HYPEBEAST Magazine Issue 29: The New Issue

ISSUE 29

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Issue 29 Contents

Features 30

Eli Russell Linnetz

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The creative mastermind behind ERL gets grilled by Adrian Joffe.

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Thundercat

Haphazardly parked on the side of a Los Angeles freeway with the chef who doesn't know how to sit still.

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The Grammy-winning musician waxes lyrical about his writing process and his favorite pair of Muay Thai shorts.

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Highlights

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Over the Top Victory Lap Not for Cereal Keeping Time

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Miles Greenberg Bianca Saunders Yuto Horigome

Look Back Library Feasting on the largest collection of skateboard magazines in the world.

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Arc'teryx Snooping around the headquarters of Canada's favorite manufacturer of utilitarian outerwear.

Aitor Throup Traveling home to Burnley, UK, for an exclusive look at the designer's new studio.

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Introducing the weird and wondrous cast of characters taking up residence in the artist’s Stockholm studio.

Q&A

Lydo

Joakim Ojanen

Matty Matheson

Lucien Smith Catching our breath with the artist redefining the art market in order to better Serve The People.

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Guide/ Directory Look Back Library Global Library Locations Miles Greenberg Music for Optimal Art Viewing Survival Lit Our Editors Got Your Back Mount Sunny Reading Your Cupping Marks

TABLE OF CONTENTS

JOAKIM OJANEN

"WHAT’S GOING ON UP THERE? IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN HELP YOU GUYS WITH?" (2020)

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Issue 29 Editor’s Letter

Megan Wray Schertler Managing Editor, HYPEBEAST Magazine

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FEATURE

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Issue 29 Masthead

Publisher Kevin Ma Managing Editor Megan Wray Schertler Creative Director Kevin Wong Editor Vanessa Lee Associate Editor Clara Malley Junior Account Executive Jeremey Williams Administrative Executive Tanki Tang Design Ed O’Brien Design Contributing Writers Emily Engle Keith Estiler Paul Heavener Emily Jensen Gabrielle Leung Jake Silbert Jack Stanley

Special Thanks Garth Be James Craig Nick Dierl Alex James Adrian Joffe Lisa Kanamoto Eve-Marie Kuijstermans Conor Lucas Jessica Schianodicola Daphne Seybold Judy Miller Silverman Paris Blues Jazz Club

Hypebeast.com

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Social Media Manager Brian Wong

13th Floor, Asia One Tower 8 Fung Yip Street Chai Wan, Hong Kong +852 2889 2320 Enquiry@Asiaone.com.hk

Senior Social Media Coordinator Cyril Soliman

Publisher Hypebeast Hong Kong Limited 2020 April ©2020 Hypebeast

Contributing Photographers Amber Dixon Asato Iida Eddie Lee Jeremey Lee Eli Russell Linnetz Liam Macrae Mikey Massey Alexander Miranda Kyle Reyes Frida Vega Salomonsson Nayquan Shuler

Hypebeast® Is a registered Trademark of Hypebeast Hong Kong Limited

Contributing Market Editor Nia Groce

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Editorial Director Petar Kujundzic Editor-In-Chief Arby Li Senior Editorial Project Manager Serena Cheng Visuals Editor Jade Chung

Senior Social Media Coordinator Priyashi Nahata

Advertising Paul Le Fevre, EMEA Huan Nguyen, USA Tiff Shum, APAC Advertise@Hypebeast.com Hypebeast.com/Advertise Contact 10th Floor 100 Kwai Cheong Road Kwai Chung Hong Kong +852 3563 9035 Magazine@Hypebeast.com

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Givenchy Technical Windbreaker in Nylon Available at Givenchy

Patagonia Micro D® Snap-T® Fleece Pulloverin Ultra Pink Available at Patagonia

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OVER THE TOP

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VICTORY LAP

All Trophies by Tiffany & Co.

MLB® The Commissioner’s Trophy

USTA® US Open® Trophy

MLS® All-Star Home Run Derby® Trophy

PGA Tour ® FedExCup® Trophy

NFL® Vince Lombardi Super Bowl® Trophy

NBA® Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy

MLS® Philip F. Anschutz Trophy

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NOT FOR CEREAL

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Cartier Santos De Cartier CRWJSA0010

Montblanc Heritage Automatic 126464

Roger Dubuis Excalibur The Knights of the Round Table

Omega Speedmaster Professional Apollo 11 50th Anniversary in Steel On Steel

Montblanc Heritage Manufacture Pulsograph Limited Edition 100

Rolex Rolex Oyster Perpetual Daytona in Yellow Gold, 40mm, with Oysterflex Bracelet

IWC Portofino Portofino Automatic 34

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Tiffany & Co. Tiffany 1837 Makers 22mm Square Watch

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KEEPING TIME

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Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Unique Series

Seiko Limited Edition Diver’s Prospex Black Series ‘Sumo’ Automatic Black Dial Silicone Strap

Cartier Santos De Cartier Chronograph Watch, Extra-Large Model, Steel & 18k Yellow Gold Duo-Tone Grand Seiko SBGC230 From Grand Seiko Sport Collection

Rolex Rolex Cellini Moonphase in Everose Gold, 39mm

Omega Seamaster Diver 300m Co‑Axial Master Chronometer 42mm 007, Edition 007 Edition, Titanium On Nato Strap Omega Seamaster Professional Diver 300m, Sedna™ Gold on Rubber Strap

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LYD O

Hailing from southern California, Lydo Le has made her name in New York’s underground scene with a mix of heady, fast-paced techno trance that can range from “sweet to moody, but it’s always sexy,” she says. Having already made appearances on Boiler Room and at Berlin’s infamous Berghain, she has been steadily gaining a legion of global fans. Despite her star continuing to rise, community remains at the core of her music. Her line of rave gear—X-TRA GEAR—was borne from a desire to create practical rave items such as waist bags, water bottles and waterproof bags that she and her friends needed on the dancefloor. Lydo has also expanded X-TRA into a series of parties, where the goal is to create an inclusive, safe space for everyone. Whatever is going on in the world, we should all be free to just dance.

Lydo Q&A How would you describe your music to the uninitiated?

If by uninitiated you mean non-raver, I would say my music is pretty accessible. It’s so important to me to get people dancing. I play a lot of fast-paced techno-trance.

It’s melodic and can range from sweet to moody, but it’s always sexy. I also like to infiltrate that techno with different elements of music from other genres that I like and listen to. So there’s always a hint of familiarity, I’ve been told, even if it’s your first time listening.

INTERVIEW VANESSA LEE PHOTOGRAPHY NAYQUAN SHULER

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What kind of music do you listen to on an everyday basis?

It really depends on what mood I’m in that day. I can go for hours listening to techno mixes, R&B and things I grew up listening to (which included a lot of Craig David).

What was the catalyst moment that made you start X-TRA? I knew I was ready for something, but I wasn’t quite sure what it was exactly, or how I would do it. I didn’t have a specific plan. I started with printing the logo “X-TRA” on a bunch of reflective slap-bracelets. At first I was just going to give them out to my friends, so we could find each other in the dark at this techno camp we were going to upstate. But then I just started handing them out to everyone. I remember looking around at one point, and all these wrists were flashing all over the dance floor. I started developing more items as a response to what my friends and I felt was a general lack of practical rave gear. I started making more things for my friends and me. I made the rave bag [elastic waist bags], then the waterproof fanny pack for festivals—a pool party essential. Then I realized people really liked them and wanted their own. That’s how it all started—the parties came later.

Describe X-TRA gear? Why is it important to you to make rave gear?

X-TRA is practical rave gear. It’s important to me mainly because there wasn’t any. Or if there were, they were products that sort of fulfilled our needs but not fully.

I noticed that my friends and I would go out to raves and always be complaining about something or missing something, so I wanted to create a small line of extremely useful items made specifically for us and our needs. Of course, the bags and water bottles can be used or worn outside the context of a rave, but a rave is where this gear really thrives. I like to personalize the gear with small messages too, because it’s always been for the community.

When you know, you know.

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Can you tell us how you started DJing?

