HYPEBEAST Magazine Issue 22: The Singularity Issue by Hypebeast

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PUBLISHER Kevin Ma EDITOR IN CHIEF Kevin Wong EDITOR Vanessa Lee DESIGN Ed O’Brien Design CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Mallory Chin Jason Dike Joanna Fu Akiharu Ichikawa Petar Kujundzic Hasse Lemola Arby Li Enrique Menendez Ben Roazen COPY EDITOR Peter Suh GUEST EDITOR Josh Davis Gavin Yeung ADVERTISING Wadnes Castelly Jamie Chan Crystal Choi Anthony Esponda Zoe Gauntlett Charles Gorra Kendall Hall Paul Le Fevre Fay Kwong Victoria Morris Huan Nguyen Josh Parker Ryan Pun Lily Richardson Jacqueline Ruggiero Alysia Sargent Tiff Shum Chad Steiner SPECIAL THANKS Sean Youngchul An Art Board Iwan Baan Vasily Babourov Bentu Design Haochang Cao Pauline Caputo Tyrone Chan Casting Automobile Paris Michael Martin Del Campo Alexandra Domecq

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Elliot Farquharson Moreno Gottardo Hannah Haines Jordan Hall Heison Ho Jon Jenkins Oscar Lee Will Lee Sean Leung Josie Li Lainya Magana Sander Manse OMA Artem Palchevskiy Jordan Potter David X. Prutting Kyle Reyes Guy Rusha Yoshimi Sanada Daisuke Sasaki Elisa Smilovitz Kosuke Sugimoto Ryohei Tomioka Alien Wang Nigel Zhang CONTACT magazine@hypebeast.com 12th Floor 10-16 Kwai Ting Road Kwai Chung Hong Kong +852 3563 9035 PRINTING Asia One Printing Limited In Hong Kong All Rights Reserved ISSN 977-230412500-0 13th Floor, Asia One Tower 8 Fung Yip Street Chai Wan, Hong Kong +852 2889 2320 enquiry@asiaone.com.hk HYPEBEAST.COM PUBLISHER 101 Media Lab Limited 2018 June © 2018 Hypebeast HYPEBEAST® is a registered trademark of 101 Media Lab, Ltd.

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distilled cooler for a smoother, cleaner taste

DIFFERENT BY DESIGN

DRINK RESPONSIBLY.

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HIGHLIGHTS

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GUILLERMO ANDRADE

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DOUBLET

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YOUR THOUGHTS ARE LO-RES

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HIROSHI FUJIWARA

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SHECK WES

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

IAN STRANGE

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BLONDEY MCCOY

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SANKUANZ

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ONLINE CERAMICS

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KIKO KOSTADINOV

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GUIDE

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Singularity

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EDITOR'S LET TER

HYPEBEAST 22

This freedom needs a lonely kind of courage that risks being misunderstood, or not understood at all. Yet the individuals in the following pages are what we call outcasts and anomalies in the best sense of the word, singular in their bodies of work, whether they be Blondey McCoy, who has mastered balancing upon the many edges of skating, designing, fine art and modeling, or Ian Strange, who makes us uncomfortable in places

Uncertainty is something that we know very well. The

which should offer the most comfort. Then there’s Hiroshi

moments after taking a test; bidding on a new house,

Fujiwara, who cultivated the world of streetwear simply

or to a lesser degree, on a pair of sneakers on eBay.

because there is no one else like him. These individuals

It’s a feeling that hits you in the stomach, and we hear

led themselves astray to arrive as complete strangers,

its official name more often than we probably should in

who don’t fit into any box or belong in any category, but

the world of politics. Xenophobia: defined as “the fear

just outside.

of the unknown, or anything that is strange or foreign.” Unlike all the other, often inconceivable, phobias out

The official definition of singularity is, yes, “singular”

there: somniphobia, the fear of sleeping, or nomophobia,

as in “the only one,” but Google will also show you a

short for “no-mobile-phone phobia,” the constant fear

black hole—which is, without a doubt, one of the best

of not having cell service, this one applies to everyone.

metaphors for “the unknown” science has to offer (so far). To us, both would be accurate.

It’s hard not to feel good when we’re in control, settled into our comfort zones. Losing control can be nervewracking. Yet it is also in this unchecked state that we’re

KEVIN WONG

afforded a certain sense of freedom: freedom to create

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

on our own terms, to forge new paths, to not only dive into the abyss of the unknown but to swim in it as well.

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BLACK COMME DES GARÇONS x NIKE

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COMME des GARÇONS continues its longstanding collaboration with Nike, this time introducing a sports-focused SS18 capsule under its BLACK COMME des GARÇONS offshoot. Consisting of monochromatic looks, the collection’s pieces have been expertly crafted with modern fabrics and functionality in mind. Injected with Rei Kawakubo’s striking vision and Nike’s technical prowess, the range finds a harmonious balance between sport and fashion with an added dose of exotic futurism. Shown here is the polka dot skirt and jacket along with the retro-styled Night Track sneakers composed of black patent leather and speckled laces, retailing for $382, $547 and $205 USD respectively.

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For those who favor unconventional décor items, Tokyo-based artist Kosuke Sugimoto has made a living turning vintage Nike sneakers into living, breathing, sculptural houseplants. Since 2016, Sugimoto, going by his moniker ShoeTree, has been creating these hybrid works of art through a deterioration process called hydrolysis, which requires approximately three years to take effect. Using rarities such as the Nike Air Jordan 12 and Nike Air Max Plus, featured here as the canvasses of his work, Sugimoto states he is inspired by “the sight of plant roots stretching across the ruins of collapsed moss-covered buildings.” The sneakers, which are part of Sugimoto’s “Justification of Deterioration” exhibition, can be purchased exclusively in Japan. Prices range from approximately $108 to $126 USD.

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SHOETREE NIKE AIR MAX PLUS & NIKE AIR JORDAN 12

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TAKASHI MURAKAMI x OFF-WHITE™ TOTE BAGS

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Frequent collaborators Virgil Abloh and Takashi Murakami have once again joined forces on a set of graphic-heavy bags. Each silhouette is emblazoned with Murakami’s ubiquitous flower motif and Mr. DOB design along with Off-White’s industrial signature and “X” logo, creating a perfect mix of the Japanese artist’s bold aesthetics with Abloh’s cult streetwear vibe. In addition, the bags feature both “FUTURE” and “HISTORY” branding wrapped in Abloh’s archetypal quotes on the sides. Constructed from real canvasses of Murakami paintings, each leather tote is unique in color and one-of-a-kind. 012

FUTURE CLASSIC shop.swatch.com

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Guillermo Andrade F O S T E R I N G FA S H I O N

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WORDS

PHOTOGRAPHY

KEVIN WONG

ALEXANDER BORTZ

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undocumented immigrant in LA, Guillermo’s path could have been pulled from a storybook titled The American Dream. He came to the U.S. from Guatemala with his family, where they had to adapt to the as-yet foreign LA culture, yet Guillermo’s own fondness for clothing made the aesthetics-obsessed LA vibe one of the easiest shocks to absorb. No matter what, when, how, where or why, Guillermo always dresses in his best. “I do not wear sandals or sweats even to clean my house, I get fully dressed.”

424. Three deceivingly simple digits. As the famous semiotician, Ferdinand de Saussure would posit, the red 424 is a symbol—behind which lies a plethora of ideas, perspectives and histories tied to a particular (sub)culture. For Guillermo Andrade, that band of red calls to mind the movements of an ever-changing fashion label which began simply as an address—albeit an address on the most legendary avenue in streetwear history. Now, as an expansive multi-room retail experience and the home of a full-fledged fashion brand, 424 is one of the first names that come to mind when we think of contemporary menswear. Located in the center of Fairfax, the FourTwoFour shop has remained consistent through the ebb and flow of the life-cycles of streetwear, due largely in part to how its founder managed to pivot with the landscape of men’s fashion. Starting simply as a place to anchor ideas and open dialogues with the community, Guillermo never sought to be the biggest retailer in LA. His aim has always been to start supporting young creatives, “I enjoy sharing my resources with the people I feel have something special and could really use the help." The self-proclaimed “perennially big brother,” to this day, doesn’t disappoint. One of the longest-standing names in streetwear, Guillermo has fostered several new and virtually unknown brands around Los Angeles since 2010 from within his store. Growing up as an

Now in 2018, the retail shop has extended further from the single storefront space on Fairfax into the building directly behind it, which serves as both a showroom space, and a place to showcase new brands. Guillermo’s own label, which started in 2014—also called 424—has progressed from a simple 424 armband to producing their own cut-and-sew blazers, trousers, denim jackets and more, all still championing the signature red accents. Though in actuality an LA transplant, Guillermo himself and 424 exemplify the "streetwear" mentality we speak about so often, solidifying his impact on Los Angeles culture. However, Guillermo has nothing to do with the city’s other side of Hollywood actors, ball players and attitudes preened by wealth and vanity. In that respect, he stays away from the city’s charms and looks instead to ignite conversations with his brick-and-mortar store and more recently, though his own clothing label – his latest collection touching on themes of surveillance, systemic power and police brutality, which strikes an especially-poignant chord with city locals. Coming up in streetwear during a time when colorful T-shirts and loud screen-printed graphics with bold text reigned supreme, his focus on genuine themes and socially relevant topics has helped his label continue to evolve, both in meaning and how it impacts our culture, as one of the few brands to successfully settle in the hardto-pinpoint space between street and luxury menswear. We made a visit to FourTwoFour to catch up with the man himself.

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“I'LL WEAR A RUNWAY RICK OWENS BL AZER WITH A WHITE TEE AND AF-1S. I DO NOT WEAR SANDALS OR SWEATS EVEN TO CLEAN MY HOUSE, I GET FULLY DRESSED.”

Q&A How would you describe your own style? This is always a tough question because it’s so hard to imagine how people see me, because I can’t see myself from an outside perspective. I will outline the things I like, you can take it from there. The color black is important to me, mixing the light and the dark. Vintage designer pieces with current underground streetwear or classic Americana workwear; I’ll wear a runway Rick Owens blazer with a white tee and AF1s. I do not wear sandals or sweats even to clean my house, I get fully dressed. I love to mix all my favorite aspects of fashion, no rules. What is 424 today? It’s a dream manifested. Always-evolving perpetual dream. Why did you feel the need to open the store in 2010? I really felt that it would be the only way to introduce

big part of the first collection. We had fun working

something new. Having a physical spot in the world

on that collection and learned a lot.

that I could anchor my ideas to. Develop a dialogue both with the community and with product.

The brand’s messages are so distinct, where are

What stories or messages were you trying to tell

I truly feel that if we are given a voice, we should

as a retailer from 2010-2015?

say something worth listening to.

they rooted?

The message is always to further our conversation as a whole, contributing to our scene and the global

Any personal experiences that motivated you?

community of young designers.

What are you looking to say at this moment in your brand?

Why did you decide to start your own brand?

