* New York-based hornsmen Hypnotic Brass Ensemble have been all up in the New York Times and other media outlets for their sartorial swagger while backing Mos Def at his recent shows. The customized purple & gold "RIP Seam Bell" hoodies worn at Lincoln Center last spring were topped by red, black

& green "So Fresh So Clean" tees sported at a recent BAM show-the phrase framed a photo of Baraek Obama in the center square usually reserved for dead tappers. Both looks were the work of Harlem's own Phil Thomas Moreland, aka El Philthmoor, who has been quietly taking over 125th Street and bringing street vendor fashion to heights of originality not seen since the days of Dapper Dan. El Philth recently sat down with FADER to discuss his Kings Kounty Kouture line.

So how does the proprietor of Kings Kounty Kouture live in Harlem? I was born and raised in Brooklyn, around Flatbush and Albany. My brother and I started out boosting: we had a crew called O Force, which was our version of the whole Lo-Life phenomenon. We were known for breaking fashions and name brands in the '90s but we were putting our freedom on the line, so ... Sometimes you have to go somewhere else to become the person you're going to be. I've lived all over but I ended up in Harlem because they really support black business and independent business. There's an energy to the fashion scene in Harlem that comes from all the African merchants who bring that market style hustle-125th is where all that comes together.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

How did you link with Hypnotic? It was just kind of fated. I ran into them on the train and we knew some people in common, we were on the same vibe from the beginning. I respect that they're street artists first and I also have lot of respect for young jazz eats ever since spending time in New Orleans. There's nothing like seeing a regular kid from the hood in droopy jeans and a XXL T shirt just killing a trumpet on some Dizzy Gillespie shift

Do you have a similar relationship with other artists? I actually started out working as PitbulFs personal stylist. He would buy clothes from me back in the day and I eventually took over his merchandising operation. I did a series of custom military shirts for the "Dammit Man" video in 2004 which became the basis of my first line: Sol']ah Kulture.

What about the 'Kemetic' hoodies, with oversized ankhs, Egyptian falcons and King Tut masks offset on bright oranges and golds. Where does that come from? The same cat who showed me how much money you can make selling in the street also put me up on Egyptology and I was just flabbergasted by the sophistication of the art and architecture. The oversize icons and the off center look comes from Polo's teddy bear and ski man logos I used to go crazy for those. They originally did those big logos to throw off bootleggers but I just love the real attention-grabbing look, throw some orange and gold on there to wake that shit up. I feel like my look is un-bootleggable, it% not like homeboy's gonna go and cut out an ankh.

Is anybody bootleg-proof? No, that's true. I've seen some pieces with Egyptian motifs and my people were like "Yo, that's your shit," but my attitude is: I didn't invent that, it's been around for thousands of years. I'm happy if someone besides me puts it on a shirt. What I'm not down with is the exploitation stuff, Bart Simpson with a gun or Sponge-Bob with gold fronts. But if people co opt your shit, only way to beat 'em is with fresh ideas. Stay two steps ahead.

So what's the next idea? The next one is called King Asiatic Nobody's Equal. It's a series with a lot of glitter and faces of Big Daddy Kane, Rakim ... it's basically showing how the whole '80s vibe with the thick gold ropes is just a continuation of that same King Tut mythos.

EDWIN "STATS" HOUGHTON

www.myspace.com/philthmoor