MV Forums Is Shaping the Future of Streetwear in Northeast Ohio
- Kelly Coyne
- May 17
- 4 min read
MV Forums is making waves in Northeast Ohio’s streetwear scene. Founder Ramir Williams is having a profound impact on the future of fashion in the region.
A Richmond Heights native, Williams first discovered his passion for fashion in his hometown. His journey began in 2016, the year MV was born.
While in high school, Williams started distressing jeans, quickly gaining popularity among classmates and students across Cleveland public schools. A student representative at Shaker Heights High School eventually invited him to participate in a fashion show. That opportunity sparked an epiphany: he needed a brand for his clothes. At first, MV stood for Mir’s Vision.
Williams soon started working at Kids Foot Locker, saving every paycheck until he could afford blank shirts and joggers to customize. He printed the word vengeance on the garments — a move that immediately drew attention from his peers.
He eventually paused the brand to pursue higher education at Central State University, studying law and politics. However, he later dropped out to pursue MV full-time.
After leaving college, Williams met Jake Tartaglia through a mutual friend. Tartaglia already knew of MV and had a sharp business sense — a perfect fit for the brand. Around this time, the meaning behind MV evolved from Mir’s Vision to My Visual Forum.
So what does MV Forums stand for? It’s a brand for the movers and shakers — the industry disruptors. Williams explained, “I would say our aesthetic is just dark, grungy…and I hate to ya know curse or anything but it’s like a F U, very anti-normal. We’re all about propaganda, controversial.”
MV draws inspiration from both youth, culture, and politics.
Williams views himself as more of a poet than a designer. He said, “...The words and the phrases mean more to me now because I’m able to go on with it so one of my most popular collections Blood Sweat and Years is just a play off of Blood Sweat and Tears…so just taking these phrases and just like giving myself a theme and just literally opening my mind completely to what that phrase means to me and turning it into art.”
For aspiring entrepreneurs, Williams offers this advice: “Just be yourself and be intentional. I think if you have the passion or have the right intention behind something you can’t do any wrong and always see it through. Always see the finish line ya know…”
MV Forums is a space for people to express themselves. As Williams put it, “As confident as you possibly can. I want you to feel like you’re on top of the world. I want you to feel like you have no fear. I want you to feel immortal.”
The sky’s the limit for MV. In April 2025, the brand was featured at Xhibition, a streetwear and sneaker store in Shaker Heights, Cleveland, and Detroit. For Williams, who shopped there as a high schooler, it was a dream realized. His collection was displayed alongside some of his biggest influences, including Rick Owens and John Elliott. He said, “It was always a dream to get to this point I’m at now but I didn’t think it would happen this fast…”
The featured drop was the new SOHIO collection. It was a tribute to his grandfather, one of the first Black owners of a Sohio gas station in the 1980s, and Williams' love for Ohio.
Williams continues to grow his brand and list of accomplishments. His dream collaborations include Polo, Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, Supreme, and Rick Owens.
To him, fashion is more than clothing. It’s transformative. Williams iterated, “Fashion has saved my life honestly. It gave me direction. It gave me purpose. It gave me reasons to want more in life and to connect with so many people. Every day I meet someone that becomes a lifelong buddy, if you're a supporter of my brand. So fashion has literally saved me.”
Though Northeast Ohio isn’t widely recognized for its fashion scene, Williams believes it can be. He encourages local support for streetwear brands to help elevate the region nationally.
The journey hasn’t been without hardship. In 2022, Williams' best friend, Dailyn Ferguson, was a victim of gun violence and passed outside of DF Kickz — the store he owned. Reflecting on Ferguson’s lasting influence, Williams said, “Dailyn was my best friend. Dailyn was someone that convinced me that I could even drop out of school and start my brand again. He was my biggest supporter, my biggest fan, my biggest inspiration honestly. Losing him on this journey has definitely been the hardest and it's something that I still ya know struggle with everyday but it pushes me everyday…keeping the legacy going for him.”
Williams is committed to using MV to give back. He wants to uplift his community, starting with Richmond Heights. He hopes to mentor students interested in fashion and eventually create a program through the school system where aspiring entrepreneurs can take classes on starting a brand.
Where does Williams see MV in the next five years? He said, “I think MV Forums is gonna become more of a lifestyle than it is a clothing brand and what I mean by that is we’re not tryna sell clothing as the end goal. We wanna sell a lifestyle. We wanna sell what we do and what we feel is a way of life. We want our customers and our supporters to feel that way as well…”
What’s next for MV? At the end of June, the brand will release a new collection titled Pain Immortal. This drop pays homage to the original MV aesthetic with a black-and-white color scheme. Williams says it’s the brand’s most complete collection to date.
Follow MV Forums:
Instagram: @mvforums
Follow Tartaglia:
Instagram: @jaketartaglia
Follow Ramir:
Instagram: @mvseez
Purchase MV Forums:
Website: MV Forums Shop
Xhibition: MV Forums at Xhibition
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