Learning motivates me. Curiosity is the best teacher

The brand came because people kept coming into the

for me — trial and error.

shop saying, “G you gotta make some shit! I would cop!” After hearing that so many times, it really started

Moving to the U.S. as an undocumented citizen,

an itch inside of me. When Brad came to work with

how did you view American society? Has that

us, he brought with him this fuck it attitude—I had

changed with time?

always dreamed of making clothes and he lit that

I was young at the time, so all I understood then was

fire for sure. It was so motivating for me, he was a

that my parents were bringing me to America for a

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better life. Now I’ve traveled the world, my views on America continue to shift the more I learn about the world. I would describe it as a bipolar love affair. Why do you feel the need to tell these stories in the first place? I tell my story because I didn’t have someone telling it when I was younger. I’m an older brother so I have the responsibility to learn, pass on the information and whatever knowledge that we are not taught or privileged to. How does LA dictate your brand? My second childhood was all California, everything about it; I love it here. I’m based in Los Angeles. The spirit of this city is most definitely in the DNA of 424. But I am not from LA.

in Paris in our own showroom on top of Comme headquarters as an independent brand! I didn’t even know what Place Vendôme was back then.

On LA fashion: what is it nowadays, and does it have its own culture? Where does it land among

You’ve always been around in this industry, but

the fashion landscapes of the world?

more behind-the-scenes than in-your-face. Is that

We got LA. It’s not like any other place in the world.

on purpose? How has 424 lasted through time?

The double-edged sword of Hollywood, the gift and

We’re honest. I don’t come from fashion, or streetwear

the curse that anything can happen at any moment,

even. I used to be a kid who loved clothes and I’ve

is both amazing and tragic. The culture in LA is

been studying and learning endlessly. I’m trying to

beauty and fame at all costs. Balancing that and

aim for something different with 424 that can last a

trying to find your place in the world is not for the

long time even after I’m gone.

faint of heart. Then you have the massive presence of Latino people who live here just around the corner;

You talk about being a “big brother” not only to

it’s a different reality, “REAL LIFE” my people. The

your actual brothers, but other up-and-coming

place where I’m supposed to be at based on how I

brands. 424 is almost like an incubator in a way. Do you feel like this is your responsibility? Have

came to this country. AN IMMIGRANT.

you always been this way? I would say there’s lots of energy coming from LA

I enjoy the dialogue with younger people so much.

fashion because we are independent—or started that

The spirit, the motivation, that look in their eye when

way, at least—and we made some noise. The game

they know they are gonna kill it. I don’t feel the burden

changed after we all started to hit Paris, London,

of it because I enjoy sharing my resources with the

Copenhagen, Milan, etc. We went from trade shows

people I feel have something special and could really

in Vegas, to showing my collection at Place Vendôme

use the help. I can’t remember ever being different.

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Last summer you had your first show, why then? And what do you think about fashion shows in general & the conventional structure of high fashion? That was a rap concert. It was fun man, we did it to have fun. Much love to Wiz for being such a good collaborative partner and also Ruth Gruca for making sure we got to do whatever we wanted to. When we do have a real show, it’s gonna be in Paris. Just like anything else, you cannot hope to change it unless you completely understand it. At the moment I’m learning.

“I ENJOY DIALOGUE WITH YOUNGER PEOPLE SO MUCH. THE SPIRIT, THE MOTIVATION, THAT LOOK IN THEIR EYE WHEN THEY KNOW THEY ARE GOING TO KILL IT. ”

You seem to always stay true to who you are, how has this helped you & what you do? I do what I like. That makes it so I can always stand by my decisions and follow them passionately. It’s not always the best approach when you’re trying to make money, but over time you find a balance. Do you think it’s hard nowadays for people to know

As one of the first to bring luxury fashion to “street”

who they are, with all the media, tech and noise?

& youth, how does it feel to see where fashion is

Every person is different. While some get comfortable

at now?

in the routine of the digital simulations given to them,

I learned so much over the years. I had no idea

others use all of the new resources that technology

what real luxury was. Now that I have a better

has opened up and find their voice much quicker in

understanding, I find the mix very inspirational. I

life. I believe we really live in a time where anything

feel super blessed to be a part of the conversation.

is possible if you want it bad enough. And if you’re 9 years old, armed with an iPhone plus the collective

Where else will you be venturing into in your career?

knowledge of all mankind on Google… Well.

I’m landing in Munich now, just leaving Italy where

I feel that you have a really distinct ethos and set

get to come to Europe. Now I work here. Life is

I’ve been developing SS19. I never thought I would of principles, can you tell us a bit about some

hectic and you gotta keep at it. My career is going

rules you go by?

to continue to develop. I hope it takes me and my

My only rule would be to do what I feel. I have to

team many places.

feel it. Your own body is the ultimate guide to your own truth.

On a personal note I would like to go to space.

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Halfway There

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G AV I N Y E U N G

A K I H A R U I C H I K AWA

PHOTOGRAPHY

TRANSL ATION

YOSUKE DEMUKAI

REO TOMIOKA

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Colorful, military-inspired embroidery layered innumerably onto the back of an emerald-green hooded puffer jacket until it borders on abstract art; an oversized worsted wool blazer, awkwardly fastened with a single button, conversely exhibiting expert pattern-making in its construction; varsity lettering on a black tee that spells out “T-SHIRT” in tautological fashion, the letters simultaneously disintegrating into a tangle of unfinished threads beyond an invisible line that bisects its horizontal middle. They are glimpses as told in warp and weft of a brand of Americana that is seen through a hazy VCR image, expressions distorted via the fecund vision of a certain Masayuki Ino, founder of six-year-old streetwear label, doublet. Born in 1979, the same year as the debut of the Sony Walkman, Ino is, upon first glance, scruffy yet sensible, with a long, ponderous face and wispy, mid-length hair that lends him a whiff of artistic rebellion. A native of the mountainous Gunma prefecture, he graduated

from the Tokyo Mode Fashion Academy and joined avant-garde streetwear label MIHARAYASUHIRO as a footwear and accessories designer, where he would stay for the next seven years. “I thought they were really hard to make truly original, since [shoes and accessories] all look more or less the same,” says Ino of his artisanal scope at the time. “So, I decided to make new, ‘original’ clothes with my buddy. In the beginning, we had impeccably-produced, yet miserably-designed clothes. I was such a newb!” Instead, Ino tried his hand at his own accessory designs, creating artfully disheveled belts and bags from leftover pieces of leather sourced from a Tokyo belt factory. With the help of his friend, pattern-maker Takashi Murakami—not to be confused with the artist by the same name—Ino founded doublet in 2012, which almost immediately garnered critical acclaim when he was awarded the 2013 Tokyo New Designer Fashion Grand Prix. Citing influences from UNDERCOVER and Shinichiro Arakawa to Martin Margiela and Walter Van Beirendonck, Ino’s creations most often echo the consumerist optimism of the 1980s, with his skatewear and rave-inflected interpretations of that period’s dress rendered in satin, glossy plastic, washed-out denim and elaborate patchwork. Taking its name from a type of word puzzle invented by Lewis Carroll of Alice in Wonderland fame, the label is simultaneously unfocused yet hyperrealistic, training a hazy lens on that

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period of fashion and injecting an element of disruption into otherwise middle-of-the-road menswear staples. Corporate logos and slogans feature prominently in Ino’s work, harking back to a time of monolithic brands; as does splitting and stitching two disparate garments to form one piece, often held together with a dash of wordplay. This novel approach towards entropic fashion has won Ino admirers in the likes of Travis Scott, Kendall Jenner, Lil Uzi Vert and Ty Dolla $ign, alongside accolades including the 2017 Tokyo Fashion Award and most recently, as the lauded winner of the 2018 LVMH Prize, elevating the emerging label to the fore of the international fashion stage. With collaborations with 424 and Dover Street Market under Ino’s belt, doublet’s distribution counts 30 outlets within Japan alone, as well as international purveyors that include Barneys New York, 10 Corso Como in Milan and Seoul, and Lane Crawford in Hong Kong. Riding on this wave of recognition, we caught up with Ino at his home and atelier in Tokyo’s sleepy Tsutsujigaoka neighborhood to explore the roots of his eclectic style, the importance of humor, and how the future of doublet lies in his nostalgia for a time that’s neither here nor there.

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Q&A Could you tell us about yourself and how doublet came to be? I was attending Tokyo Mode Gakuen and wanted to be a designer. After I graduated I started a brand with Takashi Murakami, a pattern designer I used to work with before I left Mihara Yasuhiro. When I was working for Mihara, I wasn’t really involved with the clothing. I worked on stuff like shoes and accessories, which I thought were really hard to make truly original, since they all look more or less the same. So, I decided to make new, “original” clothes with my buddy who knows how to make clothes. In the beginning, we had impeccably-produced, yet miserably-designed clothes. I was such a newb (laughs).

“I WANTED A JOB THAT INVOLVES DRAWING. I WANTED TO BE A CARTOONIST AND DO MANGA OR MOVIES, BUT ALSO DIDN’T WANT TO BE DRAWING ALL THE TIME…”

The design concept was really unclear because I tried to incorporate too many elements into it. Since then, there have been many failures, a few successes—well, the things I thought were successful anyways. It was around when I began working with Murakami that I started to find my voice. After sticking to that for a while, here I am. What drove you to become a designer? I wanted a job that involves drawing. I wanted to be a cartoonist and do manga or movies, but also didn’t want to be drawing all the time (laughs). I didn’t know anything back then. I thought that a fashion designer would still get to draw without the constant grind. I just thought, it’s perfect, I won’t be drawing the whole day—just a few sketches and I’m done! Now that the label has a clear identity, it seems that the designs are drawing from many different influences. Four seasons after doublet launched, I came across a manufacturer that also does embroidery—I still work with them now. It’s a shop in Kagawa, and they’re really

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It really goes back to watching a lot of movies. Like, I was never really good at skating, but getting inspired by watching movies like Kids, and then being blown away by something like [Japanese series] Saraba Seishuin no Hikari—these elements came together for me in a very organic way. Even then, I was putting skateboard stickers on my jackets. Like a mashup. Exactly. For me to mix these elements together, I’ve experienced them together. I was probably wearing that stuff at that time. Like wearing a coat over a studded down to try things that haven’t been done before. The

biker jacket.

concept of that season was “halfway.” I wanted the A coat on top of a biker jacket?

embroidery to be half-finished. So when I told them I wanted threads hanging from their work, they were

And super tight, ripped jeans with a pair of Dr. Martens — bringing all of those things into a single season.

like, “You’ll break the machine if you do that!” What I wanted was too extreme, so we tried it little by little, and it worked out. After that, we tried out more new

I was pretty into reviving the late ‘90s and early 2000s.

ideas and it just took off from there. That collection

Now it’s kind of changed, and what’s nostalgic to me

wouldn’t have seen the light of day if we’d gone to

now are my memories from when I was little in the

a different manufacturer. Working with them was

late ‘80s. Like, taking [Japanese cartoon character]

definitely a turning point for the label. Designs can’t

Noppo-san as inspiration, or rajio taisō [popular

be brought to life via just one person. It’s created with

aerobics program broadcasted on TV and radio in

the help of other people and many other things in the

Japan]—which look silly today—but could be great

mix. I got lucky.

if we use it now.

