Bronx Native and University of Mount St. Vincent drop new clothing line

Bronx Native and the University of Mount St. Vincent (UMSV) unveiled their clothing collection of Bronx influenced merchandise.  

The collaboration between the Bronx school and Bronx retailer “was organic,” said Amaurys Grullon, owner of Bronx Native. Having opened his store in 2017, Grullon has seen a lot of support from the community.

“ She always shows love, comes to the shop and shows up at events,” Grullon said of Dr. Susan Burns, president of UMSV.  

Grullon explained Burns was eager to build a collaboration between the university and Bronx Native after supporting his small business over the years and witnessing Bronx pride within the culture and communities who would show up for Grullon. 

“One day she was like ‘Let's do it. We got to do a collab, we got to make it happen!’ [At the] end of last year, we got everything together and then it came into fruition early this year,” Grullon said. 

The limited-edition merch dropped April 29 at UMSV’s Phin Shop (short for their dolphin mascot) where students, faculty and alumni can purchase t-shirts, hoodies and hats with phrases such as “El Bronx” or “The Bronx” with UMSV’s logo attached. 

“It’s been very positive in that I think the students appreciate that we are current, that we are relevant, that we are acknowledging people of the Bronx,” Burns said. 

The Catholic university at 6301 Riverdale Ave. in the Bronx was founded by the Sisters of Charity of New York in 1847. Since joining in 2021 as the university’s sixth president, Burns has been looking for ways to collaborate with the rest of the borough. 

“I often will say that the University of Mount St. Vincent is of and for the Bronx and so these kinds of relationships are very important to me that the community sees that we're firmly rooted in the borough that we live, work, play, learn,” Burns told The Press.

Partnering up with Grullon and his store felt like a no-brainer for Burns.

“Amaurys is the guy when it comes to publicizing the work that's being done [in the Bronx,]” she said. 

Grullon has been present on UMSV’s campus over the years as well, speaking with students about his journey of opening his small business in his home borough and this past year, he helped print Christmas shirts for the university. 

In return, Burns supported Grullon’s social events, having UMSV students travel to the small business to visit, learn and integrate themselves within a different section of the Bronx. 

“I love his gear, I love his swag. I've been over to his shop and I've said to him before anything I can do to help promote the work that he's doing is important to me because I'm about uplifting small businesses of The Bronx and being partners with our community,” Burns added.

The merch’s designs for their newest drop are a combination of both Bronx Native and UMSV’s identities, repurposing Bronx Native’s designs, adding in the university’s colors of white and gold along with the UMSV logo to create the now Bronx coded clothing apparel.  

“Showcasing both establishments, Bronx Native and [Mount St.] Vincent, it’s a small little capsized collection but, you know, to instill more Bronx pride in the school,” Grullon said. 

Instilling Bronx pride within the university was important for both Grullon and Burns. Burns, who sits on the board for Riverdale Main Streets Alliance board, noted that for many years the university focused its efforts on Riverdale and establishing a relationship with community members in the area. However, Burns is looking to expand those efforts to the entire borough, this current collaboration being a step in that direction.  ”We are in the Bronx and we are one united borough that really has so much to celebrate,” Burns said. 

“The school is in the Bronx, but you know, it's all the way in the North side, so sometimes the lines get blurred a little bit,” Grullon said of the university's placement within the Bronx. With a lack of merchandise that called to the university’s Bronx roots, both Grullon and Burns saw an opportunity to highlight UMSV’s identity within the borough. 

“I'm hoping that this is a signal not only to our community that we celebrate the full of the Bronx, but it's a signal to others in the Bronx that University of Mount St. Vincent is here to play. We're here to be partners in the success of our shared interest and our students,” Burns said of her hopes on possible future collaborations.  

While the UMSV and Bronx Native’s merch made its appearance on campus, just five miles away, Grullon was busy releasing a collection with The New York Botanical Garden’s last week, – “Rooted in The Bronx.” 

Rooted in The Bronx is an apparel brand Bronx Native and NYBG have launched to celebrate the borough’s culture and represent those born and raised. The collaboration features apparel, as well as home décor, stickers, mugs and posters.

The collaboration came about similarly as it did with UMSV -- by showing up for the community.

“It comes back to that whole element of collaboration and bridging the gaps for a small business like this to do something with such a big establishment,” Grullon said about both back-to-back releases.“It's awesome and I'm, you know, blessed to be in this position.” 

Students, faculty and alumni can purchase UMSV x Bronx Native merch at the campus’ gift shop in person or online at their website.