When I was younger I used to spend hours getting high and listening to so much music. I still do that. I’ve always known I wanted to do something with music, so I waited until I could afford my own equipment and just kept practicing at home. I really just taught myself how to DJ three years ago.

The first time I DJ’ed was at my house. But the first time I DJ’ed to a crowd was at a small rave, in a kind of DIY space. I remember a lot of people showing up to hear me play and it was a really f*cked-up set, in a good way!

What was your most memorable gig?

My most memorable gigs are always the ones where my fam comes out to support and surround me while I’m playing, and I can see them going crazy and having fun.

I would have to say the most memorable yet was the last time I played Säule at Berghain in Berlin. Almost 30 friends flew out to see me play. I also met two artists I follow on SoundCloud, who flew in from Australia and caught my set. That was wild.

Tell me about the first ever X-TRA party?

The first X-TRA party fully transformed the basement space it was held in. I brought in my own lighting and sound. It was iconic. I brought in a hazer, and it was so foggy that people couldn’t see where the door was!

I ended up integrating that into the visual identity of the following parties’ flyers.

What does being “underground” entail when you can look up anyone or anything online?

Underground doesn’t necessarily mean exclusive or inaccessible. Or maybe it does, insofar as keeping ravers feeling safe at a party to fully express themselves. I think it’s good for underground efforts, especially creative ones, to gain the right kind and amount of exposure and get noticed. Because at the end of the day, it costs money, and publicity can sometimes help with that by bringing in a bigger crowd. It can be a bit tricky sometimes, though, finding the right balance. When it comes to my parties, for example, it’s always been about quality, not quantity. It’s always been about the music. So I think I’m always working on maintaining this balance of how big to let my parties or my brand get so that the essence of my message doesn’t get watered down, and so nobody’s experience is sacrificed.

Can you name three tracks you’d play for someone you’re introducing to trance and techno?

“Nuclear Hyde” - Accelerator “The Advent” - Farencounters “Funeral Future” - Blue Euphoria

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MILES GREENBERG

Only 22 years old, Miles Greenberg can name numerous research projects abroad, a residency at Palais de Tokyo, and a mentorship with the grandmother of performance ´ among his list of achievements. Drawing art, Marina Abramovic, inspiration from the Japanese dance form of butoh and voodoo rituals in Haiti, the Québécois performance artist pushes his body to its limit with hours-long performances. Greenberg’s most recent performance, inspired by Tarkovsky’s 1972 Solaris, spanned seven hours at New York City’s Perrotin Gallery: mirrors covered the columns, flowers were scattered across the floor and corn syrup dripped from the ceiling. Greenberg stood on a rotating rock in the middle of it all, holding a magnolia branch overhead: “You can’t ever be in more pain in art than you are in your real life.”

Miles Greenberg Q&A When did your relationship to art begin?

I grew up completely immersed in it. My mom was an actress when I was very young and took me on tour with her in Europe instead of to daycare. In lieu of learning how to share with other kids, I was surrounded by Slavic clowns and absurdist theater performers.

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Why did you gravitate towards performance art over other artistic mediums?

I always wanted to be a sculptor, and I still consider myself one now—privately, to myself. My pieces evolve in my brain a lot more like sculptures than performances. Performance

PHOTOGRAPHY EDDIE LEE LIGHTING ASSISTANT DAVID ZHU

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Each of your performances is like an open-ended ritual with no beginning or end, which reminds me of Buddhist principles of no birth and no death. Can you explain how this practice informs your work?

I can remember thinking about death from as early as I can remember. There was never a time when I thought I could live forever. For durational pieces, I think I just need that amount of time. If you think you’ve made a breakthrough with a work of art, do it for six more hours or stare at it for seven. When I’m on that rock with corn syrup dripping on me, I’m absolutely nowhere else in my brain than right there.

If you can just be present with something, you’ll be shocked with how much deeper you can excavate it. I was really surprised by how many people told me they stayed for hours. I always want to give my audience maximum agency.

Why I do what I do is to give people the freedom to leave whenever they need to. When offered control over their experience, an audience is much more receptive. That’s why I do the durational thing.

What is your mindset when you’re performing these long pieces?

You train yourself not to think about time. I’ll sit in an infrared sauna sweating my life out for 60 minutes and challenge myself not to look at the clock. As soon as you think about time in these situations, you’re cooked—you can’t. There’s always a point halfway through a performance when I think it’s the last 30 minutes. And you have to accept at any given moment whatever pain you’re in—this state needs to be sustainable for the rest of your life. Your body knows how to persevere. You have everything you need, ultimately. That’s kind of been my baseline for a while. inherently has this narrative of beginning, end and middle progression that I don’t necessarily identify with. My ideal art viewing experience is to put on my headphones and listen to Radiohead and walk through the Louvre— in the marble halls, specifically. I love seeing these bodies on pedestals and having the sensation of quietude and anonymity. Human anatomy is very touching to me and very romantic, and that’s the feeling I want to replicate. That’s kind of where I’m operating from.

You’ve said that you’re not religious, yet your work exudes a kind of divine or spiritual essence.

I’m interested in what people’s bodies do in religion.

There’s humility, washing feet… there’s all these different forms we take. There’s so much choreography to religious ceremonies. I went to Haiti and witnessed some of the most amazing dance in my life during these voodoo rituals I would attend, and I think it’s this thing throughout human history that we always seek out forms with our bodies that evoke and translate the divine. Religious or not, people respond to that physical sense. I’m really interested in what moves people on that level.

How do you want people to experience a performance?

I’m trying to meet people where they are. Performance art is often opaque and obscure and has this connotation of being forced to sit or stand in a white box for a preset 45 minutes and, honestly, I have a really short attention span.

I always want to start before the public enters and end after they exit. I have these conditions and rules of how the thing unfolds. People should be greeted with something that feels like an infinite gesture. That’s what sculpture is.

An infinite gesture that goes out.

If there were no physical or mental limits to the human body, what would you want to do?

I think I'm doing those things so far. I had one weird dream where I walked across the ocean on stilts, and I haven’t done that yet. But I’ll let you know. You can’t ever be in more pain in art than you are in your real life.

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BIANCA SAUNDERS

London's menswear rising star Bianca Saunders’ designs act as a counterpoint to traditional representations of gender and masculinity, with menswear staples including shirting and trousers reworked with details normally associated with womenswear. The challenges to classic stories of black masculinity are essential to Saunders’ work, extending far beyond the clothing itself. Saunders’ presentation for Fall/Winter 2019 was set in a bedroom, while her Fall/Winter 2020 presentation was inspired by peep shows in London’s Soho. “The idea of secret intimacy has been a massive thread,” Saunders adds. “How do you expose intimacy publicly?”

Bianca Saunders Q&A Your clothes are twists on classic masculinity, bringing in feminine influences. Why is that the approach you went for?

Just as myself, I would like to be able to wear the clothes, but I don’t want it to look like womenswear on men. I want it to look completely different on a man than a woman. I want it to surprise people in terms of what way it can go. I think a lot more now, men are looking for something different.

INTERVIEW JACK STANLEY PHOTOGRAPHY AMBER DIXON

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How does your work try to challenge masculinity?

I think when I try to challenge it, it’s with guys who are slightly feminine who are almost missed out in the conversation around gender. I think it’s through trying to be more subtle, giving it subtle twists and changes.

You mentioned your friends, but where else do you look for inspiration?

Conversations or memories. My recent collection is based around dancehall culture and looking at VHS videos— just remembering my dad buying those videos and watching them; also, my friends going to those parties— and watching the videos to see if they’re in them. It’s quite an interesting culture. Just trying to use things that are close to me, so I can pick up on them and understand what they’re about, rather than trying to figure out something that’s so distant from myself.

Why did you want to work in menswear?

What interests me is that menswear has a lot more rules.

There’s a certain way that you do tailoring, a certain way that a trouser has to fold, so that it’s a man’s trouser, or a certain way that a jacket has to fold over. I thought those things were really fascinating. They gave me boundaries in terms of how I can push it in a way that’s different to what is expected of it.