Were there any changes that came from your

For better or worse, by using your own experiences,

experiments?

right?

Back in the day, Japan was all about normcore. Things

I mean, the kind of humor I’m talking about isn’t forced

that we made seemed like overkill back then. Now it’s

in any way. It’s something that I actually experienced,

different. It’s not really about following trends or just

which is why I’m comfortable playing around with

buying stuff that’s easy to digest anymore. It’s more

these concepts. You can honestly just have fun with it.

about doing what you want to do, then confidently saying “this is cool, right?” instead of always asking,

What do you feel when you see people wearing your clothes?

“how does it look?”

Happy. I was tagged yesterday by a Chinese girl who You mentioned that you’ve been exposed to many

bought the rajio taisō clothes and I ran into her in

different subcultures—can you tell us more about

real life! I really should’ve said hi, but didn’t want to

this?

interrupt her with her boyfriend…

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“EVEN THOUGH I DRAW FROM MY MEMORIES IN JAPAN, I TRY TO THINK OF THINGS THAT REL ATE TO THE WORLD IN GENERAL, AND THAT’S WHY I TRY TO BE CONSCIOUS OF NOT HAVING THE FINAL PRODUCT JUST END UP SATISFYING MYSELF.”

Social media has created a lot of fashion icons, some of whom have worn your clothes. Who was the first person who made you think like, “This is it!”? The first was Ty Dolla $ign. He was the first one to put my work on social media. I was like, “Is this for real?” Ever since then, I would see my work here and there. I’m wearing wide pants now—these are like, 40 inches. I heard from Takamura-san that you altered a pair of your own pants when you thought they were uncomfortable being too wide. Functionality seems to play a much bigger role in fashion than before. What does functionality mean to you? Functionality is so important. But if we put too much emphasis on function, only companies with the most advanced tech would get any attention. I’d rather make better analog products and work on it with my friends who have supported me all the way to now. This is what function means to me. I’m an awkward guy (laughs). We can make functional garments without a ton of technology if we really think about it. I recently used this holographic fabric that changes depending on what angle you look at it from. And I think there’s just something so analog about it. Maison Martin Margiela used something like that recently but their fabric is crazy advanced. But you know, we can achieve the same effect—just gotta work a little harder. When I used a hologram print in the LVMH Prize competition earlier this year, Haider Ackermann said to me, “This would make Galliano [who used a similar fabric in Margiela SS18] jealous.” Maybe that should have been off-the-record. But it really is the best compliment you can get, isn’t it?

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JACKET, PANTS: EX INFINITAS SHIRT: Y/PROJECT PANTS: LÄ&#x2019;O COAT: UNIQLO

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SHIRT: Y/PROJECT

JACKET: LĒO SHORTS: VINTAGE COMME DES GARÇONS

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PANTS: Y/PROJECT SHORTS: COMMUN’S JACKET: Y/PROJECT SHORTS: ADIDAS SHOES: FILA X BLEU MODE DRESS: Y/PROJECT DRESS: BORIS BIDJAN SABERI JACKET: COMMUN’S PANTS: LANVIN JUMPER: MAISON MARGIELA SHIRT: Y/PROJECT COAT: LĒO

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SCARF: VINTAGE CHRISTIAN DIOR JACKET: GIVENCHY PANTS: GUNTAS SHOES: FILA X BLEU MODE JACKET: CALVIN KLEIN SHOES: CONVERSE DRESS: NEITH NEYER SHIRT: OFF-WHITE PANTS: AFTERHOMEWORK SHOES: OFF-WHITE T-SHIRT: LĒO, ADIDAS PANTS: AINUR TURISBEK SHOES: AALTO TOP: Y/PROJECT JEANS: OFF-WHITE SHOES: FILA X BLEU MODE SHORTS: EX INFINITAS SHOES: CONVERSE JACKET: DIOR HOMME SHORTS: AMI SHOES: CONVERSE TOP: LĒO PANTS: SANDRA KPODONOU SHOES: OFF-WHITE JUMPER: SANDRA KPODONOU PANTS: DIOR HOMME SHOES: MAISON MARGIELA BODYSUIT: GUNTAS X NEW BALANCE PANTS: AINUR TURISBEK SHOES: Y/PROJECT

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TOP: ADIDAS X ALEXANDER WANG PANTS: Y/PROJECT SHOES: MODELâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S OWN

COAT: NEITH NYER SHOES: KENZO

T-SHIRT: ADIDAS

JACKET: LÄ&#x2019;O SOCKS: FILA SHORTS, SHOES: ADIDAS

CAP: MUET TOP: MAISON MARGIELA PANTS, SHOES: ADIDAS

PANTS: DIOR SHOES: VANS

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JUMPER: Y/PROJECT PANTS: AALTO SHOES: KENZO DRESS: MAISON MARGIELA PANTS: AFTERHOMEWORK SHOES: OFF-WHITE JACKET: LE STUDIO PIERRE PANTS (BOTH): VINTAGE ADIDAS, SANDRA KPODONOU SHOES: CONVERSE JACKET: MARINE SERRE DRESS: Y/PROJECT SHOES: MAISON MARGIELA HOODIE: LANVIN T-SHIRT: ADIDAS JACKET: AALTO PANTS: ADIDAS SHOES: CONVERSE JUMPSUIT: SANDRA KPODONOU SHIRT: ADIDAS

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FULL LOOK: OFF-WHITE

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JEANS: Y/PROJECT BALENCIAGA LUTZ HUELLE OFF-WHITE MAISON MARGIELA OTTOLINGER LEVIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SANDRA KPODONOU OFF-WHITE

SHOES: FILA X BLEU MODE CONVERSE REEBOK FILA X BLEU MODE OFF-WHITE CONVERSE VANS CONVERSE FILA X BLEU MODE

JACKET: SANDRA KPODONOU JEANS: Y/PROJECT SHOES: FILA X BLEU MODE JACKET: EX INFINITAS JEANS: OFF-WHITE SHOES: FILA X BLEU MODE JACKET: Y/PROJECT JEANS: OFF-WHITE SHOES: FILA X BLEU MODE

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JEANS: OFF-WHITE SHOES: FILA X BLEU MODE

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SHIRT: WILLY CHAVARRIA TANK, BELT: LINDER

LO OKS

Fabien Montique PHOTOGRAPHY

Vanille VerloÃ«s ST YLING

SOMALIA BARRO

ST YLING ASSISTANTS

AND LUCA OLIVERI

WILLIAM ROMEO PRODUCTION

PRODUCTION

PRODUCER

ADRIEN WILLIAM ROMEO SAGNIER

CLEMENT MOISAN

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

PIERRE PODEVYN

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

NICOL AS BIANCIOTTO

CASTING

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Hiroshi Fujiwara is Still a Rebel

WORDS

J O S H D AV I S PHOTOGRAPHY

KO T S U C H I YA INTERVIEW

VA N E S S A L E E

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The year is 1982. Michael Jackson has just released his sixth studio album—an unprecedented combination of funk and disco called Thriller. The boxy Cadillac Seville is the pinnacle of luxury. Teenagers, donning studded leather jackets and spiked neon hair, scowl while drinking beer on King’s Road in Chelsea. No one owns a smartphone. And an 18-year-old Hiroshi Fujiwara, still an art school student in Tokyo, has just landed in London—wide-eyed, sponge-like, and alone. Although he only stayed for two months, this initial visit would inform the entirety of his cultural perspective. Which is to say, really, that two months in London— and later, a month in New York City—would shape the direction of streetwear forever. That’s because everyone from NIGO to Virgil Abloh has been influenced by Fujiwara’s unique set of principles. So yes, there is a reason he’s referred to as the “Godfather of Streetwear,” and no, there wouldn’t be an Off-White without him.

But even more striking is that the throughline of sharing from early ‘80s London followed Fujiwara, and thus streetwear, to the modern day. After all, what’s a collaboration if not, at its core, a fancy term for sharing? Streetwear is inherently based on the very idea: sharing logos, sharing favorite color palettes; two entities borrowing from each other to create a whole. And the first Japanese streetwear brands adopted this principle in full. After his time abroad, Fujiwara returned to Tokyo with the culture of sharing as his souvenir. He brought Japan its first hip-hop vinyls from New York City and began scratching and mixing around local clubs. This was a new technique, and until then, venues had provided DJs with records. He was the first person in Japan to represent the International Stussy Tribe—a brand revered, at the time, for its combination of hip-hop, reggae, skate and surf culture. In 1987, he started documenting these interests in the “Last Orgy” column for Takarajima magazine, the title referring to its wide-spanning coverage of punk rock, hip-hop, skateboarding and high fashion. A new generation of young Japanese cool kids religiously followed the column. Particularly, there was Tomoaki Nagao, whose friends nicknamed him NIGO (“number two”) for his allegiance to Fujiwara.

Sitting in the low-profile area of Shirokane, Tokyo, Fujiwara says that “a lifestyle” was the greatest thing he brought back from his teenage travels. “We didn’t really have share culture in Tokyo,” he recalls. By “share culture,” Fujiwara is referring to the communal ideals in 1982 London. At the time, the city was still reckoning with the punk music revolution of the late 1970s. His circle was a crew of designers, students and wanderers. They shared rooms, music—reggae and post-punk—and most importantly, they made it okay to share ideas. It would be daft to ignore the influence of Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, who Fujiwara met back in Tokyo, or even iconic designer Vivienne Westwood— then both figureheads in London—on Fujiwara’s approach. While McLaren managed the seminal punk band, Westwood, his girlfriend and partner at the time, translated the same aesthetics across her own garments. “Punk was one of the first things that I really loved,” Fujiwara reflects fondly. “The idea of rebellion, or being anti-something—that energy is really iconic.” This influence lives across many dimensions in Fujiwara’s world: Anarchy Forever, Forever Anarchy—his former label with fellow Urahara alum Jun Takahashi; GOODENOUGH, his first-ever solo label; his penchant for plaid shirts and bomber jackets with uniform experiment.

It’s likely that if you’re reading this, you know that Fujiwara and NIGO have collaborated on countless occasions. The same goes for UNDERCOVER’s Jun Takahashi—also a prominent alumni of their generation. In 1993, NIGO and Takahashi even opened a store, NOWHERE, which, amongst other things, carried GOODENOUGH. Fujiwara himself confesses that he doesn’t know the number of collaborations he’s helmed. But he can tell you where it started. “As a student in the early 90s,” he recalls, “I always had a Porter bag. I wanted to make a GOODENOUGH-branded one—but then I thought, ‘Why not ask Porter to make a bag for us?’ I asked [the Yoshida family] and they said ‘OK.’ I think that was the first collaboration I did.”

