The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
A melting pot of creativity
Designer’s clothes take cues from college, sports, street style
MIDDLETOWN — In four years, Middletown native Dillon Milardo has developed his vision of a clothing line that melds the personal style of college students and others who walk the city’s streets with European-influenced sports and lifestyle designs.
The seeds that eventually grew to First Twelve boutique in Main Street Market at 605 Main St. were planted at Central Connecticut State University in 2011 — in a tiny space not much larger than where Milardo’s first items were sold: the closet of his dorm room.
The Middletown High School grad’s designs spring from the intersection of urban wear, creative arts, collegiate sports, and the like-no-other personal style of many who lives in the melting pot of a small city at the center of Connecticut.
“If I meet someone, it affects me. I think about it: ‘Wow. How can that person play a role (in my designs),’ ” said Milardo, 25, who began the business venture with the help of his CCSU roommate Dave Ambrose.
The company is rooted in those days, when Milardo took every item out of his closet and then filled it with First Twelve merchandise, creating a “pop-up” shop where his classmates could buy items on the spot.
Today, he’s sold his line in more than 22 countries directly from the First Twelve online marketplace. Media in the UK, Chile, Brazil, Spain, Poland, Israel and Denmark have showcased his pieces.
When he was younger, Milardo, also a painter, was infatuated with countries abroad. “I felt like I could relate to people internationally more — the look of the buildings, the lifestyle,” he said. Those aesthetics drew him in. “I liked the way they dressed. My peers never dressed like that, but I took notes of things people in Italy were wearing,” Milardo said.
He started wearing a Kappa Italian wear track suit jacket about seven years ago, then discovered, five or six years later, it was suddenly popular. “I’d never seen anyone in Connecticut wearing it,” Milardo said. Several years later, model Kylie Jenner wore the matching pants in an editorial shoot.
“This brand blew up. People realized it looked cool, and ‘Now I can believe in it, because she wore it.’ It’s almost like I can’t wear it anymore because it’s in all the malls,” he said.
Ambrose, of Wallingford, Milardo’s college roommate, best friend and First Twelve’s accountant, brings an analytical approach to business, while Milardo is the creative part of the operation. Both describe their relationship as a brotherhood. “In some ways, we’re totally alike, and in others, we’re completely opposite,” Ambrose said.
“He’s inspired by seeing different personal styles people have, and merging them into his own unique thing,” said Ambrose, who recalls former classmates talking about starting their own clothing brands.
“That was unheard of at the time. It stuck with us, and Dillon ran with it,” he said. “Kids were wearing (The) North Face jackets, Jordans with Nike socks, and here was Dillon in a soccer jersey. He was wearing that five years before it became popular,” Ambrose said.
Milardo has used various locations around Middletown for his fashion shoots, such as Los Primos, Neon Deli, Hancock Pharmacy,
Harbor Park and Wesleyan University. “We just think it’s a corner store,” he said of the Los Primos mini mart. “There’s heritage to it, there’s character, you can see the roots. If you go to New York, you’ll see that,” he added.
Milardo has a knack for looking at a certain street style and making it his own. “He’s got a rare sense: He almost knows what people want before they know they want it,” Ambrose said.
The shop is jam-packed with items such as baseball caps, university patches, knit hats and vintage travel bags. It also includes pieces from Christian Dior, Polo, YSL, Burberry’s and other top European designers. The price point is affordable, Milardo explains, much like how Ralph Lauren’s designs are in America.
He attributes social media, in particular Instagram, for bringing his individual pieces to the masses.
“I’m glad to have started here, because we have such a diverse community,” Milardo said, pointing out Wesleyan University is a “huge supporter” of his line. He’s even designed their sports uniforms, fraternity apparel, and will soon outfit the tennis team.
Milardo attributes the honing of his artistic style to Middletown High School arts teacher Patrick Shugrue. “I owe a lot to him. He elevated my way of thinking and my process. He broke things down in the most relatable way,” Milardo said. “He let me do my thing, but guided me in the fundamentals of painting,” Milardo said.
Milardo is able to envision clothing with a European influence that “(college) kids will look at you like you’re crazy, but a year later, they’re first in line at the shop,” Ambrose said. “He knows: He’s got a rare skill not many people possess. He’s really on the pulse of what’s coming up next,” he said.
Milardo would like to expand to a larger space in the market, with all his inventory and equipment in one place. “Right now, it’s getting to that threshold. We have tons of stuff in the pipeline, ready to come out, we just have no room for it all,” he said.
Eventually, Ambrose would like to see Milardo open a storefront in New York or San Francisco. “He’ll always keep that Main Street store — the flagship — where it all began,” he said.
“I want to make Middletown (a) progressive place where people think of it as an arts community, think of is as a fashion community: a mini New York. I think that would be pretty cool,” Milardo said.
For more information, visit firsttwelve.us, First Twelve on Instagram @firsttwelve and Facebook at First Twelve.