DOPE TAVIO A$AP FERG ASTROCCULT VOL. l
photographer: Jason @jasonkentx talent: Kaia @kaiamorgan producer: Holly @hollyhoover_ stylist: Stephanie @stephswangsta wardrobe: Dope Tavio @dope_tavio muah: Nicolette @gonzalesnicolette grapher designer / layout: Astrid @astridangell special thanks SLU Agency @sluagency
EYES & EDGE: We have to tell you what HUGE fans we are of your work - seriously fan-girling. That being said, when did you first know you wanted to pursue a career as a designer? DOPE TAVIO: Honestly, I knew from young age. I started designing and sewing at the age of 11; I’m pretty much self-taught. I just designed and did little fashion shows, talent shows, made almost all of the prom dresses in my high school, and basically just started out very, very early. I’m originally from New Jersey and had a little boutique there which led to really great things. By the age of 25, I decided to close down and switch up my life a little bit. I decided to move all the way down to Miami, where I ended up living for 13 years and didn’t do any design whatsoever.
Then about three years ago, I reconnected with an old friend of mine, who’s now a rapper named Sharaya J, and I started make clothes just for her just for fun. Making a shirt here, a dress there. Then she did some music videos, and I styled those. She had her own following from music and things just started picking up. People were saying, “Who’s Dope Tavio?” “Where can I find him?”. Little by little, my instagram started growing. People would DM me saying “Where’s your studio?” “Can I come pull?” I was still in Miami, and had only made four or five pieces just for her. That was when I started thinking maybe I kind of miss this and maybe this is what I’m supposed to be doing. I just decided to go for it. My Instagram name was already Dope Tavio and I just decided well this is going to be the name for me.I just started making pieces and things were going super well.
interview by: Stephanie, Fashion Editor
DOPE TAVIO: Eventually, my work made its way to Ty Hunter, who was one of the first people to ask “Who is this?” “Who are you wearing?”. I, immediately sent some clothes over to him. He had an even bigger following than I did, so that was when people really started to take interest in my designs. We were able to communicate through texts, and he told me, “I don’t know who you are, but you’re super talented and keep on pushing.”
That was really the point when I decided:
This is it. I’m gonna do it.
E&E: You mentioned that Ty Hunter wore your first pieces two years ago, and we first saw your pieces this last September at Fashion Week. Was he wearing your pieces before last Fashion Week? DT: He actually wore some of my stuff two years ago at the 2016 NYFW. I got here in August of last year and was able to set up a studio. I invited Ty over that first month. He came to my New York City studio which was set up like a pop-up shop. I had made so much merchandise before moving to New York that once I unpacked the boxes, I was ready for Fashion Week. I invited him over and he pulled like 10 looks! He was like “I’m gonna put your name out there. I love everything you’ve made and I’m just so happy that you made the move.
Things are gonna go great for You”.
E&E: Incredible! You’ve really been making a wave! Most recently, you dressed Janet Jackson! What was that like? DT: It was amazing! It was a dream come true! Something to scratch off my bucket list. These things happen so quickly. It’s an email, then your shipping a box. I am hoping and praying that they actually use it. A lot of times, we will get a pull from a major artist, but I’ll keep it to myself. I’m get really excited about it, but not too excited because things can change without warning. This time actually worked out! The stylist called me up, and said they wanted a few pieces. They told me “we’re gonna be shooting her for Billboard Magazine, and we will be shooting her dancers too. So we will need more than just a few looks”. I ended up sending around 40 pieces over to LA. Then within the next few days they called me and told me, “She’s performing at the Billboard Music Awards. She’s gonna have 50 dancers on stage. What else do you have?” I sent over another 40 pieces. They ended up having around 80 of my pieces out in LA, and I got a little scared because I was thinking what if this is the last time I’m gonna see these! I just sat around and waited. They had their fittings, and all the dancers started DMing me like “OMG we’re wearing Dope Tavio! We are so excited!” By the end nearly everyone on her team had reached out to me saying things like “We’re in awe of your designs!” “This is gonna be such an amazing performance!” I just got really excited from that point on. The magazine cover came out, and then, three days later, Janet Jackson performed on stage. Nearly half of her dancers were wearing my pieces! It went really well and was just such an incredible moment for me. So many people from behind the scenes at the Billboard show noticed my pieces. When Janet’s dancers came out, they were like “Where did this fashion come from?” My name was all over that
backstage, and I’ve had a few stylists hit me up since the performance. So it has been really, really good.
E&E: You said that you are doing everything by yourself. What does a typical day look like for you? What is the weekly schedule like to be able to keep up with designs, stylists and the demand?
