Definition and Meaning, a boutique clothing store that exclusively sells Definition and Meaning (DAM) branded clothing, opened this spring in Flossmoor Commons.
Definition and Meaning sells sports and casual clothing. The range includes t-shirts, hoodies, tracksuits, varsity jackets, jeans, baseball caps and other clothing for men, women and children.
Everything in the store has the “Definition and Meaning” logo on it. On many products, the logo is large and prominent, while on some products, such as the black jeans, it is only visible on the label. The brand name is sometimes spelled out as “Definitions and Meaning: Chicago.” It is also sometimes spelled out as an acronym, “DAM.”
“Every single thing has ‘DAM’ on it,” said Derrick Frazier, owner of Definition and Meaning. “It’s memorable. I want a DAM shirt. I want a DAM hoodie.”
The T-shirts include one depicting money as the root of all evil, a T-shirt with the blue checkmark of social media sites and the slogan “I’m verified in real life,” and T-shirts with the slogans “Define yourself to mean something” and “Black pain.” Another T-shirt reads “DAMN, racism still exists.”
Definition and Meaning also sells a T-shirt that reads “The Black King: He is the most important piece in the game,” accompanied by a picture of the black king piece in chess.
“It relates to chess and life,” Frazier said.
Frazier founded the DAM brand in 2019, using his website to sell clothing and personally deliver items to his customers.
“I started out just selling T-shirts. And then I sold over 3,000 T-shirts in the first two months,” Frazier said. “That fueled the urge to get more involved in fashion.”
Frazier said he opened the store in Flossmoor Commons to expand his customer base, avoid the hassle of home delivery and because his inventory had grown larger than he could offer online.
“I get a lot of new customers practically every day,” Frazier said.
Frazier said making fashion is more than just a business, but a lifestyle. He said fashion is constantly changing, which always gives him new opportunities to be creative.
Definition and Meaning held a grand opening celebration on April 27. Frazier said he did not notify the village of Flossmoor because it was “spontaneous,” adding that many friends, family and community members were there.
DAM-branded T-shirts were featured in several scenes in the 2023 film “On Da Run,” which is currently streaming for free on Tubi.
Definition and Meaning is located at 3321 Vollmer Road. It is open Wednesday through Saturday from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. The store is closed on Mondays and open by appointment only on Tuesdays.