Your show for that collection also mixed movement and performance. How does that relate to what you’re doing around masculinity?

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With dancehall culture, it’s usually a woman in front of the camera with the guys standing farther back. I thought it would be quite interesting to switch that around, with the guys dancing in front. They’re just dancing; they’re having fun. The idea of the booths came from a peep show I saw years ago, when Soho was still a bit seedy. I wanted to base it on the idea that you’ve seen something almost sexual and you only get a peep of it. They went into the booth, danced for a bit and then went out.

is a way to make it feminine. Having a sophisticated way to bring in feminine elements, playing with ideas around proportion and shape. It has been quite challenging, but I feel like I’ve done exactly what I’ve set out to do.

You worked with your family for the Spring/Summer 2020 campaign. Why is that something you wanted to do?

At the time, I felt that my work was removed from myself. I wanted to bring myself back to the people I’m actually around all the time. Ronan McKenzie shoots a lot of personal work that includes her mum or includes her cousins, so we spoke about it and it just made sense to shoot my family. Familiarity was a massive theme throughout the collection.

You also showed a collection in a bedroom for Spring/ Summer 2020.

The idea of secret intimacy has been a massive thread.

How do you expose intimacy publicly? I like reading everyone else’s secrets. I want people to see things they’ve never really picked up on. I don’t want my work to be a reference collection; it should always go beyond that.

What do you mean when you said you felt removed from your work?

I think the beginning stage of starting a brand involves questioning yourself a lot. Do I want to be in my own campaigns? Do I want to make my work so personal that it exposes a lot about me? After a while, it started to lack the element of who I actually am and what I’m about.

Then, the last collection, where I did put myself more into the brand or show more of who I am, it’s the best work I’ve done. It’s authentic to me.

Why were these different aspects of black masculinity something you wanted to talk about?

At the time, there was an exhibition at the Photographers’ Gallery of black masculinity and dandyism, which was curated by Ekow Eshun. Then there was also the conversation on Instagram about “Black Boy Joy.” A lot of people were doing photoshoots around black masculinity, and I felt it became a bit the same. It wasn’t fully representative of people I actually knew. It was guys in pink or guys with flowers or in some field. I thought there were ways to show softness, empathy and vulnerability without pushing it that way. It was just showing how I see the people around me.

What do you want to do next?

I think just making the brand survive and see it grow in terms of becoming a household name. That’s my longterm goal. Being able to see people in the street wearing my clothes—I see it on Instagram, but I’ve never passed someone. Those things make me really excited. It’s all the small things.

How do you think you display vulnerability in your work?

It’s effeminate, but it doesn’t overtly reveal skin. Usually skin

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YUTO HORIGOME

Yuto Horigome has been skateboarding since he was seven years old. The Tokyo-born skater, currently based in Los Angeles, turned pro last May and is a contender for the 2020 Olympics taking place in his hometown—the first time skateboarding will appear as an Olympic sport. This is a pivotal moment on both macro and micro levels, yet Horigome remains composed—serene, even.

“If I qualify for the Olympics,” he says, carefully, “I would be really excited to skate for my country.” His family, too, is ecstatic. But skating is in his blood: the first skateboard he hopped on was his father’s.

Yuto Horigome Q&A Growing up in Japan, how did you first get into skating? How did you keep up with skate culture?

Were there magazines you followed or skate films and videos you watched?

My dad was a skater. And I’ve been seeing him skate since I was so young, so of course I wanted to do it too. My dad was the one who showed me my first skate video, actually.

He showed me Fully Flared.

INTERVIEW VANESSA LEE PHOTOGRAPHY ASATO IIDA

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What’s your first-ever memory of being on a skateboard?

My first time I wasn’t actually skating at all. I was a little kid riding my dad’s skateboard. I was sitting down.

Growing up, who is, or was, your favorite skater?

Guy Mariano, Eric Koston, Mike Carroll, Gino Iannucci and Shane O’Neill.

When did you realize you could go pro? How old were you?

I’ve been skating since I was seven, and dreaming of going pro since I was 12.

What is it that you like about skating in competitions?

Competitions are a different level of skating. It’s almost a different kind of sport, too, than when you’re chilling at the skatepark or something. You don’t get that kind of feeling all the time. It’s fun to push yourself.

How would you describe your skating style?

I just like to have fun.

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Tell us about the teams and brands you skate for.

How did some of those relationships come about?

I skate for Nike SB and April Skateboards. My former team manager, Bill Weiss, introduced me to some people at Nike. I went on a trip with Mike Sinclair, who manages the team, and they liked me and put me on the team. April was because Shane and I became friends, and he liked my skating.

Tell me about the last competition you were in.

I competed in the 26th Tampa Pro, but I came down with the flu, so I missed the semi-finals. I had to fly home instead.

What about other sports? Is there anything else you play?

I like to play basketball with my friends.

How has it been transitioning to living and skating in US? When I was young, I would always dream about, you know, what it would be like to live in the States. Then I actually moved here. At first, it was way harder than I thought it would be. But now I’m surrounded by so many good people.

Living here is great; it’s been really fun so far.

Who do you count as family in the US, and how did you meet?

My family in the US? They’re my friends Dashawn Jordan and Andrew Nicolaus. I met them both at a contest. They were the ones who helped me learn a lot about the US. Coming here, living here—they made it so much easier.

I live with them right now. It’s so much fun. That’s onehalf of my family here. The other half is Shane O’Neill and everyone at April Skateboards.

How would you describe the differences between the skate scenes in Tokyo and Los Angeles?

I’ve got to say, Los Angeles is really where the skateboard scene is at. Everything skate-related is in Los Angeles.

All the companies, skateparks and good spots—they’re all in LA. In Tokyo, the skate scene is pretty small but still cool in its own way. We have some interesting spots there, and a small, more intimate scene.

Do you have favorite spots to skate in LA? Cruising downtown spots is the best.

How are you feeling about the upcoming Olympics?

If I qualify for the Olympics, I would be really excited to skate for my country.

How has your diet and fitness routine changed since you went pro and also started preparing for the Olympics?

You wanna know my secret? Sushi. Lots of sushi!

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Eli Russell Linnetz & Adrian Joffe in Conversation 030

ELI RUSSELL LINNETZ

Adrian Joffe: Hello?

Eli Russell Linnetz: Hi. Adrian?

Adrian: Who is that?

Eli: Eli. Adrian: Oh, hi! How you doing?

Eli: Good. How are you?

Adrian: Good. This is weird.

Eli: What the f*ck is going on?

Adrian: Do you want to ask me questions?

Eli: No, no. You're asking me questions.

Adrian: Oh God. Okay then. What are you doing right now?

Eli: I just got back from the beach. I went on a walk, and now I'm going through the images we shot for this interview.

We shot them at the studio yesterday. I got a bunch of my friends and people I surf with, and we took some portraits at our studio.

Adrian: Are they going to be as good as the ones we took in Paris? Because I really liked those ones. They were really odd.

Eli: You thought they were okay?

Adrian: More than okay. I thought they were amazing.

They were things that you'd never seen before. That's what I like about you: you do things that I've never seen before.

Eli: I feel like I'm boring, but thanks. The ones from yesterday are much better, though.

Eli Russell Linnetz is a photographer, designer, producer, director, famous friend, avid surfer, Venice Beach lover, Paris hater, mischief maker and truth teller, but is a born collaborator above all else.

With the support and encouragement of Comme des Garçons’ Adrian Joffe, Linnetz’s latest project is a clothing collection stamped by his initials, ERL.

Adrian: What are you going to do with the ones that we did in Paris and the ones we've done now? What are the differences? How's it all going to combine?

Eli: The ones shot in Paris were using European models.

The ones that I just shot are like…

Exclusively for this issue, Eli rounded up friends and fellow surfers with the aim of shooting his new collection. But what emerged was a series on the essence of Venice Beach, which one could argue is a portrait of Eli himself. We eavesdropped on him and Adrian talking about it:

Adrian: Cool, American, Venice Beach people whom you love?

Eli: Yeah, my friends.