DT: Well, it’s actually funny. I’m totally by myself. There are no interns or assistants, so I do everything on my own. I design from midnight to around 6am or 7am. Then I sleep for a couple of hours. After waking up, I deal with emails, my Instagram and other socials. It's really hard for me to actually sit down and design during the day because there is always some type of distraction. Someone will come by or call me up. So, I wait until everyone is sleeping, then I go full time on design. I HATE it, but that is the way it is right now.
E&E:Do you pattern, and then go straight to sewing? Or do you just drape and cut without patterning? What does your design process look like? DT: I just cut. I lay on the floor, jump on my knees and cut and then sew. My clothes are 100% one of a kind - so I’m not creating any pattern. I also make everything myself. I’m not taking any patterns to a manufacturer or anything like that. In my showroom, there are pieces that I’ve made from scratch and then, some jackets and vests that I customize. All of my pieces are one of a kind art pieces. Meaning that not everything I do is completely wearable. I do a lot of editorial pieces; so, I display those right next to a ‘ready to wear’ line which consists of pieces that clients can wear to events.
E&E: How would you describe your personal style? What about Dope Tavio’s style? DT: I started designing in the early 90s - I’m a 90s kid - so it’s very hip-hop, very New York, very street. It, also, has elements of high fashion and a type of flair. Hip-hop has
I think of all the genders when I am creating. How can a guy wear this? How would a girl wear this? I also just try to make things that are fun and interchangeable. A lot of stylists come to my studio and say:
always my number one inspiration.
I can’t sew every day, so sometimes I’ll paint jackets, or I’ll stud something or safety pin something. Everyday is a new project for me. I’m very DIY. I use a lot of belts and shoelaces as fringe. I also use a lot of things that I grew up with, or items I see around in my life.
“we can style a suit from streetwear to high fashion”.
They seem to like that I have this wide range, but it definitely is one collection. It can walk down one runway all together and be cohesive, but still stand out as each being one of a kind.
This most recent collection, I would call a ghetto-goth collection. One of my
favorite things is that I made my entire collection genderless.
E&E: Who is your style inspiration? Where do you go to find your inspiration? DT: Right now, I’m gonna say New York City. It feels good to be back home; just to see fashion and personal style everywhere you look. Right now, I’m not even looking at celebrities or fashion from the past. It’s really New York City that’s inspiring me and what I’m doing right now.
N Y C
E&E: If you could go back and tell yourself one thing before beginning your career in fashion what would it be? DT: Just to never give up. Even though, I took that 13 year break thinking that I would never come back to this, someway, somehow I circled full force back to where I began. Deep down I knew that this was what I was supposed to be doing. Never give up. It could happen this year, or it could happen in 13 years.
You just never know.
M U S I C
A$AP FERG A$AP FERG A$AP FERG A$AP FERG A$AP FERG A$AP FERG
PHOTOGRAPHER @raptographer
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Mindful Living
Hello to our beloved audience,
photographer @olivianorthstar models @chulavet @thumpsinthenight
A change is happening in our society right now, starting in small pockets of the world where like-minded people are gravitating towards one another. It’s beginning to spread across multiple dimensions aided by the most crucial tool of modern times, the internet. Inexorably, gathering all of the radicals together as we begin to observe how truly similar our deepest desires run. As a society, we are craving authenticity. Human beings are stepping out of the matrix, and into their own bodies, which are so full of unlimited potential. Our consciousness is evolving; creating a deeper awareness of our own existence and mortality. We’re finally aware that the society we have created doesn’t actually serve the humans who must abide within. Out of this transformation, and the expansive networks of global knowledge, Eastern practices, medicines and rituals are blending into the conscious western paradigm. Meditation, yoga, tarot, deity worship, tantra, tai chi, acupuncture, incense... the list goes on and on. Fully integrated into the daily life of a liberal west-coaster in their early 20s to late 30s, these practices, formerly exclusive to Eastern cultures, become mainstream, as many friends of ours take up careers and life-paths dedicated to such practices. And now, we see a convergence of pop culture and fringe society, especially on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. We have pop idols speaking and blogging about their spiritual practices, their witchy rituals, their yoga teacher trainings. Fashion designers are breaking out of the historically exploitative and excessive industry, forming their own paths through socially-just fashion shows and sustainable clothing. Brands selling cannabis products, herbal elixirs and healing crystals are blowing up on Instagram. Public figures expressing their honest truths, especially pertaining to mental health and political issues, are gaining huge popularity amongst millennials. Everything points to a desire for that which is authentic.