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And so the modern collaboration was born. To Fujiwara, the idea of making things together was revolutionary: “If I see something really good, why should I make a copy?” he asks. “I’ll just ask them to make whichever item I like. I’ll change the accents.” The thing is that capitalism thrives on competition. If one person makes something, making it better—and charging more for it—is fair game. But Fujiwara stands in direct contradiction. He doesn’t purport to have a certain expertise. He’ll just borrow yours. This philosophy is, obviously, ripe for brands looking to create something fresh. Among them, Nike (HTM), Levi’s (Fenom) and Burton (AK457) have all added some Fujiwara to their formula—with a ton of ensuing hype. But it’s his current project that has literally set the precedent for creative outfits (and individuals) everywhere: fragment design. With GOODENOUGH, Fujiwara grew weary of dealing with the politics of owning a large company— all that hiring, egos and weighty responsibility can get uncomfortable. So instead, he took the ‘lightning’ logo from one of his earlier companies, Electric Cottage, and founded a much smaller creative endeavor. He named it by randomly scouring the dictionary. Defining fragment design isn’t easy. Is it a branding exercise? Is it a design language? Is just it a highly-stylized ‘s’ and ‘n’? To this writer’s understanding, it’s the official stamp of a one-man marching band. More specifically, it’s Hiroshi’s daily proof that taste will always shape the trend. For the sake of brevity, we’ll skip fragment’s list of collaborations. Let’s just say that it’s been tasked with everything from repackaging cold-pressed juice (Butcher’s Daughter) to relaunching Nike’s Sock Dart sneaker— which previously hadn’t been seen for a decade. There have been projects with Louis Vuitton, Range Rover and Starbucks. That’s right, fragment designed a car. Yet despite fragment’s success, its staff size is incomprehensible. To take the curtain off Oz, there are three people involved. There’s an accounting assistant, a managing assistant, and Fujiwara. The man himself refers to fragment design as a “solo creative agency.” But Fujiwara makes it abundantly clear: fragment design is not a brand. To be fair, he never called it one. His

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“PUNK WAS ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT I REALLY LOVED. THE IDEA OF REBELLION, OR BEING ANTISOMETHING— THAT ENERGY IS REALLY ICONIC.” creative process is similarly straightforward: “I just go into [a company’s] offices. I go by myself and talk.” No pitch. No keynote. That’s clout—in the purest sense of the word. But now over 36 years in the game, street fashion has grown beyond Fujiwara’s realm of influence. His influence spawned a generation of followers—who then grew up to influence their own followers. Now all of a sudden, it feels like brands are making collaborations—but no one’s actually collaborating. “I think some brands are greedy,” notes Fujiwara. “They want to make everything possible. That’s not a mentality I have.” He points to his first interaction with denim in the ‘80s: when the only classic labels were available: Levi’s, Wrangler, Lee. Now, he says, every designer brand makes denim—not to mention the new wave of specialists and directto-consumer labels. Fujiwara has long, albeit quietly, observed the dilution of streetwear. “It used to be that small things can stay underground if they wanted to. It took a long time for labels to get on people’s radars. Now, underground culture can’t stay underground. It’s not good or bad,” he says matter-of-factly. “It’s what we have now.” They say you’re old when you recall the past more fondly than the present. And for someone like Fujiwara, ageless and in constant pursuit of reinvention, “old” isn’t really conceivable. Instead, it seems like his brand of rebellion only gets more sophisticated. “Everyone’s

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“IF I SEE SOMETHING REALLY GOOD WHY SHOULD I MAKE A COPY?” HE ASKS. “I’LL JUST ASK THEM TO MAKE WHICHEVER ITEM I LIKE. I’LL CHANGE THE ACCENTS.”

using digital, so use analog,” he mentions, gesturing to our photographer. “When analog gets big, go back to digital.” The punk is still very much alive in Fujiwara. There are always paradigms begging to be flipped. This mentality informs his latest project with Moncler: the Genius Project Collection. Fujiwara is one of eight designers to be given carte blanche to reimagine Moncler’s signature down jacket in as many forms as desired. In an effort to subvert fashion week timelines, which are increasingly proving themselves an antiquated notion, Moncler will instead release the collections sporadically throughout 2018. Designed also by the likes of Craig Green, Simone Rocha and Valentino Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli, each drop is meant to appeal to the spectrum of Moncler’s ever-changing fan base. Indeed, subversiveness runs strong through Fujiwara’s Moncler collection. How could it not? The opportunity to reimagine a heritage piece is one of the last great pleasures for someone of his caliber. “I’ve never done a luxury winter clothes brand before,” he says, also mentioning that he strives to strike a balance between high-end and street fashion. Unlike the other offerings, which humble the iconic Moncler silhouette by morphing it into impossible, obtuse forms, Fujiwara’s capsule stands out for its practicality. Aside from some bold matte colorways of the traditional bubble coat, Fujiwara sidestepped the jacket to insert his own identity. “I wanted to bring something from my archives and fit

it to Moncler,” he says. Thus, flannel-puffer hybrid jackets, upcycled bubble tote bags, and field jackets round out the selection. Where other parts of the Genius Project Collection were, if anything, guilty of over-design, Fujiwara’s offering is compelling because you can actually wear it. And yet, the story of Hiroshi Fujiwara is the story of streetwear. It’s incredibly ironic, though. This universe, the one that HYPEBEAST operates within, was borne from a community steeped in one man’s niche interests. The brands he wrote about in his magazine column are the same ones that have sought his approval. The music he liked is romanticized, secondhand inspiration for new brands. How do you deal with that kind of perspective? Is Hiroshi Fujiwara fashion’s very own Dr. Manhattan—experiencing time with such profound ambivalence, that it’s beyond our mortal comprehension? “I’m always looking for something new,” he says, entertained in his wise way. “Or even old—like a revival.” When asked about the last time he saw something inspiring, he mentions some surprisingly familiar names: the Louis Vuitton x Supreme collaboration, A-COLD-WALL* by Samuel Ross, Off-White. And really, Virgil Abloh’s own personal brand operates very similar to Fujiwara’s own M.O.: from plastic bags to IKEA tables, no brand is worth its salt without some object cosigned by quotation marks. A revival indeed.

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SHECK GOES EAST TO WEST SHECK WES WORDS

STEPHANIE S M I T H -S T R I C K L A N D

PHOTOGRAPHY

LIAM MACRAE

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Summer in Harlem: a lethargic breeze drops hip-hop beats, scattering them up and down winding avenues and narrow streets, past vendors hawking slices of green mango with chili powder and the staccato of dribbling basketballs on concrete courts. On front stoops young men hold court, sweet-talking pretty girls who walk by and perfecting the art of shit-talking, as only New Yorkers can. For Kahdimoul Rassoul Sheck Fall, this is home, and the epicenter of an identity that spans the globe. “Harlem is the place that got me in all the trouble that sent me off to Senegal,” he admits without regret. “When I was a kid and I had to go back and forth between Milwaukee and New York, Harlem was like paradise. I could do whatever I wanted and my parents would never know. When you go to school there and you don’t have a good relationship with your parents and you’re alone a lot, New York is the type of place where anything can happen.” Fortunately for the 19-year-old baller-turned-modelturned-rapper, that “anything” ended up being a joint record deal with Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music and

Travis Scott’s label, Cactus Jack. In a world where technicolor new-age rap dominates the mainstream, success can feel relative to one’s proximity to youth. From the warp-speed movement of Instagram to the simmering digital haze of SoundCloud, it is those who are able to capture definitive-yet-fleeting, yet still authentic, moments of the zeitgeist who seem to resonate. Sheck’s breakout single “Mo Bamba”—a dedication to his former basketball colleague and current NBA prospect, Mohamed Bamba — checks all of the boxes. Minimalist swaggering rhythms buoy Sheck’s bass-filled bars, which ultimately pay homage to excess. “Balling like my nigga Mo,” the rapper proclaims on the hook —an Instagram caption delivered under the guise of 16 bars... It’s exactly the kind of snackable content his generation loves. We speak over the phone late on a Saturday night. Sheck is in the midst of a studio session —he tells me that he is learning to mix and master his own songs ahead of his debut studio album, Mudboy. “Musically right now, I’m kind of mysterious because I don’t have a body of work out yet,” he explains. The

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“I’M ALWAYS BEING MYSELF— I THINK THAT’S WHAT MAKES ME DIFFERENT. I COME FROM NEW YORK, WHERE YOU HAVE PERSONAL LOVE WITH YOURSELF AND WITH YOUR PEOPLE.”

The child of two Senegalese immigrants, Sheck’s parents settled in New York before his birth. When he was still very young, Sheck’s mother purchased a storefront and relocated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she opened a hair braiding shop specializing in African styles. Sheck’s father stayed in Harlem. According to the rapper, the choice was partly one of necessity. Harlem was an unfamiliar world, and the increasing incidents of violence his parents witnessed made Milwaukee feel idyllic by comparison. As a result, a young Sheck split his time between the two vastly different cities. In Milwaukee, he was a gregarious and popular school kid with a penchant for getting into trouble.

album will be his first true introduction to the world, and an opportunity to display a sense of musical mastery that points to his ability to last through a notoriously fickle industry. “My music is not going to be something that people are hearing right now—it’s going to be an extension of me. I think people think I’m interesting because they’re not used to a person who played ball, who modeled and did all that. It’s exciting because I know I mean something to a lot of kids and a lot of people I meet. It makes you feel important to know you’re important in someone else’s life,” Sheck finishes thoughtfully, before we hear him calling for the whereabouts of a Backwoods to someone else in the studio with him. Having a still-limited discography and very few interviews on the record isn’t a disadvantage in his eyes, but rather an opportunity to take control of his own narrative. Because not much is known about Sheck, it only amplifies the mythos he has cultivated by merely being himself.

