Editor’s Note: Welcome to In My Cart, a regular series in which we ask some of the coolest guys we know what they’ve recently acquired, are thinking about buying, or need to buy more of — but for whatever reason don’t have in hand just yet. This week, Rodney McLeod, safety for the Philadelphia Eagles and owner of boutique clothing store Back of House.
Rodney McLeod has deep roots in the DMV. Before entering the NFL, McLeod grew up in the DC-metro area and played football at DeMatha High School in Maryland. He went on to play for University of Virginia and the St. Louis Rams before becoming a starting safety for the Philadelphia Eagles. Outside of his NFL career, McLeod owns Back of House, a menswear shop in DC that offers a range of emerging and established streetwear brands.
“My love for fashion began as a teenager growing up in the DMV wearing the latest and most fashionable local brands such as Shooters, All Days and Bonidacci,” he said. “The DMV sense of style is unique yet noticeable — Back of House launched sharing a similar aesthetic.” Founded in November 2017, Back of House opened in the Pentagon City Mall with a fresh range of brands including Saints of Sins, Gentil Bandit, Rip N Repair and Kollar, among others. To better house its wears, the store is moving to a new location in 2019. But during the move, the store is hosting an “Under Construction” Pop Up Tour in a handful of major cities to release new collections and collaborations.
The pop-up events feature installations by streetwear brands like Glaus Angeles, Society Standard Clothing and Hamid Holloman & Dilo, along with live music and art. After a successful DC pop up in May, the next stop on the “Under Construction” Pop Up Tour is Thursday, June 6 in Philadelphia at Arrive University City. There will be a final event in July before NFL preseason games start in August.
And though McLeod has been on injured reserve since Week 3 of the 2018 season after undergoing MCL-repair surgery, he’s looking forward to the start of the 2019 season (in January the Eagles announced that it reworked McLeod’s contract to keep the defensive back in Philly for the year). “The day I run out of the tunnel at Lincoln Financial Field in front of thousands of Philly fans that bleed green will be surreal, but a moment I have dreamt of all year,” he said.
We recently caught up with McLeod before the Back of House Philly pop up to learn what he’s currently got his eye on. The products — vintage sunglasses, stretch denim, a Japanese backpack — reflect his strong personal style and the dynamic range of clothing carried at his store. But he says it best.
