Forget the yacht. Bushwick Yacht Club is taking its name somewhere considerably more Brooklyn: the streets.
Founded in 2020 by Aaron Nessel, Bushwick Yacht Club is a Brooklyn-based clothing brand built around a simple idea—make neighborhood-inspired apparel while giving something back. The brand describes itself as “neighborhood clothing with a cause,” donating either products or portions of proceeds to organizations serving New Yorkers.
And despite the nautical name, there isn’t exactly a fleet of luxury boats waiting in Bushwick. That’s part of the joke.
Instead, the brand has developed a distinctive identity around streetwear, community and local culture. Since launching, Bushwick Yacht Club says it has donated more than 6,000 items of clothing to homeless-services organizations and approximately $8,000 to local charities.
The brand’s charitable work has included partnerships with organizations such as The Door, a New York youth-services organization. In 2023, The Door highlighted Bushwick Yacht Club’s community efforts in a short documentary about the company and its founder.
More recently, Bushwick Yacht Club teamed up with Farm to People and Brooklyn artist Fefi Castedo on a limited four-piece collection benefiting One Love Community Fridge. The September 2026 presale directs 100% of profits from the collection to the Brooklyn organization.
That combination of fashion and philanthropy is what makes Bushwick Yacht Club more than another Brooklyn clothing label. It is tapping into the neighborhood’s creative energy while putting actual resources behind its community-first message.
For anyone searching for Bushwick Yacht Club, Brooklyn streetwear, NYC clothing brands or socially conscious fashion, this is a brand worth knowing.
And if you’re wondering where the yacht is?
Still no boat.
Just better merchandise.