ART NEVER DIES. ®
Founded in 2014 by Nigeria Ealey, Esaïe Jean Simon and Victor James––our brand coined the motto “Art Never Dies” to symbolize the ever-changing growth of creativity when projected to the world and the ideology of using fashion as a vehicle to express ourselves individually, and collectively, all while letting the impact and inspiration of New York and our community tell a larger truthful story.
At TIER, we strive to impact, inspire, create and communicate our stories through fashion and experiences.
NIGERIA EALEY
CO-FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF TIER
Nigeria Ealey (29) is an African-American Designer born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. Growing up, Nigeria has always been drawn to a wide spectrum of art, design and fashion. In his early stages, Nigeria began drawing, having been taught by his late mother different art forms and shared techniques that encouraged Nigeria to be his best and hone in on his craft. Nigeria is a graduate of Long Island University, where he studied and received his Bachelors of Fine Arts in Graphic Design & 3D Animation. After his undergrad achievements, Nigeria later received his Masters Degree in Media Management and Marketing. These skills have subsequently become passions for Nigeria, as he now serves as Co-founder and Creative Director of TIER. Though, Nigeria’s experience exceeds his schooling––having had accepted roles as a Graphic Lead at Long Island University Blackbird Nation Store, where he designed school apparel, merchandise and content and as an Art Teacher at Apollo Elementary School where he taught K-4th Grade students. Nigeria’s life work ranges from freelancing and designing graphics/content for Google, Instagram, Adidas NYC, Viola and Sirius XM. Nigeria describes his design style as being a combination of his life experiences, inspirations and community.
ESAĪE JEAN SIMON
CO-FOUNDER & FINANCE DIRECTOR
Esaīe Jean Simon (33) is a Haitian-American Designer born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. Esaïe began exploring his creativity at the early age 6-years old after asking his father to draw the figure of a person, which his father through his own technique modified into a stick figure. Though, Esaïe was unsatisfied with the results––which fueled him to learn his own techniques. Since then, Esaïe has been drawing different forms of art, which also fueled his self-taught appreciation and passion for fashion and design. Esaie obtained his Bachelor's Degree in Business Management and Finance from Brooklyn College. These skills and learnings have given Esaīe the knowledge needed to oversee finance for TIER. Designing and style comes naturally for Esaïe, and it shows through the different mediums of art and fashion developed by TIER.
VICTOR JAMES
CO-FOUNDER & ART DIRECTOR
Victor James (33) has encompassed his passions and schooling for his love of art, fashion and design. Before founding TIER alongside his co-founders, Vic thought of himself more of an artist than a designer during his earlier years of education, pre college. During his undergrad years at Brooklyn College, Vic got his foot into the door of the fashion realm by designing artwork for varsity jackets for Greek Organizations. He then transitioned from making designs for varsity jackets to creating logo designs for up and coming businesses. With the notable success of his craft, Vic steered his direction away from Brooklyn College and enrolled at Parsons School of Design. At Parsons, Vic was able to hone in on his design skills––later fully immersing himself in fashion illustration for TIER.