Welcome to the new Mindful Living platform of Eyes & Edge magazine! This platform is a dream of ours- a place where art, We hear it, and we are answering that call for authenticity.
fashion, music, pop culture and the wonderful world of self-realization can finally merge. A space for creatives to drop off the ego and open the heart. An exploration of focused collaborations, feeding the cycles of conscious creativity, so it continues to positively imprint on the world. We will showcase the individuals who are already swimming deep in the juicy convergence, and those who are rising to their powers. We are stoked to share the brands, companies, stores, products and creatives who are stepping up to the challenge of being good and just for the earth and humanity, all while creating a dope aesthetic that we can vibe with.
We are open to ideas, feedback, commentary and anything else our community would like to offer as we get this off the ground and flying through the air. We are looking for dopeness to feature- send any writing (creative or otherwise), photo stories, interviews, videos, or your products that we can check out to possibly do a feature on. The community is growing-the more we produce and share what we love, the closer we come together. Love is the connector, and we won’t stray from it any longer.
xo, Olivia North | @olivianorthstar Mindful Living Editor
Interview with
@astroccult by
Olivia
Modern Mysticism
art, astrology, psychology
1. What does mindful living mean to you?
Kathryn, the goddess behind ASTROCCULT: I
don’t think I aspire to live “mindfully,” I aspire to live consciously. What that means to me is that I am committed to perpetually developing self-awareness and working on myself. Knowing who I am, knowing what I’m feeling and why, and taking responsibility for my choices and actions, and living in accordance with my values are the keys. There’s also a strive to live a meaningful life, be an authentic person, be of service, and making an effort towards meeting my potential as a human being. It doesn’t mean being perfect, and it doesn’t mean being nice all the time; it means aspiring towards being WHOLE. Yes, this process includes mindfulness, but mindfulness is only a part of it.
2. How do you incorporate this into your work/art/ product /brand?
My artwork is literally my art therapy. It is a way for me to express my feelings and what is going on in my life, both on the interior and exterior, through imagery. It is an outlet, and a part of my practice. Most of the artwork is based on astrology, which is a natural source of inspiration for me since I began studying it many years ago. I *try* to maintain humility and authenticity, and not sound pretentious or like I’m above anyone else, and to not be swayed by social media’s ego-based temptations. What this means for me is not being a charlatan or a phony spiritual person, not pretending to know really anything at all, but just sharing the wisdom of mysticism, astrology, and art for the gifts that they are.
3. Why do you feel called towards this path? Why is this an important movement for our world right now?
I don’t know if I can explain why I feel “called towards this path,” because I just do and always have been. Depth psychology, philosophy and consciousness were always what made me feel excited and inspired, so I just kept moving towards it. Then, at a certain point there was no turning back. I think, ultimately, the importance of being on this “path” is that the more
conscious, self-aware people there are in the world, the better chance we might have a chance of fixing the destruction of the planet that has taken place. Ithink that is the end goal right now, at this time, it is about remedying the damage we have done to the Earth, and reconnecting it to nature/spirit, which we can only do if we first connect to ourselves and our own spirit within.
4. When did you start your endeavor? How did you receive this download?
I started graduate school when I was 25, but felt the calling to be of service when I was 23 following a very intense family crisis. But then, in 2013, I experienced a very painful awakening and experience of the Self that really felt like an initiation. It was a complete death of who I thought I was, what I thought I believed, what I thought was true, and life as I knew it. I died and was reborn, and in this deeply transformative process, I recieved many downloads. It was the MOST painful thing I have ever experienced, and this is why I feel there’s a lot of disillusionment with spirituality today. It’s really about seeing and accepting your own darkness, and feeling connected to something greater than yourself and subsequently surrendering to it. I mean, that’s a huge part of it. I could go on and on.
5. Do you believe this is your true calling? I believe that I am a Shadow-worker, and an artist and an astrologer, and I’m so passionate about all of those things. I guess it must be my true calling!
6. What inspires you to create?
My brain really never stops; I am constantly analyzing and getting flooded with ideas, and basically the collage medium has become a very quick, efficient way to get all of that out! But I am inspired by my dreams, the cosmos, the occult, mother nature, people, what’s going on in the world.
7. For you, where is your dream place of travel? I love Europe and am always excited to go there because it’s so chic and beautiful. But honestly, I want to go everywhere. I would love to go to the Atacama Desert in Chile, Easter Island, Egypt...
8. Any new projects? Always! I am working on my calendar for 2019, which I think will be much better than last year. I have, also, been working on an oracle deck, which will probably take my whole life to complete, and I am about halfway done with a children’s book that I may never finish and will only talk about forever.
9. What are you dreaming up for the future?
Well, I’d love to complete the aforementioned projects! Also, becoming a mother at some point in the next year or so, which is a whole new journey, a death and rebirth. It’s exciting!