Dr. Brains -- Seattle Physician Hopes His Black Brains Clothing Line Turns A Logo Into A Legacy

It was a chi-chi holiday yacht party and Dr. Michael Greer was surrounded by people in designer clothes. But none wore the label of an African American.

Greer wondered what it would take for black designers to gain widespread fame in the fashion realm. Probably the same thing it would take to make historic black achievements universally recognized: exposure. Black Brains was born.

Black Brains, or BB, the clothing line Greer introduced two months ago, says "Use Your Brains" loud and proud. With BB, he aims to knock the fleece off Seattleites. (And you know we wear a lot of it.)

But don't try to claim the slogan. Greer owns it. He holds the copyright for the Black Brains and BB logos and the Use Your Brains slogan.

"I spent the past year and $35,000 just getting the legal work done and my trademark done," said Greer.

Make that doctor/model/designer Greer. The Seattle obstetrician/gynecologist, already a professional fashion model, has added a third job to his title: Black Brains CEO and designer.

BB takes hip-hop attire and adds intellect. Baby, you've got cool and you've got brains, too. He wants the BB logo and Use Your Brains slogan to be themes anybody can rally around.

"Education is so important and you invest so much into your kids," he said. "You want them to get the message: It's good to be smart. It counteracts the negative message of rap."

His clothing line has garnered support in divergent circles:

-- Nordstrom will feature Greer among the dozen designers displaying their wares at the downtown Nordstrom's Black History Month vendor fair Friday and Saturday.

-- The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) invites Greer to sell the clothes at UNCF events. Greer donates a portion of his sales to UNCF: "We support the kind of entrepreneurship that supports the positive development of African-American youth," said Kimi Rabun, UNCF's Seattle-area development director.

-- Derek Andrew Federman, the sportswear designer and businessman who raised Seattle's profile on the fashion map in the mid-'80s with his b.u.m. equipment line, encouraged Greer to target the youth market.

"They are always looking for something different," said Federman, who debuted his successful Derek Andrew sportswear collection five years ago.

Criticism in the medical community about his split medical and fashion career does not deter Greer. He's also heard grumblings about his knack for self-promotion. The flip side of that is a good head for business opportunities.

Adrienne Caver, director of Festival Sundiata, the African-American culture and arts celebration, applauds aggressive marketing of positive images. She chose Greer as a featured vendor at the annual Seattle Center festival last weekend.

"There are a lot of people making money off our community with their logos," Caver said. "Here's an opportunity for an African American to make some money for our community with his logo."

Since his first Eddie Bauer catalog shoot five years ago, Greer has done numerous Bon Marche and other local runway shows, appeared in Nordstrom ads around the nation and landed several national television commercials, including one currently airing for Dean Witter Investment. He knows the ranks of well-known black designers are thin. Greer promotes Black Brains both as a clothing line and as a source of pride. He sees potential for Black Brains to gain the broad name recognition that announces a designer has arrived.

The moderately priced line ranges from $16.95 for a cap to $95 for a fleece jacket - logo included. Besides oversized fleece shorts and jackets, Greer has also designed a line of T-shirts, executed by Seattle artist Kathryn Lewin. The colorful depictions showcase everyday African-American inventions, including the umbrella, invented by W.C. Clark in 1818, and the ironing board, invented by Sara Boone in 1887. (Greer has the patent numbers and dates to prove it.) He also designed a shirt in tribute to Rosa Parks' historic defiance of bus segregation. Greer sent the design to Parks and received permission from her attorney to use the design, and Parks may distribute it with her book and other merchandise.

Black Brains looks to be a family affair. Greer shares his Seattle ob/gyn practice with his radiologist wife, Dr. Pam Greer. The couple often take the clothing line on the road, to apparel trade shows and professional conventions. Last month at the National Brotherhood of Skiers gathering in Whistler, B.C., Greer sold comedian Tommy Davidson on the line. He performed in Black Brains clothes.

It has been an education for his two children as well. His daughter Alissa, a Howard University freshman, has switched her major from liberal arts to advertising and marketing, and his son Vaun, a freshman at Mercer Island High School, is considering fashion design.

"This way I can make a legacy for my family that was built on black intellect," Michael Greer said. "All of my friends who are really successful and wealthy, they all work for themselves, they don't work for other people."

Use Your Brains. Doctor's orders.