"Right now I'm here every day [at Sundance Square] doing shop, but I'm prioritizing," said the 31-year-old polymath. “I tend to be slow or too busy. I know I'm closed on Mondays so I do a lot of things, marketing, social media, design and music. I sleep a little.
Enrolled as a junior, McGrew discovered her passion for fashion and music at the same time. He began playing the drums at age 5 after receiving his father's praise at his father's family church, and continued to develop throughout his middle and high school years.
The self-proclaimed "three times a day change" began taking apparel as an industry seriously when he enrolled at Prairie View A&M in Houston and studied business.
"I started my first line when I entered university," says the designer. "I teamed up with a friend who shared my same passion for fashion. Luckily, I took design classes outside of my major and found a store full of clean T-shirts. So there we were. Lots of white [triples] they knew who was wearing it and they knew it themselves.
When McGrew found out she was expecting her first child, she dropped out of college and released that young frontline. In the early 2010s, he sketched ideas while drawing doodles, which eventually became the attention-grabbing mascot for his Trvp art.
"My first or main logo is a robot," he says. “I tried to figure out how I wanted. You know this is my drawing to make it appear when someone sees it. People knew about the robot when it was revealed I was going to keep it on my shoe and I've been running with it ever since.
In the year 2017, this Mickey-inspired robotic arm adorned everything from hats to sneakers to sweaters to socks. Trvp's orders grew through word of mouth and online, so McGrew started pop-ups all over Funkytown. And the Visitor Fort Worth tourism organization has attracted attention. Eventually, McGrew's entrepreneurial spirit caught the attention of Sasha Bass, a member of a prominent Fort Worth family who wanted to redo Sundance Square. When Bass offered McGrew a permanent facility lease in March 2022, Union Station was born.
"I don't do one thing, so I didn't want to walk into a store and just focus on shoes or clothes or music; I wanted to put everything in the store," says McGrew. They ask. They didn't expect it to come from Texas. I just cover the fashion and artists we have, showcase their work and cover them. My main goal is to spread the word and let other artists know that they have a creative outlet.
Shoppers who come to see records by Wu-Tang Clan, Elvis or Aretha can take home a new diaper or pair of shoes for $300. McGrew sees everyone from babies to grandparents hit the shelves and welcomes the diversity because "everyone has different tastes".
He plans to host at least one or two events at Union each month, including the site's seasonal black market pop-ups on Saturdays featuring the work of other local designers. Since Union Station doesn't have a phone number, it's easy to follow her various activities and events by following her Instagram feeds @unionstationfw, @trvpartclothing, and @__patrickjunya.
The future looks bright for Trvp Art, with a full range including jumpers and sweatshirts, plus a first pair of jeans to be added to the range soon. However, the lateral pressure of the designer is also rapidly increasing. After recently performing at the Tulips, McGrew is gearing up for a tour at Sundance Square on February 18th. This self-professed sees his multifaceted career as the result of a typical millennial scam. And why not manage multiple tasks simultaneously in one central location to showcase your skills?
"Every day I think I have to choose and I don't know which way to go," she says of music and fashion. "I've worked out all my life and love both. Even if I had a record today and was on the road, I'm sure I'd still take the time to take off my shirt and come up with a new shoe color combination. I think nowadays today people take advantage of their opportunities and are not always dependent on one source of income.Union Station brings everything I do under one roof and combines what I think.
Union Station, 310 Main St., Fort Worth, is open Tuesday through Friday from 11:00 to 7:00 and Saturday and Sunday from 13:00 to 9:00.