Adrian: Well, why did you bother to come to Europe in the first place?

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ELI RUSSELL LINNETZ

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Eli: You made me.

different because there were things that I hadn't explored from last season that I wanted to continue. I try not to be reactionary, but you can't help it after being in gloomy Paris.

It becomes this natural evolution. I know it's silly because it's just so superficial. But, somehow, it does feel important.

Adrian: I did. I like making you do things.

Eli: We're going to just do it all in Venice now.

Adrian: Why is it important to you to do fashion?

You do so many other things. You're so busy! You're an actor, writer, stage director, you make videos for people…

Why is it important to you to make t-shirts and things like that? Why do you want to be a brand?

Eli: I don't think that's important. I just want to do it.

Adrian: It doesn't feel superficial. Stop demeaning yourself.

Stop saying you're boring and you're superficial because I don't think you are.

Eli: Okay.

Adrian: The thing is, you hate gloomy Paris. Maybe we should do the exhibition somewhere else. What do you think about the contrast of where you're coming from— with the sunlight, sunshine, and happiness? You bring all that light to Paris. It's a nice contrast to bring that as a kind of presence. I think that's what I like about you showing in Paris. Do you think that's relevant?

Eli: Absolutely. I just hate leaving my home. I think it was really wonderful being with you at the space you guys have in Place Vendôme. It was just such a beautiful space.

It was really interesting seeing people so excited by the colors, things that my friends and I take for granted, perhaps. That was really special. And I think it’s necessary.

The collision of things propels you forward and sets you off in new directions, as opposed to being too comfortable.

Adrian: Nice answer. Isn't it just another way to express yourself? You're who you want to be. Isn't it just another way to kind of deal with that?

Eli: I feel like I have worked for other people for such a long time. This just happened to be the medium that was right in front of me when I needed an escape. So it actually was very therapeutic and meditative to just kind of sit down in a room with a blank piece of paper, close my eyes and just think about the things that are important. I live in Venice Beach, so I thought about that, my friends and what I wore growing up. It was funny—right before I did this collection, I moved into a new space and got rid of all the clothes that I own, which is a bit silly. But I did that because I wanted to start thinking about what I need to fill myself with. If you have so much stuff in front of you, it’s hard to think about what you need or what you want.

Adrian: You're too comfortable, and too comfortable didn't make anything ever that’s worth its salt. You have to have discomfort to make something.

Eli: That's what I love about working with you as well. You’re always honest and you always challenge me. I hate people that aren’t like that.

Adrian: I think that was a very good thing to do.

Eli: Even just the color of the studio. It's all-white with beautiful plywood floors. When you have a blank space then you start thinking, what are the colors that make me happy? It's almost like therapy. It was just very natural and intuitive. I'm excited about the next collection too, which we just turned in.

Adrian: I really enjoy taking you out of your comfort zone.

Eli: I want to kill you half the time, but I love it. It was great being in Paris because I've always been on the periphery of fashion. As much as I am knowledgeable about certain things, there's some things you can't know until you're just there and going to all the shows. So, it was very exciting and I loved the Homme Plus show. I loved how low-key it was. It was unpretentious. It was what it was and then it left. It was inspiring.

Adrian: I saw some pictures today. It looks amazing.

It’s like starting from zero, which is a really good place to start. We also always start from zero. I wonder, are you going to do that every time? This is the first time, right?

Trying to think of everything from zero, but what about the next time? You're not starting from zero every time.

Eli: What we did this season was, we cleared the studio again and we kind of took everything out. It was a bit

Adrian: Just clothes. What about the future, Eli? Do you

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think it's always going to be about Venice? Or do you think maybe your mind will take you somewhere else? Or haven't you really thought about that yet?

Eli: No, I've already planned the next 15 collections.

Seriously. I just hadn’t told you yet because I didn't want to scare you.

Adrian: But is it always Venice, Venice, Venice? I know it's based there and it's who you are, but maybe it's going to go somewhere, even if it's somewhere mentally different.

Do you think in your next fifteen collections you're going to do that?

Eli: I think the essence of Venice will always be there.

Even when we did the shoot for this editorial—sorry, I hate that word “editorial.” So dumb. But when we did the shoot for this— Adrian: Don't ever use that word again.

Eli: I'm just going to not. When we shot the images for this interview, it was so fun seeing people that go to my high school, some that I surf with and some that just rolled through with their friends. You get caught up in other worlds and other relationships, and your brain goes so many different ways. But it was so great to see just how wonderful the people that go to my high school are. They're genuinely such awesome people. It's a very specific energy, and it reminded me that that energy lives within me. It's a special thing growing up.

Adrian: And you probably will always have it. I can imagine that energy, that upbringing, those people that you grew up with and feel so comfortable with can go to other places.

It goes to other realms and always keeps that same energy.

That's what I'm excited to see in the future.

Eli: Yeah, 100 percent. It's a very present personality, but it's also a very laid-back lifestyle. So it's like, you're living for the moment but also open to whatever comes your way. I'm very specific in terms of what I'm attracted to. But the worlds are endless. And I’m excited for you to find out what's in my mind as well. Right now we have the readyto-wear stuff, but eventually it's going to get pretty wacka-doodle.

Adrian: I look forward to that because there always has to be progress. Like I said, you have to move out of your

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comfort zone one day. Also, I think there's no more borders.

It’s an old way of thinking. Like, I'm a fashion designer, I do this, but we can do so many other things together—we could write books, we could make music, we can do a film, there's loads of things. I want you to be as free as possible.

That's how I like to work with people—let them just express themselves in whichever way they want to, rather than just you making clothes. That's what I think is exciting about you because you've done so many things, and I think there’s so many more things that you are capable of doing.

Eli: Thank you for giving me the freedom. I feel like we can just leave on that note. The most frustrating thing about being an artist is not having someone to support you. Because it takes so much energy to trust yourself, you know? I'm forever grateful that you believe in me and that we're able to explore all these realms together.

Adrian: I'm forever grateful to you, Eli, because one-way streets aren't interesting for me. So as much as you say I give you, it's exactly what you give me. You give me the energy. You give me a new way of looking at things. It has to be like that to be the best, you know? So I think we can thank each other for meeting and somehow getting on together. I think it’s important to have it like two-way streets, and hopefully we'll do more amazing things. I really think we will. So what are you going to have for breakfast?

Eli: Oh, we just cooked up bacon. Oh no! I shouldn’t say that since you don't eat bacon… We just cooked up a wonderful breakfast at the studio next door.

Adrian: Don't worry. I used to love bacon.

Eli: We made some amazing granola with some berries and…

Adrian: Oh f*ck off.

Eli: …banana. We did! I'll send you a picture.

Adrian: And did you have hemp milk with your cereal?

Eli: No. Oat milk.

Adrian: Oat milk, that's okay. That'll do fine. What are you reading at the moment? What's your book of the day?

Eli: I don't want to say the name because I'm going to make it into a movie.

Adrian: I'm very pleased you read.

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“THE MOST FRUSTRATING THING ABOUT BEING AN ARTIST IS NOT HAVING SOMEONE TO SUPPORT YOU. BECAUSE IT TAKES SO MUCH ENERGY TO TRUST YOURSELF, YOU KNOW?”

Adrian: Yes, I remember that. We haven't worked out who's who, but it will be worked out one day.

Eli: You thought I was lying to impress you. You were like, you haven't read that book.

Adrian: I know, because it was written before you were even conceived. Hopefully even before your parents were born. So it was kind of astounding that you knew that, but that's our connection.

Eli: It's like I've run out of things to lie about, because everything I've lied about has come true.

Adrian: I like that notion of being—what'd you call it?

—of being vindicated in retrospect.

Eli: It's pushed me into just being myself, which is always scary.

Adrian: That's the most important thing.

Eli: It’s tormenting to be yourself, really.

Adrian: I think that's the way to go forward. You can't deny that life is about pain, but if you find value in the pain, then you can really enjoy the happiness that comes afterwards.

That's what I believe.

