ORANGE, Ohio — Northeast Ohio has always been a city of makers, from industrial endeavors to the arts and many things in between. Now, a new clothing brand from the president and CEO of Majestic Steel is working to keep that history alive.
3News' Kierra Cotton took a first look inside Sozo, and discussed the brand's origin with CEO Todd Leebow.
"Sozo is actually short for Soteria, who is the Greek goddess of preservation," Leebow explained. "Part of our vision is kind of preserving fashion and the American maker."
Sozo is the newest storefront inside the Pinecrest shopping plaza. However, it’s not your average clothing store. They’re doing things differently, offering customers a unique experience.
"We're making pieces here in the store, so we built a production team, sourcing the fabrics. Everything's really kind of handcrafted, hand selected," said Leebow.
The brand was created during the pandemic as a way to help protect Majestic Steel’s essential workers during a worldwide mask shortage. The new venture allowed Todd and his team to focus on the future while also staying true to their roots.
"It was definitely a unique time to start it, but also was part of the kind of vision of the brand of, coming out of this let's create something that we think post pandemic is gonna be attractive given where people are going and style and fashion and the way people are dressing," Leebow explained.
Now just a few short years later, their unique retail concept has come to life and further continues their mission of keeping manufacturing local.
"We really wanted to show what we're calling farm to table and fashion where you can walk into the store and actually see pieces being made here," Leebow said of the shopping experience.
As for what kind of clothing can you find at Sozo, it's adaptable and includes pieces they call elevated basics.
In his own words, Leebow described it as such, "Sozo offers very approachable fashion, um, that really can work for many different, um, uses. You know, I wear it to work, I wear it to go out, I wear it to relax, um, and I wear it to travel. That's kind of the way that we think is can you wear it for those four things? It's versatile."
With unisex appeal, and an outfit for every occasion, the Sozo brand is confident it’s suitable for everyone.
"You know, making things locally and using local talent and kind of preserving the American way, but doing it in a modern, fresh way is, is really what it's about," said Leebow.
Sozo is located at 400 Park Avenue Suite 176. For more information or to purchase products, click here.
More from Kierra Cotton: