By Jay Stracke
Boutiques around the world are full of sounds—of swiping credit cards, clacking cash registers, and excited murmurs of customers. This consumer concerto is more than transactional, however. Each exchange, each experience, contributes to the overall relationship being built between a shop and its patrons. “There’s no reason why we can’t connect with people through our clothing,” says Blake Mudd, founder of Hyphen Boutique, a Houston-based gender-inclusive and size-inclusive clothing brand. “I think a lot of people look at shopping as very transactional, but shopping is a way to build relationships.”
Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Mudd moved to Houston at the age of five. Mudd’s hard-working, single mother instilled him with a keen business acumen that followed him throughout his roles as a suit salesman, visual merchandiser, and into his current position as an adjunct human development and consumer sciences instructor at the University of Houston.
Hyphen Boutique founder Blake Mudd. Photo by Pride Portraits/Eric Edward Schell.
Fueled by his experiences, professional pursuits, and passions, Mudd set out to begin his own business, a boutique that delivers modernity and fosters positive customer relationships. To find that sweet spot, he spent time before diving in to understand where his vision and the market intersected. “I wanted to be behind the scenes because I was always fascinated with what led to a customer having the experience that they had,” Mudd explains. “I spent about six months deciding what to do. I wanted it to be a contemporary men’s wear line.”
And so, the journey to start Hyphen began in earnest. After much planning and preparation, the boutique made its public debut at Houston Pride in June 2019. “People were going crazy for it,” Mudd says of the Hyphen clothing that was displayed at the boutique’s Pride festival booth. “And the majority of the people at the booth were female identifying. And many were transgender, [some in the process of] transitioning, and wanted fashionable clothes. I didn’t originally think I’d be marketing to these populations.”
“I think a lot of people look at shopping as very transactional, but shopping is a way to build relationships.” -Blake Mudd
It was then that Mudd had the revelation that Hyphen was more than a men’s line. Instead, it empowered customers of all gender identities and expressions to be themselves. Mudd decided then and there to make Hyphen a shop with a mission. “It is special finding clothes for that person [who really needs them],” he says. “So, I made the decision to make Hyphen gender inclusive, which was not something that I would have thought of doing six months ago. I didn’t realize the need.”
“A hyphen, by definition, connects words,” Mudd says. “I always looked to it as a connection. Whether it was bridging the gap between affordable fashion with the modern man, or…looking at it as [a way] to connect anybody with the clothes that they want to wear. And feel fearless wearing.”
“There’s no reason why we can’t connect with people through our clothing.” -Blake Mudd
With an anticipated hard launch in October 2019, Hyphen will offer apparel in every color for every skin tone and in every size for every body type, all while championing its mission of inclusivity. The new contemporary boutique seeks to pave the way through its core focus, to develop “a platform to impact and further resolve social inequalities.”
“I think of retail as this really impactful tool,” Mudd says. “Being a brand is powerful, because a brand can have the following, the opportunities, and the resources to give back—either monetarily or with exposure. Even if Hyphen is a for-profit business, any money that it makes will be used somewhere else to make an impact.”
“I don’t want to ever forget where Hyphen started,” Mudd adds. “I want it to be community oriented, always helping others. I hope that it can be on the forefront by providing support to empower activists. There’s no reason we can’t help connect.”
For more on Hyphen Boutique, visit hyphenboutique.com.