Eli: Absolutely. You have to step through all the bullsh*t to find what's really important. It always comes down to this egotistical thing, but at the end of the day we only have ourselves. Once you know who you are, you're able to let in certain people and really surround yourself with amazing energy. You can be your own bodyguard or doorman.

Eli: It's a really exciting book. This was the first book I've read in so long. It found me in a funny way. I told my friend, I just found this book. She's was like, “I've been telling you for four years to read this book,” blah blah blah.

But I got it through another person. It's funny when you read something that is so you, and you're like, wow. It’s comforting, but in a way that opens up and unlocks a new part of who you are.

Adrian: How long do we have to go on with this?

Eli: I think that we can be done now.

Adrian: Sounds amazing.

Eli: Not in a narcissistic or egotistical way, but like a reflection of myself in these words. An affirmation. It’s just an exciting way of seeing.

Adrian: It was very interesting to talk to you, Eli, and I hope to see you very soon again.

Eli: I just feel like we never talk about anything real when we're together. So this was a good catch-up.

Adrian: It's more a case of identification rather than it being about you.

Eli: Remember when we first met? We super bonded over [Herman Hesse’s novel] Narcissus and Goldmund. I got you a really cool book that I still need to send to you. It's coming.

Adrian: Let's make sure we do that next time. We have to find the time.

Eli: I will absolutely see you soon.

Adrian: Okay. Cool.

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Fangirling with Thundercat WORDS

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Well, less with fashion and more with clothing. His style is both intimate and unapologetic, demonstrated by a penchant for on-stage style that ranges from a hoodie and face-obscuring shades to a Dragon Ball costume.

Thundercat plays the bass. He plays it very well. He’s also very good at singing, writing and producing music.

These are common, welldocumented Thundercat facts, obvious even to casual fans of the Los Angeles-born virtuoso.

Unless you’ve seen Thundercat perform live, however, you may not realize that the multitalented Grammy winner, born Stephen Lee Bruner, is obsessed with fashion.

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Clothing has a lot to do with Bruner’s larger-than-life persona; it reflects his willingness to reshape boundaries, starting with his own wardrobe. Of course, having such personal attachments to his clothing means the clothes get worn, and worn frequently. When we join Bruner in his hotel room, clothing is scattered across the floor, bed and bathroom. Prized layering pieces are hung in the closet, and a Pikachu-laden backpack is given pride of place amidst a small pile of Louis Vuitton bags beneath the TV, currently displaying the title screen of Samurai Showdown. Bruner’s wardrobe is democratic, in a sense; vintage kimonos and well-worn Naruto tees are just as valuable as luxury labels.

Bruner comes from a family of ultra-talented musicians: his father was a sought-after drummer and his mother a flutist. Both of his brothers have been up for Grammys. His brother, Ronald, even picked one up six years before Bruner earned a prize for his work on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly. Along with the much-praised Thundercat records for his pal Flying Lotus’s Brainfeeder label, Bruner has worked with acts as diverse as Kamasi Washington, Erykah Badu, Travis Scott and California thrash band Suicidal Tendencies.

His diverse repertoire is reflected in his personality, as conversations with Bruner veer from his deep respect for guitarist Nile Rodgers to the finer points of King of the Hill (the Mike Judge cartoon, not the song of the same name off his new record, It Is What It Is).

Bruner doesn’t dabble. He commits fully, or not at all.

This approach often leaves him sweating and steaming onstage, tearing at the bass; it informs his clothing choices as readily as it does his music. “There was a moment in life—I think I was about 15—where I was like, ‘I’ll never wear a suit.’ And I still haven’t,” he states plainly. “Something about [wearing] a suit to me—it’s a weird confinement.” Bruner’s collection of clothing isn’t a nascent hobby; it’s a manifestation of his psyche—one of many. As our conversation flits from anime to jazz to Jeff Bridges, so too does his wardrobe, unifying Jedis and genderless runways with an otherworldly sensibility that could belong only to Thundercat.

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Q&A

Let's start with the process of beginning an album.

What is that like for you?

I think I just write with the intent of creating. At some point there is a stopping point—usually denoted by Flying Lotus—and [we] start to sift through.

Is there an interconnectedness throughout your work?

Always. There's a linear or symbiotic flow to it. Absolutely.

Where does the name for your music come from— songs, albums?

I usually go with how I feel.

It is what it is.

Yeah. The title usually shows itself or makes itself known throughout the process.

I wanted to touch on another recent project: what was it like working with Shinichiro Watanabe on Carole and Tuesday?

It was awesome, it was everything I thought it would be.

He was very understanding that it's a bit of an emotional process creating the music. It was a lot of ebb and flow.

He had specific things that he wanted and I was apt. I'm just like, “This guy created some of my favorite anime and I would be d*mned if I didn't try my hardest,” you know.

And I did and he liked it. He felt like it was exactly what he envisioned, I think.

When I finally got the chance to meet him, I completely fan-girled. I'm not even going to say fan-boyed—I fan-girled as soon as I saw him. [In between] the first meeting and the second, I got a Cowboy Bebop tattoo. I showed it to him. and he laughed like, “Oh really?” I was like, “Yeah.” It's always Bebop. The truth is, space is the place, man. Space is always the place.

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The craft.

Yeah.

Besides the craft, what else draws you to a piece?

I'm an illustrator. I've been drawing just as long as I've played bass. I'm very attracted to colors, shapes and lines— anything that's challenging in the right way. I love stuff like that.

Something I don't talk about a lot is I lost a lot of weight rather quickly over the last year. And interestingly enough, [Japanese labels] have become even more appealing to me. Some of the pieces have roots in the anime nerd in me.

Fist of the North Star, Dragon Ball Z, Evangelion. Some of those pieces are pretty limited-run, so there’s also this exclusivity. I’m somewhere between being a collector and a person that's into the lines and shapes.

[When] I was in Suicidal Tendencies, there would be funny moments. Somebody would throw a beer bottle at me because I'm walking onstage wearing a nine-tailed fox [T-shirt].

But some people would get it. “Oh, that's crazy. That's a Naruto shirt.”

Let’s talk about fashion. When we spoke to Flying Lotus, he immediately mentioned your name when we started talking about clothing because you gave him the Dragon Ball Z adidas.

Yeah. [Laughs]

So your style, the love for craftsmanship, anime—it didn’t really change as your music career developed.

No, I was always this guy. If I showed you a picture of me at a younger age, I was just about the same. The clothes that did make me feel comfortable, I stuck with them. [My taste] is almost childlike in that way.

What is your relationship with fashion?

I’ve always been into the design of stuff. I think clothing is another form of art to express yourself. It's like, what do you believe in? I like to challenge myself a lot. It's exciting.

The diversity is so interesting. I see a Dragon Ball Z jacket in your suitcase and a pile of Kapital. A hoodie, fleece— I'm literally buying everything. You don't want to walk in the Kapital store after me.

I always joke about being arrested in development, but a lot of the time that's only based on what you're not doing.

It doesn't mean you're not an adult. You get old enough, you are an adult. Straight up. But what draws me to stuff?

Sometimes you want to be a ship, sometimes you want to be a trash can, sometimes you want to be a star, or sometimes you want to be a car.

There’s Greg Lauren over here, Louis Vuitton over there.

Where does this general appreciation come from?

I'm a fan of perspective and concept, bringing something new to the table. These brands like Louis Vuitton and Gucci, they've been around forever. But by working with Dapper Dan or Virgil Abloh, they're showing people what to do, even if it took them a million years to do it. It took us a million years to get a black president, too. But when it happened, you got to appreciate these moments where they're taking steps out of the norm.

It's one of those things. “Today, I feel like this.” A lot of the time we're discouraged from doing that because it's not mature. F*ck that notion. That's bullsh*t.

Which fashion brands or designers inspire you?

I love Rad Hourani. I feel like a lot of people followed his lead at one point. I actually got a chance to meet him and tell him I appreciated his brand. Junya Watanabe, of course.

Kapital. Virgil's out here kicking *ss and taking names.

Rick Owens. Dries van Noten is another one. He is always just on some out sh*t, you know.

Still, I'm not the guy that's going to walk into the Gucci store and buy a pair of sneakers. I want to understand what the brand is trying to present. The style. The perspective.

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Sometimes it comes seasonally for me. There's moments where you’re totally in love with somebody's ideas, and then there's a moment like, “Man, was he asleep when this happened or what? Did anybody run this by him?” But you wait for those moments that are shining and gold.

When these gold moments happen you always wonder, “Why did it take so long?” Budgeting is a difficult thing, but when you see [those moments], the only way you can appreciate the clothes is to buy them. Somewhere between psychotic money spending, blowing through money, and actual inspiration, you find moments like that.

There was one moment that was really funny. I was in the UK right before the [2016] Grammys when I was there with Kendrick [Lamar]. Dries had just premiered some of his crazy hand-sewn stuff, and I wanted to wear [this one jacket] to the Grammys. But it was so expensive. It was ridiculous, but part of me didn't see the price like that.

There are limitations sometimes when these moments come about. You just accept it. But, at the same time, you still have to go for exactly what inspires you.

What goes through your head when you get dressed in the morning?

I try to have fun with it. There's so much choice. I usually wind up with a Dragon Ball shirt but also I love layering.

In LA, there's this notion that there’s no reason to have a jacket. I'm always bringing a jacket.

If I ever go out with one of my homegirls, I will be like, “You better bring a jacket. Don't ask me to take my jacket off because it probably took me two hours to get in it.

If it’s gonna be cold, that's your f*cking bad because I told you to bring a jacket.”

Do you have a signature piece of clothing? There must be one item that you wear that says: this is.

I think so, and I feel like I've seen a few brands wind up copying it. It's my shorts.

“SOMETIMES YOU WANT TO BE A SHIP, SOMETIMES YOU WANT TO BE A TRASH CAN, SOMETIMES YOU WANT TO BE A STAR, OR SOMETIMES YOU WANT TO BE A CAR.”

Your shorts.

My Muay Thai shorts.

They're actual Muay Thai shorts?

They are, but I did a bit of trimming, added patches.

Is it the shape, pattern, color—what is it about these shorts?

10k.Caash will tell you real quick he created “The Whoa.”

Well, I did this. I will definitely be the guy to take the credit for wearing Muay Thai shorts.

I remember when I decided to get them. It started with wearing American Apparel girls' running shorts because I got tired of the notion that guys always have to have

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Do you wear your shorts onstage? Do you care what you wear onstage?

I've always agreed with the notion that fashion is pain.

Sometimes you take the hit, but a lot of the time you don't want to. So yeah, the shorts wind up onstage a lot. I think one of my ex-girlfriends used to get angry because I just wouldn't wear any underwear with them, and she'd say, “Put some f*cking underwear on.” I was like, “Don't bug me about my shorts. These are my shorts.”

Have you ever had to delay a show because you weren't feeling your stage outfit?

No. The music has always come first. It's never really been a struggle. I know when to let go in that respect. I used to walk out with a giant wolf pelt on my head. I couldn't hear, you know; it'd be covering my ears. My peripheral vision would be cut off, and I need that to communicate with the band, but I would just be like, “Sure. That's what it comes with.” So, I've never not walked onstage, but I've definitely come out late a couple times.

It matters a little bit.

Oh yeah.

Do you talk to a lot of other people about clothing?

No, it's a personal situation. I don't like to talk to people about fashion because if you're not the kind of person that’s willing to take the risk and changes that I do, it's more like you observing or nitpicking what I'm doing. "Wow, that's weird," or, "Wow, I wouldn't do that." That's really obnoxious. It's one of those things where, when you find somebody you can share that with, it's still unspoken because you're just kind of existing in your own world.

It's more of an appreciation of the person's choice.

these knee-length shorts. I found a pair of Muay Thai shorts that really spoke to me, and I just started messing with them.

I'm not a designer, but sometimes you learn the in-and-out of things like that. I would take them to different tailors, cut them a little bit different, add something, take something away. They're still, to this day, my favorite pair of shorts.

I would take so much time with these shorts that I would feel like they were on the same level as a suit. I would try to go to the club in these shorts and they would be like, "You're not coming in here wearing those shorts." I’d forget for a second that these were just my shorts. You know what? As much money as I've spent on these shorts, if you're not going to let me in the club, I shouldn't be here anyway.

But I think one of the greatest [shopping] moments ever was actually me sitting at home and John Mayer texts me at three o'clock in the morning about the Visvim website.

He's like, "Go right now. If you don't, it's gone in two minutes." So [I went] to the website and started fighting over sandals. But it's like, three o'clock in the morning.

Do you give other people suggestions?

I try not to. Every now and again somebody tells me I should be a stylist. But it's just...

Every now and again you'll see moments where it trickled through everything. Everybody's making small, small shorts with a satin finish that are very Muay Thai-ish. But it's one of those things; those shorts for me are life. People are always looking. My mom will be looking for them. If someone comes over and spends the night or hangs out, they'll go straight for those shorts. They say, "Oh, I'll just put these on," and I'm like, "Take my f*cking shorts off. I know what you're trying to do.” There's been a couple people that tried to walk out the house with the shorts.

So it’s not the next career.

No. It's a personal thing, man. Sense of style is a personal thing. It only goes as far and wide as you do. You got to be willing to take risks. I've definitely walked down the street before and gotten laughed at. Every now and again, [I hear people say] "Look, it's Kanye." It's usually an Australian. But I still take that as a compliment because if that's how you see me, then good. Even if I look nothing like Kanye West, I'll take it. I believe in what I do.

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Despite their outlandish appearances, they seem to lead devoutly mundane lives—some are depicted mid-smoke-break in pensive solitude, while others are shown chugging beers alongside fellow oddballs.

Judging from their expressions, however, they appear satisfied in these everyday scenarios.

Ojanen injects these other-worldly characters into everyday scenarios to make the strange seem familiar.

His figures almost lean towards childishness at first glance, yet their faces show a nuanced complexity as their emotions range from dejection to ecstasy. There is also a sense of nostalgia, as each figure is hand-painted in delicate color palettes which call to mind vintage dolls perched on the shelves of many a grandmother’s home. The artist largely counts personal experiences and growing up in his hometown of Västerås, Sweden, as inspiration for the forms observed in his work.

When Ojanen approaches painting or sculpture, he first comes up with a crumb of a concept and wings it from there. This process is emphasized in his relationship with the materials: Ojanen favors a textured, roughedup canvas instead of a crisply painted one, and prefers bulgy, wonky molds instead of clean, symmetrical shapes for his sculptures.

Joakim Ojanen’s work is a feverish childhood dream immortalized in oil paintings, charcoal drawings, ceramic sculptures, and installations. Over the years, the Swedish artist has played maker to a cast of humanoid creatures and their wacko companions.

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The artist also enjoys holding exhibitions which have no direct references or narratives. In March 2019, Ojanen launched his most ambitious solo show to date at The Hole gallery in New York City. Titled Snake Pit, the exhibition included a series of large-scale paintings and ceramic works that featured a range of the artist’s quirky monsters, from snakes swimming in lava across a floor mural to sweaty dogs dangling from the ceiling, the crazed squad of characters seeming to invade the white-walled space.

His most recent exhibition in Hong Kong’s AISHONANZUKA gallery channels the same explosive energy with the artist deploying new droopy-eyed monsters across sculptures and paintings in a naturebased narrative. “The overall theme of this exhibition is the same that I've been working with always. It’s trying to find who I am, what it is to be a human today: relationships, loneliness, expressing feelings, self-doubt, among other things,” he says.

We connected with the artist to discuss the relationship between his paintings and sculptures, the evolution of his aesthetic, and his creative beginnings.

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You create ceramics, charcoal drawings, and oil paintings.

Which of these mediums came first? And how did you eventually go on to do the other two?

It started with drawings, mainly doodles in sketchbooks with fineliners. I published small zines with these drawings and did some screen prints based on them. After a while, when I felt they didn't evolve any longer, I started to look at other mediums. The paintings, I think, came just before I started with the ceramics but about the same time. At that point I got so into both of them that I pretty much stopped with the drawings. Two years ago, I picked up drawing again after three to four years of barely doing any drawings.

I started to use charcoal and fell in love with it.

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CHARCOAL DRAWING (2019) 42X59, 4CM CHARCOAL ON PAPER

OPPOSITE MY DAILY WORKOUT ROUTINE (2020) 60X80CM CHARCOAL ON PAPER

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Of those mediums mentioned, which one do you find yourself mostly occupied with? And is there any particular reason why?

I would say I spend about 70 percent of my time doing ceramics. Thirty percent is a mix of paintings, drawings and bronze sculptures. It depends a lot on what kind of mood I'm in. The paintings take a really long time and a lot of energy to finish. The way I usually paint is really repetitive.

If I do it for too many days in a row, that can cause some shoulder problems. If that wasn't the case, I would probably spend a little more time painting.

and the sculptures have been getting more playful and it's nice to see them evolve together.

From start to finish, describe your creative process in developing paintings and ceramics. What’s the most challenging step?

The paintings usually start with a small black-and-white sketch to get an idea of how I want the composition.

Afterwards, I sketch the lines onto the canvas and then it becomes a paint-by-numbers process. I initially choose three main colors, and once I get them on the canvas, I can see what's missing and decide on new colors for the rest of the parts.

Your work features mutated bodies and grotesque subjects in playful forms. What are the influences behind the subjects you create?

I think it's a fascination with pushing limits. It’s a matter of asking myself how far I can go with these different forms and body parts without losing the connection to the characters. I've also always been inspired by comic and animation artists, especially how they are able to distort characters and other things to introduce certain feelings.

Your artwork titles are equally interesting as their forms.

How do you come up with the names—“A Bossy Bird Claimed My Nose in the Park,” for example?

It has been a lot of fun naming them. I think both the titles

As I mentioned earlier, it's quite repetitive to make the shadows and the highlights. It's built up by a lot of small lines, almost like the way you would shadow a drawing.

It can sometimes feel like I'm in a trance while I'm painting.

The sculptures and drawings are improvised as I'm making them. I start with a vague idea and build from that. One thing leads to another. I take a step back, see what's missing, and then I continue to build on them until I feel satisfied. The coloring of the sculptures is quite similar to the way I do the paintings: I choose about three main colors and build the color palette from there.

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How has your style developed over time? Were your earliest creations extremely different from what you’re making currently?

The core of my style hasn't changed a lot, but it's slowly evolving all the time. I always find small things that I add to my “library,” and it's constantly growing. Some things I get tired of and stop using, but sometimes I can go back a few years and pick up something again that I haven't done for a while and make it in a new way.

“IT’S A MATTER OF ASKING MYSELF HOW FAR I CAN GO WITH THESE DIFFERENT FORMS AND BODY PARTS WITHOUT LOSING THE CONNECTION TO THE CHARACTERS.”

My skills are constantly getting better and better, so I can do more complex stuff now that I couldn't do before. And once you learn how to do something new, that will lead to more fresh ideas for what you could do next time.

Are you self-taught or did you attend art school? Tell us more about your creative journey to where you are now.

I'm pretty much self-taught. I did go to art school and got an MFA 2014 in Illustration at Konstfack – University of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm. But I never took any classes in ceramics or painting. I did a lot of screen printing at school and did painting and sculptures during evenings and weekends. My brother, Jakob Ojanen, who is five years older than me, is a painter too, so he has pushed me in this direction. We do quite different things. He does abstract painting and puts together found objects into sculptures

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has its own little art bubble, and a lot of times people seem interested only in what happens in Stockholm. But there can be a lot of people showing up at openings, and a few times a year it can feel quite vibrant and fun.

As a big fan of visual language, I think the contemporary art scene is quite fun right now. There's a lot of good painters and sculptors coming up all the time that are trying to push boundaries. There is also a lot of interest in trying different materials and seeing how to make new things with old techniques. It can be very liberating and free when people succeed, and, of course, many times it can also feel pretty forced and opportunistic. But I guess you can't have one without the other.

You have a show at AISHONANZUKA. Can you describe the new works on display?

The exhibition is called A Day in the Woods. It will consist of some ceramic sculptures that are in the same vein as the ones I've been doing the last one or two years. I'm constantly trying to push them forward and make them evolve into something new. There will be some new paintings. I took a six-month break from painting before this because they take so much energy from me to finish.

For the last two years, I've been doing a lot of charcoal drawings. It's been so much fun doing them, and there will be some new drawings in the show as well. For this exhibition, I've also done a big wood sculpture, and we also produced a smaller version of it for an edition.

This has been totally new for me and a lot of fun!

Other than AISHONANZUKA, what other projects are you currently working on?

I have two solo exhibitions coming up after this one. I'm doing my third solo show with Richard Heller Gallery in Los Angeles this fall. In 2021, I'm planning a big solo exhibition at the art museum in my hometown, Västerås, in Sweden.

That will be my biggest presentation so far.

which are really nice. But the most inspiring thing for me is probably just the fact that I've had someone close that has been brave enough to apply to art school, get in, and then pursue an art career.

How do you approach galleries to showcase your work and vice versa?

This is hard. It's only a few times that the galleries that I contacted have been interested in doing something, and I think in those cases I sort of knew they were already interested. But that's something I've done a couple of times when a gallery I really like has, for example, liked my work on Instagram. Instagram has been a really good indicator if a gallery is interested or not in my work.

What is the contemporary art scene like in Sweden?

What are your thoughts on the contemporary art scene as a whole? Any trends you’re noticing?

Almost all the commercial galleries are based in Stockholm.

I think the gallery scene is pretty good for the size of the city and has quite a good mix of different styles. Stockholm

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It was only by happenstance during a project with a skateboarding nonprofit in Colorado—and this was after two decades in the business as a salesperson for skate companies like Tum Yeto—that he began to see a greater purpose to holding on to these magazines.

“If you’ve never read these magazines, there’s so much history that you won’t know anything about. There’s so many reference points and advertisements that you will have never seen, companies and riders you will have never heard of and skateboard scenes you’ll never have gotten an idea about,” Marks told HYPEBEAST. “Some of that stuff is now covered on Instagram or on the web, but before 2005 or whatever, it was all in these magazines.”

Kevin Marks has been collecting skateboarding magazines for over 30 years.

Initially, he lugged box upon box of magazines from his childhood home in Kansas to college in Colorado and finally to his current home in San Diego, due to what he describes as an “analretentive quality” to his personality, more than anything else.

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Marks founded the Look Back Library in 2015, using the name for a zine he created in 2014 with his personal skateboarding photographs before the name found its true calling as a magazine archive. Today, the Look Back Library is not a single place but a network of over a hundred individual libraries housed in skate shops and nonprofit centers throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, Australia and the Netherlands. Marks is at the center of the Look Back Library, but the project depends on collectors from around the world who send him their copies or start libraries in their own communities.

While Marks sees his role as centered on maintaining the physical archive of skateboarding magazines, ultimately, he is trying to preserve the community that these magazines inspire. “This is a common good.

We want the community to think of this as their local resource that they can add to, they can nurture and they can benefit from,” he explained.

We spoke with Marks about how he started the Look Back Library, how he sees it growing and whether today’s teenagers really care about skateboarding magazines from the ’80s. (Spoiler alert: most of them don’t.)

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Do you recall the first skate magazine that you picked up?

Yes, I still have my first magazine. It’s a September 1986 issue of Thrasher. Another part that connects me so deeply to the magazines is that I grew up in Kansas in the ’80s.

And I went to a friggin’ Catholic school. So, like, I was the only skater at my school. I felt very isolated from this bigger world of skateboarding, and so my magazine subscriptions were my entry point into learning about this fascinating new activity that I was falling in love with.

Being in that isolated environment, how did you come to even know that something like Thrasher existed?

In Kansas, we didn't really have a dedicated skate shop in the ’80s. There was a bike and skate store on the other side of town. And then there was a ski store that had a sailboarding and skateboarding shop in it.