“I always loved rhythm and loved making rhythm. From like 6 or 7 I used to bang on desks and make rhythms with my hands. Any teacher or principal I’ve had, you can ask them what I got in trouble for the most — it was banging on my desk. I just loved creating. I’m from the hood, a lot of things I couldn’t get so I had to create them. That’s why I always say the best creatives come from the hood because they had nothing to create with, so you find things. I grew up learning how to do things by myself.” Overextended holidays and summer breaks, a new reality awaited Sheck in Harlem—one with limited supervision and endless opportunities to experience life on his own terms. “I was always around older guys,” Sheck shares. Even in Milwaukee he established a sense of autonomy by assimilating into circles far beyond his age. When he was only 9 years old, the sneaker store a few doors down from his mother’s shop became a frequent haunt and home away from home throughout his early adolescence. Sheck would sometimes run errands for the owner, who, as a former DJ, also happened to be

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“MUDBOY IS BASICALLY THE STATE RIGHT BEFORE MAN. BEING A MUDBOY DOESN’T COME WITH AGE. SOME GUYS COULD BE 36-YEARS-OLD AND FINALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT LIFE IS AND HOW TO GET IT RIGHT.”

a well-known name in Milwaukee’s music scene. The shop would also occasionally sell bootleg CDs, so the sound of new and old hip-hop was a constant, as was the unfiltered conversations of the older men, who included Sheck in their circle despite his age.

corresponded with school, so I was still making music, freestyling with my teammates and shit, but basketball was first.” The encouragement of a middle school teacher who moonlighted in a band also drove Sheck to explore songwriting more seriously. Right before his freshman year of high school, he left Milwaukee “As a kid I was alone a lot and very curious. From 9 permanently and moved back to Harlem where he was through 11 years old, I just decided I wanted to be a promptly scouted by a modeling agent. rapper. I started writing in my notebook and listening to old school raps a lot.” One of Sheck’s first memories “When I was 16 I started modeling,” he said. “I stopped of being struck by a beat was via Oakland rapper Too when I was 17, but you know, I could still model now. $hort’s 1987 breakout single, “Freaky Tales,” which he My whole life people have been telling me I should heard for the first time in the sneaker store. Subject matter model, but my mom wouldn’t let me. When I got aside, the young Sheck — a nickname bestowed on him old enough I just made my own decision. I was riding by his family — was taken by the song’s audacious nature the train back from my sister’s graduation and I got and the distinctly West Coast-flavored instrumentals. scouted. I signed that week and started doing shows.” By the age of 11, he was making his own music, which — in the early days took inspiration from Kid Cudi — he even briefly adopted the moniker Kid Khadi. Simultaneously, he was also discovering a passion for basketball. He spent summers hooping in the parks of New York, and played for his school team in Milwaukee. “When I was 13 I started playing basketball more seriously—that

As modeling took off, so did basketball. Ironically, it was the YEEZY presentations that ultimately forced him to choose if he would pursue a future in music and fashion, or one that was potentially bound for the league. “I was supposed to go to a fitting for YEEZY Season 2, but my school had just started this new rule that you had to have 90 percent attendance to play

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ball, so I skipped [the show]. That same year YEEZY Season 3 happened, and I was in the show. My school had a semifinal game that day so I just had to decide if I was going to go to Madison Square Garden with my team playing ball, or if I was going to do the show.” Sheck chose the show, irreparably damaging his relationship with his basketball coach who had fought for his transfer just a year before. “I never thought it would be real,” he confessed. “I was just wilin’, I was modeling—my mom didn’t know I was modeling. I wasn’t going to school, I wasn’t playing ball no more. I was just on some fuck everybody shit.” Yet during this time he cemented longstanding relationships with neighborhood friends like Virgil collaborator Kerwin Frost of the Spaghetti Boys collective, which led to friendships with SoHo’s crop of Instagram-famous fashion kids—he counts Asspizza, whom he met by chance, as a close friend to this day. While he was having fun, his mother was at the end of her rope. In the middle of the school year, she sent him back to Senegal under the guise of a short vacation. His older brother, whom he finally met for the first time when he arrived, held onto his passport at their mother’s request; he also refused to give it back for the same reason. “I turned 18 in Senegal. I talk about Africa like I was there forever but I was only there for

four months—100 days. By the end of my trip I fell in love with the place, but at first I hated it.” In the beginning he rebelled, staying a few nights with a friend who traveled between Dakar and New York to make an embassy visit. When he attempted to get a new passport he was met with disappointment, since he was only 17 at the time and required a guardian. “I was supposed to stay there for two years. Senegal was really the time that turned me into a man,” he reflects. “I started to understand what I need to go hard for.” It was an opportunity to slow down, to reconnect with his culture and to meditate on the future. Mudboy, the title of his forthcoming album reflects this. “Mudboy is basically the state right before man. Being a mudboy doesn’t come with age. Some guys could be 36 years old and finally understand what life is and how to get it right. I feel like me coming back from Africa and starting my whole career back right on the right foot is the definition of mudboy and the state I’m in — the state right before man, right before life. I’m in the middle of an evolution.” What that evolution means to his future, is something Sheck doesn’t seem interested in giving too much thought to. “I’m just going to continue to be me. That’s what people respect and that’s what I’ll keep doing. I’ve never been anybody but myself, and it got me here.”

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PHOTOGRAPHY

BEN CLEMENT WORDS

ENRIQUE MENENDEZ

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Places of Our Own

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his own desire to escape the suburbs and eventually question the societal notion of home and hearth. This intrigue led to Strange’s first venture into new territory, which landed him extremely close to home, if home does indeed lie where the heart is. The 2011 work, appropriately titled HOME, featured a full-scale replica of his childhood house reconstructed from adolescent memories. But what began as a very personal investigation, quickly grew into a new body of work that takes on the wider meaning of home. Strange’s next large-scale work, SUBURBAN, 2011-13, took him on a tour across middle America, working with teams to film and photograph seven site-specific Many would be surprised to find that

interventions of suburban houses. The task of finding

multidisciplinary conceptual artist Ian Strange did not

homes to feature proved incredibly difficult at first, often

have a troubled childhood. “People ask me why I hate

including city council negotiations and appearances

suburbia and how bad my upbringing was, but I didn’t

at town hall meetings. But with time, experience and a

have a particularly terrible upbringing,” he says. It isn’t

growing portfolio of work to show, Strange has become

difficult to see why those familiar with his work would

increasingly adept at locking down locations and garnering

jump to conclusions; his portfolio includes photographs

support from the surrounding neighborhood. “Now

of full-scale houses marked with red X’s, painted over in

I don’t have to turn up like some sort of The Simpsons

black paint, and—in one instance—completely engulfed

monorail salesman,” he said laughingly.

in flames. The interactions and relationships Strange built with As a Perth native, Strange shared the very common

the communities he visited, along with the communities

and—depending on who you ask—slightly dubious

themselves, became integral to inform the final product.

honor of growing up in the largest suburban town in

“I’m really conscious when I work in communities that

the mining state of Western Australia. Among rows and

we’re very sensitive to the local area and that we’re

rows of cookie-cutter homes, he faced a reality which

working where we are welcomed,” he said firmly. The

drove troves of youth to metropolitan cities like New

support of the local community was particularly important

York City and Berlin. Unsurprisingly, Strange himself

for SUBURBAN’s finale, where Strange burnt a house

moved to New York City and found success as a street

down. The final display of the venture features five still

artist in Brooklyn. By 2010, he began exploring the

photographs and a film on a 15-minute loop of the house

ideas that have permeated his work for the last decade:

up in flames. Achieving the final shots took two years

a confrontation of suburbia and what exactly constitutes

of negotiating with a local fire department in Ohio, the

the idea of “home.” Ian’s time in one of the “biggest and

environmental protection agency, city approvals and a

dirtiest cities” led him to, ironically enough, reexamine

team of 40-strong.

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“IT’S THIS FUNDAMENTAL IDEA OF SHELTER, FAMILY COMMUNIT Y, NOSTALGIA: ALL THESE THINGS BUILT INTO ONE SIMPLE, ICONIC IMAGE.”

Through a constant reckoning with the idea of home and its instability, Strange exposes an illusion—or rather disillusion-of—the idea of comfort that resonates with onlookers. “There’s a real impact when you pull the rug out from under people and subvert the core fundamental ideas that sit inside the home,” he says. “Digging down into why that reaction is so visceral is really interesting,” he adds. A large driver of that visceral reaction, Strange explains, is the universality of how we conceive of home. The artist offers the example of a kid who grew up in an apartment complex and is asked to draw where they live. “They draw this square with a triangle on top as well,” he says. For this reason, Strange is careful to work with

“The whole thing was so chaotic. It had snowed just

houses that look and feel like any family home, as he

before—right up until that moment the wind was just

works with the idea of home as a universally-recognized

blowing smoke and you couldn’t see the house. And

symbol that’s more than just a place we hang our hats.

then right at this moment the smoke evaporates and this

There’s a common thread between how we visualize

giant tornado of fire started spinning off the edge of the

home and how it makes us feel—“it’s this fundamental

roof and across the left. Then there was this perfectly-lit

idea of shelter, family community, nostalgia: all these

fire and the whole thing was engulfed,” he recalls of the

things built into one simple, iconic image.” Ian explains,

scene that literally stopped traffic. “I looked behind me

“It’s just as important that the audience brings their

and there were hundreds of people there.”

understanding of home and specific backgrounds to the work.”

Strange’s creations are often jarring, capable of captivating mass audiences as his images of a house in flames or

On that groundwork, Strange’s work adopts a strong

marked with a large “X” disturb our concept of home

relationship with its location and context. LANDED,

as a safe, untouchable place. “I think [the idea of home

2014 was a site-specific work commissioned for the

is] something that’s incredibly vulnerable and in flux

2014 Biennial of Australian Art that raises questions

and I like to question the permanence of it,” Strange

concerning the dark underside of Australian society.

explains. And we can argue that there’s no better time

The installation features a deserted house that appears

to question it, as housing prices soar and the dream of

to have been dropped from the sky and smashed into

homeownership remains just that—a dream—for an

the floor à la The Wizard of Oz.

entire generation of young people. The permanence, safety and comfort we often associate with a place like

“It was definitely a reference to The Wizard of Oz and

home feel archaic, arbitrary even, when we examine

because it was made in Australia, particularly poignant,”

the unpromising situations facing many wannabe-

Strange says, adding that suburbia in Australia often raises

homeowners today.

conversations concerning how the country has treated

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FUKUSHIMA (STUDY FOR HOLD OUT) CHARCOAL ON PAPER 2016

its indigenous population, where progress and assertion of land and civil rights for the indigenous population only began to make headway in the 1960s. “Home” in this context, takes on a whole other meaning in terms of inclusion, belonging and citizenship. “In the Australian desert, houses literally look like they've fallen out of the sky,” Ian says thoughtfully. He describes in detail how at odds with their surroundings these immaculate brick houses seemed to him, plunked squarely in the unabating wilderness of the Australian outback. “You

“AS AN ARTIST YOU DON’T HAVE THAT OBLIGATION TO A JOURNALISTIC TRUTH; YOU CAN CREATE THESE SORT OF POETIC CONNECTIONS BETWEEN PL ACES AND ARTIFACTS AND RESEARCH.”

realize the houses just don’t belong there.” While LANDED is a bit dark, Strange deliberately avoids creating art that focuses on decline or the destruction of homes and houses, often working to restore homes in areas with housing in foreclosure. “I’m really interested in the idea of the home representing what it was, rather than going into a community to tell a story about ruin and decline as an artist. I don’t think that’s constructive,” he explains. “[It’s about] what’s obscured and buried. What is the house and what are the stories that are buried within it?” As the artist’s work and method has grown, he’s turned to creating more detailed stories surrounding the houses he works with, collecting artifacts and found photographs while opening up about his research, as seen in ISLAND, 2015-17. This new layer is driven by his interest in the emotive history within the homes and their former inhabitants, a crossover between a homage to previous owners and Strange’s own imagination. “As an artist you don’t have that obligation to a journalistic truth; you can create these sort of poetic connections between places and artifacts and research,” he says.

