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Harlem Inventor Creates Anti-Sag Device To Stop The Sag

By

Ben Yakas

Published Dec 16, 2010

Modified Dec 16, 2010

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Stop the sag! But don't forget to wear a shirt!

 

By

Ben Yakas

Published Dec 16, 2010

Modified Dec 16, 2010

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Earlier this year, Sen. Eric Adams started a "Stop the Sag" campaign, putting up billboards across Brooklyn encouraging teens to stop looking like fools with their pants on the ground. It was an unconventionally proactive advertising campaign, whose impact was hard to judge. But the sagging epidemic caught the attention of at least one Harlem inventor, who created a device to help regulate sag with mathematical precision.

Andrew Lewis, 43, of Hamilton Heights, has created a mashed-up device that is half garter belt, half suspenders, which regulate how low-slung your pants will sag. The "Subs" gadget fastens around the waist like a belt and is connected to expandable straps that clip onto the pants. Lewis told the News he was inspired by his neighborhood fashion trend: "Sagging is a huge issue in my community. I spent a lot of time observing and I noticed that even for saggers, there is a point which even they're not comfortable with how their jeans were falling." And it seems that many Harlem residents are all for a little more reasonable sagging, especially if they can maintain their swagger: "This is actually a good idea. You would be able to maintain the swag appearance without constant readjustment," said street vendor Kendu Howze.

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andrew lewis

harlem

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stop the sag

Ben Yakas

Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.

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