Extremely Limited Edition Release: 1st Ballot Reggie Voter Cap

This rare limited edition release will ship within 24 hours of purchase and shipping is free on all orders in the United States of America. 

Sports, nostalgia, and history are inspirational mainstays of our design process of making something that means something. Philly and the stakes of the 2024 election season were the catalyst for the 1st Ballot Reggie Voter cap.  The city of Philadelphia is hallowed ground in the founding of the United States of America and is now key to winning the state of Pennsylvania and ultimately  the 2024 Presidential Election.  

According to the U.S. Census data from 2020, as many as 1 in 4 eligible Americans are not registered to vote. Every year, millions of Americans find themselves unable to vote because they miss a registration deadline, don’t update their registration, or aren’t sure how to register. In addition to this there’s a sizable number of intermittent voters  on the sidelines in any given election. 

Sources: NationalVoterRegistrationDay.org | Pew Research Center

Our aim is to make voter registration and voting a stylish affair and create greater awareness of voting rights and resources.  We hope that this serves as a reminder or even motivation to eligible voters to get registered and cast their ballot this election season.  

H STREET EVE PARTY & POP-UP ‘24

Friday, September 20th || 5pm - 1am

Hill Prince • 1337 H Street NE, Washington, D of C 20002

• Pop-Up Shop 5–11pm ft. CHRiS CARDi, Inner Flydom, On Us Tees, and The Pack World
• Party 9pm–1am ft. DJ Friends on Mars

ABOUT H STREET EVE

This year CHRiS CARDi teamed up with Rock Harper and the team at Hill Prince to host our annual H Street Eve event, a pop-up and party the night before H Street Festival. This year’s event will have a dope line up of vendors, fun and games, interactive photo installations, delicious food and, of course, drinks will be flowing. DJ Friends on Mars returns to set the vibes!

For the pop-up, CHRiS CARDi will have all the H Street NE capsule collection fan favorites and release a new line-up of t-shirts, hats, and accessories. This year will also feature D.C. area based brands Inner Flydom, On Us Tees, and The Pack World for guests to shop unique finds to rock the next day at the festival.

In 2016, CHRiS CARDi, Inc. hosted the first ever H Street Eve; an annual party and pop-up taking place the night before H Street Festival. The event started as a way for neighbors, friends, and fans of CARDi’s nostalgic H Street NE merch to shop and celebrate on the eve of the festival. The event has evolved, partnering D.C.’s small businesses, creatives, and bringing people together from all over the city in a celebration of community. 

ABOUT H STREET FESTIVAL

H Street Festival is one of the most anticipated and highly attended single day festivals in Washington D.C. The festival started as a 500 participant block party more than 19 years ago, it has now grown into a 150,000 participant event. Our H Street Eve pop-up + party is like a pre-game or pep rally - if you will the night before the festival.

RSVP 

Creators Space Market

Free pop-up event Hosted by Nest DC

The Chris Cardi Team invites you to this weekend's Pop-Up shopping experience hosted by Nest DC. The event highlights the launch of their new innovative and affordable creator space located in the heart of U Street. Meet and mingle with the wonderful team of Nest DC and a selection of artists, makers, and visionaries from the DC community, offering a variety of unique gifts and goods. Chris Cardi will be featuring a selection of merchandise from our Bastards capsule collection at the Pop-Up.

Pop-Up Event Details...

Friday, September 13, 2024
Creator Space
Located at 1508 U St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20009
5:00PM - 8:00PM

Check out the Pop-Up Eventbrite page for details and RSVP.

We're excited to announce that we’ll be popping up this weekend at the Pack Party 6: The Last Dance celebration!

Come join us, Saturday, August 10th, for a celebration of D.C. culture, community, and creativity, with live performances and music from Gogo Band: @tobbandandshow and DJs: @eboni @saylesskingby.

Mark your calendars – this Saturday! 🗓️ 10PM - 2:30AM

Music + Games + Vendors + Food

We will have a wide range of our Washington Bastards capsule collection advocating for D.C. statehood ft. t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and other collectibles.

Details:
1726 17TH ST. NE, WASHINGTON, DC
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10 | 10 PM - 2:30 AM

Pre-Sale Tickets

MEN IN DESIGN
hosted by
RON DAVID STUDIO

We're excited to announce that we’ll be one of the special guests at this weekend's men's designer showcase at Ron David Studio in the Union Market neighborhood!

MEN IN DESIGN is all about highlighting some of the DMV based men’s designers, artists, and curators, and we're honored to be featured. This shopping experience is specially curated for men who love fashion and have a passion for supporting independent and small brands.

Come join us for the launch party, Friday, July 26th, for an evening filled with style, creativity, and inspiration, with music by DJ, @farrahflosscett.