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'HELP' SELECTED WORK FROM 'ISL AND' 2015-17

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BIENNIAL OF AUSTRALIAN ART

‘L ANDED’ INSTALL ATION ART GALLERY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA 2014

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‘BURN SERIES’ INSTALL ATION VIEW SUBURBAN, BOWERY STREET, NYC 2015 PHOTO: JEDDA ANDREWS

It is strange indeed, that these large-scale works which dedicate themselves to the menial beauties of suburbia were born from a tempestuous desire to escape it. The beauty of it all lies in the way in which the artwork both champions and questions the idea of suburban homes—how the idea of home continues to exist as a white picket fence fantasy while we are facing issues like a housing crisis, murky property rights and ownership legislation, and the fact that a shrinking number of kids can say that their drawings of a “square with a triangle on top” truly resembles the place they call home. What began as an introspective journey for Ian Strange turned into large-scale projects serving as acute commentary on the question, “What—and where—is home now?” The American (or rather, Australian) Dream of whitepicket fence living is something that is no longer viable for many—why are we still clinging to it on such a deeply-subconscious level? More importantly, how do we move on from this intellectual comfort zone? While the future of Strange’s work seems limitless given our shifting values of home, he largely remains a studio artist. “It starts with sketches, paintings, these little ideas in a notebook,” he says, with a funny sort of candidness as if these little ideas have never, in fact, set a house on fire.

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Conversation

Gemini Wonder Blondey McCoy PHOTOGRAPHY

INTERVIEW

M I K E O 'M E A L LY

KEVIN WONG

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Your birthday is coming up, how old are you turning? My birthday is in two days yes... the big two-one. I’m sure the big two-one is a much bigger deal in America. Oh my God I can finally go to the pub in America now! How old do you feel? You’ve mentioned feeling much older than your actual age — what makes you feel that way? Well I don’t know, I’ve never been 40 years old so I can only imagine what that feels like. What I can say is that I haven’t gotten on particularly well with anyone my own age for about as long as I can remember. I do feel like most of my friends have had about four birthdays in the time it’s taken for me to crawl from 20 to 21, but please don’t misunderstand me; I’m not complaining. How is skating like for you these days? Do you still have time to skate everyday? What’s the workload like from Palace, adidas, etc.? I haven’t had time to skate everyday for a long time now actually. I took a bit of a tumble when I saw you last in New York and I broke my wrist.

It was wrapped up in a bandage and by no means on the mend for just over three weeks before I came back to England and was operated on. So I had a broken wrist, and then the bleak midwinter came, and there is always more than I can chew on my plate… the combination of all of those things took skateboarding out of the equation for the longest time I’ve ever been out of the game in my life, about six months. Recently I’ve been loving it again though. I’ve just come back from a week in Milan and it was the best and most productive skate trip of my life by a country mile. I feel comfortable on my board again and I’m just having fun with it. I try my hardest to keep skateboarding a reliever of stress rather than another thing to stress about. Please make an argument for skating in London – even though it rains all the time – versus Los Angeles or New York. I really hate this debate, all three are a bit of a disaster. I don’t like the self-congratulatory ‘floors so rough’ whinging Londoners and New Yorkers, but I’m not mad about the

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‘every other door’s a sun-drenched skatepark or school yard’ LA scene either. My new found obsession with Milan may have something to do with spending the last five years filming Palasonic entirely in London. Milan is molto, molto benne. What was skateboarding to you as a kid? Has it changed now you're involved in so many projects that branch from your skating career? Well it was everything, when I first became aware of the possibility of doing it for a living I definitely wanted that. But now I have that, I realize that money is the most mundane thing you can get out of skateboarding. You do it so much that you are good at it because you love it. I heard Ocean Howell once say that he reckons the reason why skateboarders get ripped off so often is because everybody knows they’re going to do their job whether they get paid or not, because they really love it. Skateboarding still means the world to me, I’m just not prepared to bunk off making art in my studio to go skate like I was prepared to bunk off school. I have less time for it, not less love for it, if that makes sense.

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When did your professional career officially start? How many years have you been in it? Which professional career? I got sponsored by Palace in late 2011, I think. I started Thames around the same time. I have had art exhibitions that have sold out and ones that have been completely ignored since 2015. It’s not a nine-to-five career. What of PWBC now? Exactly the same as they ever were, like Peter Pan’s lost boys. How has Thames, the brand, “grown up” with you through the years? Well you have to bear in mind the lead time – Thames clothes basically reflect what I was into about 10 months prior to the date of their release. I don’t feel an urgent need to put a rush on a houndstooth blazer, if you know what I mean. Loud all-over-print T-shirts and colorful joggers are what I like to wear and what I like to see skateboarders and young people wear. I have no intention of turning it into an unaffordable fashion house. If I want something Prada I’m going to get it from Prada, that’s not Thames’ place in the world right now.

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“I HEARD OCEAN HOWELL ONCE SAY THAT HE RECKONS THE REASON WHY SKATEBOARDERS GET RIPPED OFF SO OFTEN IS BECAUSE EVERYBODY KNOWS THEY'RE GOING TO DO THEIR JOB WHETHER THEY GET PAID OR NOT.”

Any words of wisdom of your own for your younger self? Hmm... don’t think so. Maybe, ’You don’t need to find everything out for yourself’? Shockingly there’s not an awful lot I regret. How has your family, specifically your grandparents, shaped you? Well my whole family is mad as a bag of twats, I’m by far the most unremarkable of them all. My grandma is the eldest of 13, and is 11 years younger than her mother who is still alive. My great-grandmother is about the same age as my granddad, who married my nan when she was 15 and he was 26. They moved to London when my dad was five, when everyone else was moving to Canada or Australia, so you could say that that’s played a significant part in my existence!

I suppose I am traditional. I want boatloads of kids and I believe in romance and good manners. Any words of wisdom from your grandma? If you can’t be good, be careful. She never really said that. She has two bestselling Mediterranean cookbooks jam-packed with wisdom, you can buy them anywhere. Going from the grit of the British skate culture to life now, that involves the likes of being signed as a model to Kate Moss Agency, what have been the biggest changes? Well I’m no longer a human scab, hobbling around Kennington in ripped up shoes with a soggy biscuit for a skateboard, although I’m not sure Kate Moss is entirely to thank for that. Success is a double-edged

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“MY WHOLE FAMILY IS MAD AS A BAG OF TWATS, I’M BY FAR THE MOST UNREMARKABLE OF THEM ALL.”

sword; you get strangers blowing smoke up your arse and old friends finding new reasons to hate you. Some people will tell you you’ve changed like you ought to apologize for it and reprimand yourself, but of course you have changed. Who doesn’t change from 13 to 21? Going sober changes you too, by the way. God people hate that…

you know isn’t up your street, and it becomes constructively clear why that’s the case. You set the bar higher and higher and you become addicted to creation, why wouldn't you? You want to outdo yourself. Sometimes things sell, sometimes things don’t but you only feel encouraged to go bigger and better all the time; it’s a liberating drug!

How has being involved in high fashion or fine art exhibitions such as Damien Hirst affected your views as an artist and creator? Nothing has affected my views as an artist more than sobriety. Not only are you channeling all of that energy into creating, but you are as level-headed as you can be about what it is that you’re creating. You see as much as you can, even the stuff

Whats one thing, with the exception of skating, that you can never see yourself giving up? Modeling. Only joking. Hard question, there’s nothing left to give up! I’ll never give up teetotalism and vegetarianism. And Instagram Stories, and hobnobs — I fucking love them.

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At Face Value

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JOANNA FU PHOTOGRAPHY

GENSHEN QIU

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When new creative talent emerges from China, there’s a tendency for the focal point to fall on the matter of “Chineseness,” which often defaults to a familiar platitude: communism. Wellseasoned by the annals of Chinese contemporary art, the idea of communism now seems ripe for the current era, during which cultural and creative commentary seem to flourish best on politicized buzzwords such as “Trumpism,” “Bernie Bros” and “Post-Soviet style.” Admittedly, when I interviewed Chinese label SANKUANZ, I also went for the low-hanging fruit. “So what was the meaning of the phrase ‘Communism Never Happened’?,” I asked, referencing the slogan printed on the back of a camouflage jacket from the label’s Fall/Winter 2017 collection. The collection, titled “KILL THE WALL,” was a neon-tinged mix of military and punk elements featuring reworked biochemical protection suits, ingenious utilitarian detailing, super-sized proportions, and a complex postapocalyptic vision — but the media only had eyes for the slogan on the jacket. “‘Communism Never Happened’ originates from an artwork by Ciprian Muresan. I do not like it because of its political implication,” replies

Shangguang Zhe, the founder of SANKUANZ. “And, of course, it probably doesn’t really matter for fashion. We are just borrowing a slogan.” It was evident that Shangguan had already anticipated the question. He was headstrong on directing the conversation elsewhere. But not because he lacked philosophical stamina — as our interview would soon reveal — rather, because the jacket’s slogan had seemingly pigeonholed SANKUANZ as an archetype of Chinese creativity that’s anchored to political commentary. And the jacket simply didn't do the rest of the collection sartorial justice. “Actually, I don’t care much about politics. What I care about is the individual’s stance against the big picture,” said Shangguan, after I gave the political fashion angle one more prod, asking for his opinion of Balenciaga’s Bernie-inspired FW17 collection. “[The SANKUANZ FW17 ‘KILL THE WALL’ collection] was developed on the idea of fighting for living. It’s a comment on everyone’s own personal war against what they are facing. It could be a physical obstacle, the system, or a daunting future.”

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“ACTUALLY, I DON’T CARE MUCH ABOUT POLITICS. WHAT I CARE ABOUT IS THE INDIVIDUAL’S STANCE AGAINST THE BIG PICTURE.”

For what it’s worth, SANKUANZ isn’t a brand whose artist statement speaks louder than its actual products. The label’s recurrent themes, as abstract as they seem, have resulted in the type of boundary-pushing fashion design that leaves you confused as to why you’re attracted to its strange, unorthodox look. A favorite example is the chunky sandal-sneaker hybrid from SANKUANZ’s FW18 collection. The shoe was a novel fusion of familiar silhouettes (sandals and sneakers), mixed in with a hint of irony (in its gargantuan bulkiness) and an unexpected element of cozy wearability. “The whole collection of SANKUANZ FW18 is developed around the theme of destruction and protection,” Shangguan explained. “The sandals wrapping around sneakers are an extension of protection. I think that today’s sneaker trends come with a state of relaxation and comfort, and I rather like this idea.”

creation and ideas.” Now five years down the line, SANKUANZ has shown collections at Shanghai, Paris and London Fashion Weeks, been named a finalist for the LVMH Prize shortlist, and above all, developed a design identity mature beyond its years. “SANKUANZ has gradually developed its own universe and I am only one among many builders.” His words took on a more modest tone. “I feel that SANKUANZ has witnessed how youth culture has turned from subculture to mainstream since 2013. Now all the brands are trying to cater to youth.” He also adds that within those five years, there have been many Chinese designer brands emerging as well, “filled with hope and chaos.”

