Scoop: Roxbury's Madrugada, a celeb go-to, eyes South End storefront
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Madrugada's shed (left) and a woman in a Madrugada sweater (right). Photo: Courtesy of Nan James/Madrugada
Madrugada, a beloved Roxbury-born clothing brand, is returning with a permanent brick-and-mortar.
Why it matters: What began as a homegrown side hustle sold out of a backyard shed may soon become the South End's newest upscale boutique.
Catch up quick: Madrugada recently wrapped up a pop-up in Downtown Crossing — a test run for owner Nan James, a Roxbury native who works in the TV industry.
The latest: James plans to sign a lease for a storefront on Columbus Avenue in the South End, but declined to say where because of pending negotiations.
What they're saying: James, a Madison Park Technical Vocational High School alumna, says she owes her success in TV and apparel to her alma mater.
- "We were learning how to design clothes. We were learning how to screen-print stuff. I was learning how to shoot commercials," she tells Axios.
- "Literally, everything I learned, I learned from Madison Park."
Flashback: James started out selling embroidered caps in 2016 before expanding to clothes and incorporating the business in 2019.
- She named the brand Madrugada, which means "dawn" in Spanish, because she felt it described her life in Los Angeles at the time.
- "I was in a space where jobs weren't where I needed them to be," says James, who is now a bicoastal resident. "I felt like something positive was coming."
Flash forward two years, and James set up a shed in the backyard of her childhood home in Roxbury.
- The shed quickly became a destination for local shoppers, but it came down in early 2025 after James' family sold the house.
- Since then, Madrugada has lived on in pop-ups.
Yes, and: The brand has also gotten attention from celebrities, from Jaylen Brown to rapper YG and DJ Mustard (he wore a Vanson x Madrugada motorcycle jacket while on tour with Kendrick Lamar).
Zoom in: The downtown pop-up gave Madrugada a prime location with easy MBTA access and new customers from Spain and Japan.
- She's still getting messages from fans saying they were looking for Madrugada downtown, even though the nine-day pop-up ended weeks ago.
What's next: James plans to open the store this fall.
- Madrugada has another collaboration in the works with the Vanson motorcycle apparel brand.