When Lonzo Hennessy was 19 years old, he started designing and selling streetwear clothing items online.
Four years later, he opened a storefront in downtown Macon to sell his luxury and streetwear items.
“It’s just been a long journey because entrepreneurship, it comes with so many obstacles already,” he said. “I’ve just always been passionate about clothing.”
Upper Echelon WRLD opened at 839 Forsyth St. on Oct. 28. The store is open 12-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday and 12-6 p.m. Sunday.
Hennessy initially started customizing shoes before moving into clothing. He said his mother and especially his grandmother were always very into fashion and looking stylish.
“It just runs in the family,” he said with a laugh. “They kind of instilled that in me too as far as just a love of fashion and clothing.”
Hennessy finds joy in creating new pieces, and his style includes retro, pop and vintage aspects, he said.
“All of the pieces that I put out, they one of a kind of statement pieces, and a lot of the pieces I put out have some type of message as well,” he said.
He named his brand Upper Echelon to mean the highest level of worth. On one pair of shorts in his store, it reads, “In the everyday world, Upper Echelon refers to those with the highest level of worth.” The name represents who he is as a person and the type of message he wants to put out in the world, he said.
“I just like to put out pieces that have a good message as well, while still being one of a kind statement pieces,” he said. “It’s one of a kind of statement pieces. My prices are very reasonable. And then, I have my other high end items that are priced a little bit higher. But as far as the quality and the message, I think it’s worth it, and I think it’s something that a lot of people would just love to just want to wear.”
Although it has been challenging to grow his audience on Instagram, Hennessy believes opening a storefront has been a great opportunity to reach new people and introduce them to his brand.
He looked at some other locations in Macon, but the storefront he chose in downtown Macon caught his eye.
“I’m a spiritual person, so when I looked at this building and got the approval and all that stuff like that, it was like, ‘Yes!’” he said. “I just feel like the downtown area it’s growing. It’s growing so much. It just feels good to be a part of that as well.”
When he walks into his storefront, he loves every aspect of it, and he said it reminds him of the way storefronts look in New York City.
“I just feel like for the type of pieces that I make and put out, they deserve to be displayed like that,” he said.
Hennessy plans to keep growing his business and brand and putting out positive messages through his work, he said. Hennessy, who grew up in West Macon, hopes to inspire other young people who come from similar backgrounds and want to start a clothing line or a business, he said.
“I’m looking to just keep on inspiring the up and coming generation that wants to get into fashion, and also I just want people to come here and also feel the vibe of me as a person,” he said. “As a business owner, you can’t get too caught up in just selling product and selling merch. You also have to have something that people gravitate towards you for as well… When they come here and they feel my vibe and they feel welcome, it makes them want to shop even more.”