SANKUANZ was founded in 2013 in Xiamen, a small island city in the south of China, where the label’s studio still remains today. Looking back to the early days, Shangguan recalls when the brand had a more straightforward philosophy. “My initial idea was very simple — I just wanted to have a medium for my

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Despite the studio’s location in Xiamen, geographically and culturally distant from the world’s fashion capitals, SANKUANZ has been able to keep a keen eye on the oft-fickle trends of today. Shangguan credits the Internet for this. “Nowadays places are growing more and more connected thanks to the development of technology and culture. I do not think it matters much where one is,” he explained. “I just saw on the

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news that Google’s AI has already passed the Turing test. When we enter the matrix, there will not even be any places.” Bringing the focus back to Earth, it’s perhaps worth noting that a label’s heritage becomes a matter of interest only when its place of birth isn’t the usual suspects: NYC, Paris, London or Tokyo. We’ve witnessed this treatment with designers such as Gosha Rubchinskiy and Demna Gvasalia, whose respective Russian and Georgian heritages have arguably assumed the protagonist role in their design identities. Yet, SANKUANZ’s heritage still begs the question: what does it mean to be a young Chinese fashion label (representative of the current Chinese youth culture and subcultures)? The answer is still a work in progress, it seems. When I asked Shangguan if he thought modern Chinese people currently have a distinctive design, he said “not yet.” Indeed, every season for SANKUANZ has been a chapter of metamorphosis—a versatility that was especially apparent during the label’s Spring/ Summer 2018 collection. The SS18 collection—which drew inspiration from the paintings of American abstract expressionist Cy

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Twombly—debuted during Paris Fashion Week Men’s in June 2017. At that time, Shangguan already had a retrospective view of the label’s design development. “The changes come from evolution of inspirational sources,” explained Shangguan in a previous interview. “Right from the first season, SANKUANZ had always been inspired by youth subculture. Until one day I suddenly realized those things could move me no longer. Therefore, we set out to look for deeper and grander themes from 2017. We have explored the relationship between science and technology, religion and human society through two collections. And for 2018 spring/ summer season, we turned to fine art for inspiration.” Next season, SANKUANZ will look to yet another formidable source of inspiration. “I am quite inspired by a book I’ve been reading recently, which is The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell,” Shangguan says. The Hero with a Thousand Faces tells the story of a hero in search for his identity, who eventually learns that identity is in constant evolution. I asked Shangguan if his journey as a designer shared a similar plot line. “The growing process of a brand is indeed similar to an adventure,” he said, shifting the subject from designer to

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“THE SANDALS WRAPPING AROUND SNEAKERS ARE AN EXTENSION OF PROTECTION. I THINK THAT TODAY’S SNEAKER TRENDS COME WITH A STATE OF REL AXATION AND COMFORT, AND I RATHER LIKE THIS IDEA.”

brand. “But the hero of the adventure, in my opinion, is not the designer, not the team. The hero growing up is the brand itself.” The core idea of The Hero with a Thousand Faces is that all myths are essentially the same, sharing common themes and values that have the ability to transcend time and place. In this way, the story seems extremely fitting for SANKUANZ. It not only reflects the label’s ability to change “faces” every season, but it also adds to the label’s vast—and unexpected—range of inspirations that often touches upon the classics. When you walk through the SANKUANZ studio, across the rows of clothing racks archiving the label’s collections, you’ll find yourself in an expansive balcony room that overlooks a quiet Xiamen neighborhood. In the middle of the space stands an imposing gold statue of a young man—dressed in a baseball cap, pullover hoodie, rolledup jeans and high-top sneakers — sitting atop a majestic horse and holding a flag bearing “SANKUANZ.”

I asked Shangguan about this giant Western-canonmeets-streetwear-staples sculpture. His response was matter-of-fact. “One day I saw the statue of Jeanne d’Arc when I passed Rue de Rivoli. I said to myself, ‘Hey, I want a gold horse too.’” It’s a funny juxtaposition when you see the sculpture at first, and one would be hard-pressed to say it wasn’t unique. But it also speaks volumes for SANKUANZ’s (and Shangguan’s) attitude of mind, and the casually seamless way in which the brand sees its place amongst cultural references and figures, regardless of origin. In the world of the fashion industry, you could say that all great designers share similar ambitions and goals, whether they be from a former Soviet republic, a little-known town in Southeast Asia, or one of the inimitable fashion capitals of the world. The only difference, it seems, are the clothes themselves—which is a good thing, and perhaps where the focal point should lie.

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Beyond the Dead Online Ceramics

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BENJAMIN ROAZEN

PHOTOGRAPHY

JULIAN BERMAN

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The Grateful Dead’s music has a way of finding you at precisely the right moment. With a discography and legacy that stretches back to the ‘60s and across multiple generations, it seems like every quintessential American family has (or had) a Deadhead uncle or aunt; a family dog named Sugaree; a closet full of tie-dye and dancing skeletons.

hands on; so when Deadheads need ticket money, they make their way down to Shakedown Street and hawk their wares in the lot. Some sell veggie burritos, grilled cheeses; others still sell drugs and the unofficial Deadhead uniform of tie-dye T-shirts. The two CCAD students originally intended to sell their art projects and sculpture—hence the brand’s name, Online Ceramics—but they found that making T-shirts was more affordable and feasible. “I had access to screen-printing equipment that made it free, literally,” says Alix. “Our overhead for the first run of shirts was $80, which was the capital that built our entire thing.” Their initial offerings had all the hallmarks of Deadhead memorabilia like skulls, Stealies, roses, but there were also new characters: goblins, ghouls, haunted wagons.

Elijah Funk and Alix Ross met at Ohio’s Columbus College of Art and Design, smoking outside of their off-campus dorm situation in senior year. The two both discovered the wonders of the Dead shortly after leaving college and reconnected over a shared love of the band. For many of their art school peers, the obsession seemed gaudy. “It wasn’t very cool—it definitely wasn’t what it is now,” says Elijah. “Growing up,” he explains, “it was never cool to be into the Dead, and at art school it certainly wasn’t cool to be into the Dead.” Shortly after graduating, Alix was hitting the same tour as Elijah, but on the West Coast, solo. “My first year in LA, I only had like three friends and they were definitely not into the Dead at all,” says Ross. “I couldn't even convince them to go see a band with me for my birthday, so I went by myself and had an amazing time.”

While Online Ceramics’ graphic design sensibility is obviously soaked in sixties psychedelia, it’s also informed by DIY punk aesthetics. “When you mix that with this older aesthetic that's based on the sixties and the psychedelic vibe,” explains Funk, “it almost innately looks vintage.” But there’s more to the brand’s visual sensibilities than the Grateful Dead’s canon. Many of Funk’s graphics are inspired by Alix’s practice of kirtan—the Vedic practice of call-and-response meditation and recitation. “While I'm in kirtan and chanting the names,” explains Ross,

When the two friends reconnected, they realized they needed a miracle: Dead tickets often run upwards of $150 a pop, and are notoriously hard to get your

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“I’ll have these very profound ideas.” This meditative process will lead Ross to tell Elijah about whatever he had experienced, which then becomes a potential idea for a T-shirt. The graphics themselves often pull from horror movies and early Internet ephemera. “Our aesthetic,” says Ross, “is that we're pro-Earth in every way.” From Alix’s kirtan practice to Elijah’s veganism, the two are hoping to spread love in any way they can. “People wanna feel good, people wanna wear a shirt that says 'Everyone can be your friend.' People wanna see that when they walk down the street.” While the designs themselves might be esoteric and obscure and ergo difficult to communicate, the nonverbal, almosttelekinetic relationship that Elijah and Alix describe sounds very much like the vibe shared by members of the Dead onstage.

circus, sure, but others still have been initiated into the group themselves. According to myth, keyboardist Keith Godchaux and his wife Donna Jean became devotees and talked to Jerry Garcia before joining the band themselves. Singer-songwriter John Mayer joined the band after stumbling upon their catalog on Pandora. Online Ceramics’ story is similar enough: Elijah and Alix went from hawking their wares in the lot, to a cult following among the streetwear and fashion-forward set.

“We create this web of love and communication and openness that I don't think really happens with other clothing brands,” says Funk. “Our intention is for those happy, inspirational moments.” And when the vibe is right, they get productive: OC’s last drop featured more products than ever. “We get really psyched and we try to outdo ourselves and this batch is the sickest we've ever done,” says Elijah. “We cracked some codes this time around. We found the skeleton key.” While the brand has since gone on to some acclaim, Elijah notes that “we really cut our teeth in the lot.”

When I asked them how the fashion community stumbled upon a Shakedown Street shirt stand, the answer was simple: John Mayer. According to Funk, Mayer discovered From The Lot, the Internet’s preeminent Dead apparel archive, and when Mason (the administrator behind From The Lot) sent Mayer a selection of shirts, including the first tee the boys ever made for Mayer’s inaugural Dead & Co. New York tour date, he was intrigued. “John saw something special in them, because they're different from other parking lot shirts,” says Funk.

There is a magical thinking that comes into play with the Grateful Dead. Plenty of fans run away to join the

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From there, the two had a direct line to the band themselves: “We’ve basically been in touch about everything since,” says Funk. “We just see a lot of parallels in the mission of Dead & Company and the future of the Grateful Dead and the mission and future of the art. We can all grow together, and I think we saw that early on; that this could be beyond the Dead and continue to be something into the future.” Mayer partnered with the brand on a limited run of tour merch, what else, and the guys went and sold the tees in the parking lot outside of ComplexCon—an experiment that ired the wrath of the convention’s organizers. “A good way to put it is that we're probably always gonna make tour shirts,” Elijah says, but the reasoning behind the decision is simple: “because we're gonna keep touring until we can’t.” When I ask if the two feel like Online Ceramics’ own canon of characters— goblins, jesters, haunted Ford Model Ts—will outgrow the Dead’s own merch, Funk explains that he sees “the Grateful Dead as an entity is like our backing band: those are the drummers and that's Bob, and we're like Jerry dancing on top of the Dead. We're not a collective unit, we're floating over it and singing above the Dead. It's a whole different setting.” There is a definite relationship between the brand and the band, so to speak. But they don’t seem limited by the connection. If anything, they’re working with it, jamming off it. Or maybe it’s like Elijah says, “It’s the soundtrack to our trip.”

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NOTHING IN EXCESS KIKO KOSTADINOV

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JASON DIKE PHOTOGRAPHY

PA R I D E C A LV I A

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Old clichés are hard to shake in the world of fashion: Paris is the powerhouse, Milan is 90% suits—the other 10% being Gucci and Prada—and New York is the commercial hub. Despite being one of the “Big Four” fashion capitals of the world, London Fashion Week doesn’t have the money and magic of Paris or New York City, and many London-based labels—such as Alexander McQueen, J.W.Anderson and more recently Craig Green—choose instead to show in Paris or Pitti. Yet London Men’s has been, over the past few years, the undisputed birthplace of new talent—perhaps partly due to how the fledgling menswear week is still developing, but this means, luckily, that we get to know new designers such as Kiko Kostadinov a lot better than we would have otherwise. The Central Saint Martins alumni was one of those rare names who became an immediate darling of the scene, earning coverage from the likes of The New York Times before his first collection was even displayed. The standout point of Kostadinov’s collections was the refined influences which looked to workwear but avoided all the standard archetypes—the chore jacket and general Ye Olde train driver looks which were key during the workwear period. Kiko never bought into them because “You can buy those blue jackets everywhere—it’s generic.” He continues, “No one wears that to go to work. It’s a style thing. It’s a subculture piece. When you consider workwear, there’s a sci-fi element to those pieces, like looking at a NASA suit.”