Alongside CHRiS CARDi, you’ll meet fellow DMV based designers: DARYL LOCKO (@lockosworld), WESLEY NY (@wesleyny_), and KHALIF (@iamkhalif).

Mark your calendars – this Friday! 🗓️ 4 - 7PM

DJ + Cocktails + Vibes 

Our luggage collection will be showcased all weekend and will feature some limited edition items and new releases, exclusively for this event!

Details:
Ron David Studio
1262 5TH ST NE, WASHINGTON, DC  20002
FRIDAY, 7/26/24 | 4 - 7PM
SATURDAY, 7/27/24 | 11 - 7PM
SUNDAY, 7/28/24 | 12 - 5PM

JUL. 26-28
Ron David Studio: Men’s Designer Showcase

Visit us at Ron David Studio in the Union Market neighborhood as we showcase our luggage collection alongside other DMV area based Men’s designers. We’ll be featuring some limited edition items and new releases, exclusively for this weekend event!
1262 5TH ST NE, WASHINGTON, DC 20002
FRI | 5 - 7PM
SATURDAY | 11 - 7PM
SUNDAY | 12 - 5PM

AUG. 10
Pack Party 6

Join us at the Pack Party 6: The Last Dance, a celebration of D.C. culture, community, and creativity. Hosted by The Pack enjoy live music, DJs, games, vendors, food and more! We will have a wide range of our Washington Bastards capsule collection advocating for D.C. statehood ft. t-shirts, tank tops, jerseys, sweatshirts, hoodies, hats, and other collectibles.
1726 17TH ST. NE, WASHINGTON, DC
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10 | 10 PM - 2:30 AM

PRESALE TICKETS

SEPT. 17-21
H Street Pop-Up Boutique at Hill Prince

Peruse our H Street NE capsule collection in the comfy confines of Hill Prince the week leading into H Street Festival! We are making it easy setting up shop in this neighborhood staple for 5 days. Swing by with friends sip, shop, and get ready to celebrate H Street NE in style!
1337 H ST NE, WASHINGTON, DC 20002

MORE DETAILS TBA IN AUGUST

Back in June, we teamed up with D.C. based artist Isaiah Aladejobi - also known as PZay the Creative - to host A Beautifully Black Bazaar. The bazaar was all about celebrating the legacy of Black cooperative economics and pooling both the resources and talent of some of the DMV area’s Black creative community.

Pzay’s lofty art space at the Fillmore Studios in Georgetown served as the host venue for the festivities which took place the afternoon of Sunday, June 30, 2024. Attendees enjoyed an interactive experience including art installations by Pzay, an African-American flag photo backdrop with photography by Ryan Hampton, music by DJ Lois Lane, curated cocktails by Courtney Taylor and a variety of vendors from apparel to apothecary and, of course, art. Shouts out to our featured vendors ABSNCE, Art/cor, AVAlien, Inner Flydom, Kettles and Kandles, Maurice James Jr., and Nicole C Johnson Art.

Juneteenth was the catalyst for A Beautifully Black Bazaar, with the bazaar being a foundation for how we want to commemorate the past, celebrate the present, and build for the future of what Black Liberation looks like in every aspect of American society when we [Black people] control our own narrative, our own destiny, and the vitality of our own unique and distinctive communities. In an effort to document this, Molly Rufus interviewed a number of our creatives to get their thoughts and perspectives. We look forward to sharing that content with you in the near future.

We’d like to thank everyone that helped to promote A3B (A Beautifully Black Bazaar), all those that attended, shopped, shared their experience on social media, and all of our collaborators for making it possible. 

We look forward to partnering again with Pzay and bringing you another A3B this year. If you are interested in being involved or attending a future A3B email: beblackbzar@gmail.com.

HOME RULE THEN. STATEHOOD NOW! CAPSULE

History is our greatest teacher when we know the whole story. As we transition from celebrating Black History Month to Women’s History Month, championing the intersection of this history as a precursor to the present day struggle for D.C. statehood brings into focus the movement’s pivotal role to the social justice issues of today. 

It is this history, particularly that of the Home Rule movement, that we examined as the source for our “Home Rule Then. Statehood Now!” capsule.

The 1966 Home Rule Day rally (July 17, 1966) at the National Mall was the catalyst of our inspiration. Drawing 32 speakers and approximately 4,000 people, attendees heard from notable advocates including Richard Claxton "Dick" Gregory, civil rights activist and comedian,who said, "You can't laugh your problems away." Senator Wayne Morse further stated that home rule legislation at the time offered the "opportunity to strike a blow for human dignity which we cannot afford to reject." Looking back at the few black and white photos available, we pulled ideas from a variety of campaign signs at the rally. 

