar.

“I think it's always cool to see your work in a different medium. I usually do paintings and murals, so not a lot of digital work,” Gomez said. “For my work to be translated into a physical item like a hat, that's dope.”

The “Out the Concrete” capsule includes a navy blue New Era 5950 fitted cap with a flat visor, a black dad hat with a curved brim and a dark green 9FORTY style. The embroidered design features Clue?’s signature character emerging from a brick wall and blooming with flowers, a nod to overcoming struggle through growth. A commissioned painting by Gomez will also debut at the shop, incorporating the Little Village arch, the flags of Mexico and Chicago, and his characters in colors matching the new hats.

For longtime customers like Benny Estrada, who remembers shopping with his grandmother at Burdeens when it was a shoe store, the collaboration is about more than fashion.

“I think it’s great that a local youth can be someone his peers can look up to and get inspiration from,” Estrada said. “I feel the media tends to spotlight the negative in our neighborhood, and this is an opportunity to shed some positive light about La Villita and the many talented youth in our community.”

SRVD Chicago, a floral lounge located at 4425 W. 55th St., will also have an installation at Burdeens Chicago on Friday, which will include pieces with customized wrapping by Clue?.

Odalys Ramirez, the founder and lead florist, described the collaboration as “all about telling stories through different ways.” 

“It’s powerful when those worlds intersect, but it’s also an opportunity to represent floristry in spaces you don’t always see it,” Ramirez said. 

The collaboration also reached neighboring communities. Isabel Cerero, a model from North Lawndale featured in Clue?’s campaign, said the drop captures the essence of the artist’s style.

“It's really cool to see Manny bringing his style and art onto streetwear. It's something I'm really proud to wear,” Cerero said.

The collection’s reach will extend beyond the event, with remaining stock available online after Friday.