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In line with Kiko’s unconventional path to gaining traction as a designer is how he became one in the first place after being rejected from Central Saint Martins on his initial application. He then decided to intern instead, for two cult designers in Aitor Throup and Errolson Hugh of ACRONYM. And while writers often search for a design link between the three, Kostadinov is quick to note that this is overblown. “Aesthetically I don’t think there was any influence,” he says. “With Aitor, I didn’t even have my BA. With Errolson, I was in my first year, so up until I graduated—even until now—I’m finding my aesthetic.” What he did learn from Throup and Errolson was work ethic: “You need to work 12 hours a day if you want to build a company,” he says. “It’s not just designing, it’s a lot of other things, the traveling and working with external clients, how they work, how much time they put into the projects, how they negotiate. It’s all about that.” While it’s easy to compare Kiko’s work to Throup and Errolson’s—despite the marginal design overlap—his main influence comes from somewhere less expected. “I’m quite attracted to ‘50s, ‘60s womenswear,” he says. “The shapes, the way clothes were constructed—it’s influenced a lot of my work recently.” In particular, he’s referring to his new knitwear which takes cues from Japanese womenswear magazines from the ‘50s and ‘60s. The main thing that comes across when Kostadinov explains his designs is just how researchfocused it is. “I guess it is quite geeky the way I see

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it,” he says. He attributes his perspective in part to being relatively oblivious to fashion history until he was about 16. Now he uses research to self-educate, not just for fashion but for everything. “To be able to watch those movies that you normally watch for research purposes, I think that’s why I like what I do. You can educate yourself with whatever you want, basing an idea for a collection.” For Kostadinov, the aim is to increase the brand and collections in incremental steps. “Every season, there’s something else that you can introduce, more and more, until it becomes the bigger picture. So, it’s learning each season.” Most great designers want to create their own world and Kostadinov is no different.

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“I'M QUITE ATTRACTED TO 50S, 60S WOMENSWEAR. THE SHAPES, THE WAY CLOTHES WERE CONSTRUCTED —IT'S INFLUENCED A LOT OF MY WORK RECENTLY.”

“We work 13 hours a day, so you’re very much in your space. There’s trips from every two months, where I will go somewhere and see a movie or an exhibition and that whole influence.” Right now, he’s using the freedom he’s allowed himself with his brand to “tell a different story and see what will be good and what won’t—taking that risk every season.“ Some of those risks are seen in his other works, which include being creative director of Mackintosh 0001, a sneaker with ASICS, and work with another brand—Affix Works, who he collaborates on with Stephen Mann, Michael Koppelmann and Taro Ray. “Taro works with me on Mackintosh, Stephen obviously and Michael is kind of supporting the whole project. It’s just a fun project that we’re trying to develop slowly.” Kiko’s studio works on

all these projects at the same time, ensuring there’s a synergy across every part of the collections. “The plan is to expand Affix Works and become an actual brand. But there’s no real rush with it.” With so many things happening at the same time, we wondered what Kiko ultimately wanted from his own brand. “The goal for me when I started was to use it as a portfolio to get a job in a bigger house, similar to what I do with Mackintosh.” But he’s changed his mind since: “Now I’d just rather have my company become [that house]—not in terms of size, but I want it to be comfortable.” When we asked what changed his mind, he replied simply, “I don’t want to deal with bullshit.” He laments the hype-centric cycle driving labels to reinvent themselves, swapping creative directors in oftfrantic bids to draw the younger “streetwear” market. “I don’t think those brands want identity, they just want to be liked. It’s quite silly, the big drama. It’s like we are watching this big rivalry thing that uses people as tools.” Far from dismissing these designers’ talents, Kiko is a big fan of Raf Simons’ work at Calvin Klein, commending the legendary designer for his work as a “good reaction” to the Instagram-friendly work seen elsewhere. “I think what Raf is doing is quite interesting because he is kind of repeating this language. I hope he gets to do this for a long time.”

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“I COULD HAVE MADE SO MUCH MONEY IF I WENT TO T-SHIRTS HOODIES AND , MERCHANDISING— BUT THERE NEEDS TO BE A REASON FOR IT.”

Kostadinov’s collections are carefully-considered, and the omission of certain products is also no accident. “I could have made so much money if I went to T-shirts, hoodies and merchandising,” yet all his collections remain studiously absent of them. He continues, “But there needs to be a reason for it.” Chasing short-term income has been the long-term death knell for many a label. It’s the reason why Kostadinov has built-in barriers against overexposure for certain items. For instance, he will only sell 20-30 T-shirts to retailers, even if they want to buy 100. Instead of using T-shirts and hoodies as a cash cow, Kiko sees them as an entry point – which was also part of the reasoning behind his collaboration with ASICS. Accessibility is important. “Hoodies, T-shirts and keychains are like entry-level items. You see a lot of kids buying these and customizing their looks with it.” Standing in direct contrast to his efforts to make his brand accessible for all, is a strong desire to also make things that aren’t just available everywhere—which may be another reason why Kiko doesn’t make T-shirts by the droves. “If a brand is

similar to someone else who does it better, then it doesn’t need to exist, you know?” The designer has proven himself more than adept at juggling business strategies, creative work and proving to his young customers that he’s solidly in their camp, not just out to make money. We’ve covered a lot of ground during our time with Kiko Kostadinov, yet one takeaway (if we leave with nothing else) is that the label —similar to the designer’s pointed opinions and at times his T-shirts—often can’t be bought.

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F E AT U R E D :

SSENSE GARAGE MUSEUM LUCY MARTIN BOOKSTORE .JPG COFFEE WORKSOUT OVER THE INFLUENCE MONTRÉAL, CANADA LOS ANGELES, USA

The lure of travel is finding places that cannot be found anywhere else—spots that are contextually and culturally unique. The following pages of our travel guide are picked for their ability to represent the best of a place, regardless of whether the place in question exists on land, screen or paper. 184

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M O S C O W, R U S S I A

S E O U L , S O U T H KO R E A G U A N G Z H O U, C H I N A

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418, R U E S A I N T-S U L P I C E MONTRÉAL, QUEBÉC CANADA

SSENSE

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SSENSE ’s first-ever brick-and-mortar presence is nestled within the retailer’s hometown of Montreal in a five-story, 13,000-square-foot space. The 19th century building is a deceiving façade which houses an in-situ gleaming steel-and-concrete interior. Seamlessly integrating the online shopping experience with real life, the Montreal flagship is equipped with technology which supports an appointment-based personal shopping experience. A 60-centimeter grid system and Vertical Lift Module are the backbone of the building, providing

modular capabilities for the space as well as invisibly transporting and storing over 20,000 items for client appointments. The retail space will play host to sitespecific installations of various artists and designers including Virgil Abloh, Moncler, Wales Bonner, Berlin Community Radio and Heron Preston.

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9/3 2 K R Y M S K Y VA L S T R E E T MOSCOW RUSSIA

Garage Museum of Contemporary Art

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The Garage Museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name belies its sleek exterior. Dedicated to a nation whose reach extends across the Eurasia continent and 11 different time zones, the Garage Museum draws numerous visitors to explore the many faces of Russian contemporary art. Garage Museum is located in what was formerly the Vremena Goda Restaurant situated in Gorky Central Park. The restaurant, which had sat empty over the past two decades, was a popular establishment in the 1960s. Head architect Rem Koolhaas of OMA decided to keep the entire underlying structure intact, leaving the existing Soviet mosaics and tile work to complement the exhibitions in a clash of old and new.

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12-185 JIANKANG ROAD TAIPEI TAIWAN

Lucy Martin Bookstore

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Hidden away in the quiet residential area of Nan Jing San Min is Lucy Martin Bookshop, an independent establishment whose owner passionately collects books from around the world. Named neither Lucy nor Martin, the owner—whose name is, in fact, Will—has ensured that every inch of the space from its wares, to design, to soundtrack is reflective of his own tastes. He engineered a special soundtrack to play uniquely inside the store along with a tightly-curated selection

of art books and magazines. The bookstore also has a specially-designed T-shirt to its name—a unique, yet somehow completely understandable addition. The book selection is focused on art, fashion and design, with books that cover topics ranging from fine art and photography, to fashion and industrial design.

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1 F, Z H U KO N G I N T E R N AT I O N A L C E N T E R GUANGZHOU CHINA

.jpg Coffee

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In the budding metropolis of Guangzhou stands one very hidden coffee shop, where one escapes the city in a swathe of repurposed timber. The standing roomonly establishment is a humble 2.5-square-meter-long space which houses a single concrete coffee bar at its center, around which visitors are welcomed to linger and converse with the staff and each other. The

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walls are comprised of crisscrossed carbonized pine which architects Infinity Nide have recycled from the construction site. The cocoon-like space gives visitors in need of a caffeine break a few moments of peace from the fast-paced demands of city life.

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M A P O - G U, YA N G H WA -R O 130 SEOUL S O U T H KO R E A

WORKSOUT

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Located in the recently-opened RYSE Hotel, the newest location of WORKSOUT is a three-storey mecca of streetwear labels such as Carhartt WIP, Brain Dead and Sasquatchfabrix. Installations such as a ceiling ramp and antique wardrobes are set against polished concrete floors and wraparound floor-to-ceiling windows. Designed by Andrea Caputo, the brain behind retail spaces for names such as Carhartt WIP, Nike and Slam Jam, the whimsical space is home to an expanse of offerings which may very well justify its location inside a hotel.

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833 E . T H I R D S T R E E T LOS ANGELES, CA USA

Over the Influence

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Situated in the busy Arts District of Los Angeles, the former bowstring truss factory now provides 6,000 square feet of space in which to house the works of top-tier contemporary artists. The works are displayed in a maze-like cocoon of exposed beams and brickwork, contributing to a relaxed gallery experience befitting the art pieces which inhabit the space. The building is comprised of five gallery spaces of differing size to display the works at differing scales, and the spaces themselves are designed to display artwork under

different sources of lightâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;natural light, artificial light, or a combination of both. Having played host to the likes of Nobuyoshi Araki, Vhils, Invader and Cleon Peterson, Over the Influence brings together the artists that touch the sensibilities of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s generations and remain eternally fascinating to watch.

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HYPEBEAST Magazine Issue 22: The Singularity Issue

Articles inside

Halfway There doublet

Guillermo Andrade