 One photo in particular taken that day, featured in the Washington Star, depicts three young women at the rally sitting on the grass at the National Mall. The woman in the forefront holds a pennant banner which reads 'Home Rule Now Washington, D.C. 1966’.

We recreated that banner as the graphic featured on the front of “Home Rule Then. Statehood Now!” t-shirt and crewneck sweatshirt. The large print featured on the back is a reinterpretation of a combination of signs carried by marchers at the rally. This capsule is in recognition of this lesser known moment in the statehood movement. Using our medium of fashion, we want to bring awareness not only of this moment, but also amplify the ordinary women - Black women - that have done extraordinary things; oftentimes leading movements that they ultimately are the last to benefit from. 

Civil Rights activist Dick Gregory leading Southwest residents at Home Rule Day on the National Mall - Jul.. 17, 1966

The historical legacy for representation of D.C.’s residents via the Home Rule and Statehood movements is interwoven with the Civil Rights Movement, Black suffrage, and Women’s suffrage. Black women were instrumental in advocating for universal suffrage and equal representation in the 19th and 20th century and continue to be a force of political power in America today. 

Members of the American Federation of Teachers demonstrate in support of home rule - Jan. 1, 1967

From assembling church functions, attending political conventions, organizing meetings, forming political societies, to planning strategies towards gaining the right to vote, Black women have traditionally exerted their influence in American  politics to the greater benefit of the Nation.

Despite facing the patriarchy, sexism, and racism of white supremacy so deeply rooted at the core of American democracy — Black women leaders past and present such as Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Ida B. Wells, Sojourner Truth, Coretta Scott King, Rep. Shirley Chisholm, Rep. Cori Bush, Rep. Jasmine Crockett; to Black Panthers Elaine Brown, Ericka Huggins, Frances Beal, Fredricka Newton, and Kathleen Cleaver; to D.C. 's Nannie Helen Borroughs, Mary Church Terrell, Anise Jenkins, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Councilmember At-Large Christina Henderson, Councilmember At-Large Anita Bonds, Councilmember Janeese Lewis George, to D.C. Votes - Kelsye Adams, have all been a part of the legacy of advocacy and activism for the rights, freedoms, protection and representation of Black people and liberty for Washingtonians.

Black women have been formidable in social justice movements from before the founding of the United States but faced opposition even from within the movements they’ve fought so passionately for. Even now the contributions of Black women in politics, activism, and advocacy lack the broader acknowledgement of their accomplishment. While amazing strides have been made by the likes of those forementioned, these Black women and countless others are still largely under-recognized, under celebrated, and in some cases under attack. Longtime activists such as Anise Jenkins-Executive Director of Stand Up! for Democracy in D.C. (Free D.C.) have made it their life’s work in pursuit of statehood. 

Deeper knowledge of the Black Liberation, Women’s Equality, Civil Rights and the D.C. Statehood movements and how they are all interconnected and historically linked to other watershed social justice moments, is necessary to dismantle white supremacy and counter the actions of those in power acting to turn back time in America. Republican lawmakers in a number of states have even taken steps to deny the teaching of this full history through defunding education programs, outlawing curriculum, and banning books. 

The present day struggle for D.C. Statehood persists as racism and white supremacy persists as the primary obstacle to progress. Republican politicians continue to deny resolutions that would modernize American democracy and put total control of the District’s affairs in the hands of its citizens. D.C. Statehood is not only for full representation of Washingtonians but also the pathway forward for every citizen to be afforded the American ideal of liberty and justice for all.

Students demonstrate their support for home rule at a rally in front of the District Building - Oct. 3, 1973

SUPPORTING THE PRESENT DAY MOVEMENT 

A donation of $3.51 from every t-shirt and $6.51 of every sweatshirt sold will go to dcvotearchive.org / @dcvote in support of their mission. Founded in 1998, DC Vote is a national citizen engagement and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening democracy and securing equality for all in the District of Columbia. 

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Learn more about the legacy of  civil rights leaders and activists - both past and present - from “Mayor for Life” Marion Barry and luminary Coretta Scott King to Yaddiya and Kelsye Adams of Long Live GoGo, and their contributions to the history of D.C.’s Home Rule and Statehood movements:

Up from the People: Protest and Change in D.C. 

‘THE HOME RULE THEN. STATEHOOD NOW!’ CAPSULE

We priced the items in this capsule to be accessible; as spreading greater awareness of advocacy for D.C. Statehood holds more value than a profit margin. There’s also significance in the price itself, with the t-shirt pricing at $32 - representing the 3 stars and 2 bars of the D.C. flag; the crewneck sweatshirt at $66 - representing the year of the Home Rule Day Rally of 1966 and the .51 cents symbolizing D.C.’s push to become the 51st State in the Union.

SHOP THE CAPSULE