I ended up working in that shop for two years, while I was still in high school. That opened my doors even more; I'm learning about skateboarding through the magazines.

But then I actually get to work in a skate shop where I'm learning about the manufacturers more, telling my boss what to order, putting multiple skateboards together every day for customers—and interacting and sharing my knowledge that I've learned from the magazines with other people, and anticipating the new magazines coming to the store.

I kind of fell into this project at a nonprofit in Fort Collins, Colorado, where I had been asked to be on the board of directors. It’s called Launch: Community through Skateboarding. They are a nonprofit centered on promoting skateboarding along the front range of Colorado, started by a friend of mine. One of my pet projects that summer was to organize their library and use my contacts in the industry.

I went and found the Skateboarding Hall of Fame, which had a ton of magazines that were not organized. I offered to organize them and then create a list of what they needed.

And so I was able to take doubles from the Launch library, fill in holes at the Skateboarding Hall of Fame library, take their doubles, and then go to Phoenix, where a friend of mine has a skate shop called Cowtown. He’d been in business over 20 years and had saved all of his childhood magazines and kept magazines from having the shop open, so he had a ton of doubles and crates and crates of magazines but no time to organize them.

By then I had subscriptions. There were three magazines in the late ’80s in the US, and I had subscriptions to all three of them.

Which were those three?

So Thrasher was the first one I found. Then Transworld skateboarding magazine. And then the third one, which only lasted from like ’88 to ’91 was called Poweredge Magazine. I usually point to Poweredge as my favorite out of those three.

From the three libraries—Launch, Skateboarding Hall of Fame and Cowtown—was all an effort to try to fill as many holes at the Launch library as I could. And then as I was leaving Colorado that summer, I had this lightbulb moment, like “Hey, you don’t want to do sales in skateboarding

When you titled it Look Back Library, what was your initial goal? Did you have a particular mission statement?

It was a struggle to think of a name, right? I’m still not overly excited about the name, but you have to pick something.

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“I STILL HAVE MY FIRST MAGAZINE. IT'S A SEPTEMBER 1986 ISSUE OF THRASHER.”

anymore. But you still want to be involved in skateboarding.

You’ve been a magazine collector your whole life. Maybe there’s something here.”

I really loved the organizational aspect. And the networking aspect of finding people that had extra magazines. So once the concept kind of got put out there, mainly through the beginning of our Instagram account, people started finding out what we were doing and a lot of people have this realization like, well, maybe this is why I’ve been holding on to these magazines as long as I have.

Were those initial donors really excited to offload those dusty boxes? Or did they feel any hesitation about giving them up?

There’s always a degree of hesitation. We had a few large early donations that were pivotal to getting this going on a bigger level, but they were both kind of associates of mine.

There was a lot of trust involved. It took a while for it to really take form, but ultimately, as people find out about what we’re doing, they're pleased that their magazines are gonna go somewhere they’ll actually be seen. Anybody that’s collected magazines to where they still have them, they’re important to them. And there’s this inherent hope that more people can learn from and appreciate them.

Is there a completion point with the Look Back Library?

I look at it as a never-ending story. Because right now, if you asked, “Do you have all of the US major magazines from the last 45 years?” I would say yes. But where it gets tricky is with the self-published zines and the international magazines. I’m continually finding out about a magazine that only ran 10 issues in, let’s say, Argentina or Chile, or Costa Rica.

We just got a magazine donation from Costa Rica. They’ve done 29 issues of a magazine that I just found out about this year. And Brazil has had quite a few over the years.

It can be a real challenge to find out how many issues were actually made of this magazine and if they were they all numbered correctly, if they started out on volume one and did four issues, if volume two had eight issues as they were growing? There's always this element of detective work that

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I’m a very simple person. I’m conscious of my, you know, environmental impact. And so I’m anxious not to fly on airplanes, and I like the idea more of empowering people in other countries to duplicate or emulate this model that we’re trying to set up.

Are there any specific copies that are really personal to you that you want to keep at your own house as opposed to in a library?

Well, our primary collection is kept at my house. And that’s what I call the Look Back headquarters. I have an overhead aversion. I never wanted to be paying rent on a place just to showcase these magazines. But in the event that we’re able to partner with some youth-based organization that has a room for us in San Diego to house our primary collection, that’s something that maybe we’ll work towards. Right now, I’m happy just housing that at the house where it’s secure, and I can have people over on an appointment basis.

I enjoy, and just always networking. As I see international names start following us on Instagram, I need to spend more time reaching out to those people to say like, “Hey, what magazines are in your area? What’s your local skate shop like?”

Are there plans to scale up the production? You have libraries in Canada and Australia. Are there other international locations that you've planned to open?

We have some in the Netherlands now. Outside of the one in Vancouver, Antisocial—I did that one myself—all the other international ones have been set up through volunteers, where either the skate shop owner has some magazines or one of their customers has magazines. I send them a PDF of our sign that talks about the program and they put it up. I don’t have any plans of doing some European tour, just because I don’t ever anticipate there being a glut of funding, you know, to do that sort of thing.

I have these high hopes that I’ll have architecture students doing their thesis work, who want to come over and look at how skateboarders have utilized public space. There’s a load of different academic potential needs for it that I hope to fill, versus students just trying to scan the pages of old magazines.

Would you ever want to create a fully digitized version of the Look Back Library?

I get asked that question all the time. And I don’t have the interest in creating that digital archive. I don’t really feel like I have the mental capacity of databasing and everything that would be involved in making that happen. My contribution is that I will have the physical archive for somebody that has the equipment and skill set to come over and do that. My interest is just on the physical archive right now.

If there were any kind of sponsorship from a big skate company, would that be of interest?

Well I don’t fly, so that limits me. Part of this is a big recycling program for me. And yes, I do drive a lot, but

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“I HAVE THESE HIGH HOPES THAT I'LL HAVE ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS DOING THEIR THESIS WORK, WHO WANT TO COME OVER AND LOOK AT HOW SKATEBOARDERS HAVE UTILIZED PUBLIC SPACE.”

When younger skaters come in who weren’t around when these big magazines were initially publishing, what's their reaction to discovering these old issues?

I think the main reaction is indifference. Jason Carney, former pro-skater who runs the skate shop here in San Diego, loves to say, “Yeah, it’s like pulling teeth getting a kid to take a free magazine from the shop.” It’s like, I don't even want to make the effort to take my backpack off my shoulders and put it in my backpack. There’s such a disconnect.

That’s a burden. Why would I want to flip through this thing when I’m so used to getting all my information by sliding this way or that way on my phone screen?

Another key factor is how excited the skate shop owner is to share the information on that shelf with his customers.

There’s always a certain aspect of me having to kind of pitch it, and it’s hard for me to read how genuinely interested the skate shop owner is. So, with that kind of skate shop owner, there may not be that much interaction where the owner is showing this kid, “Oh, you bought this board, this is one of their early ads,” or, “This pro used to ride for that brand.”

They have to have that knowledge themselves to share that.

I also want these libraries to be a resource for skate shop owners to liven up their Instagram accounts. So many kate shops, all you see is the new footwear that comes in.

Certain skate shop Instagram pages get so homogenized.

Well, hopefully it’s the long-term payoff as opposed to quick engagement and likes.

One thing I’m encouraged by these last few years—Launch kind of being one of the first ones—is that there’s more skateboard-focused nonprofits. I see that only growing in the future, and those end up being our best partners because usually they have space. Skate shops are under pressure to merchandise every square foot of their store because they’re paying top dollar for retail space. Our fourth or fifth largest library is a nonprofit in San Francisco called San Francisco Skate Club, which does after-school programs for skaters.

If you’d like to get in touch to donate your skate magazines or to seek Marks’ assistance in building your own private collection, reach out through Instagram,

They see it as a resource to help their kids learn about skateboarding, or just reading in general. Certain kids who are interested in skateboarding may not be the best students—maybe they have some challenges with reading— but they actually like to read about skateboarding.

@lookbacklibrary, or via email, kevin@lookbacklibrary.org.

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FOR FURTHER READING, A COMPLETE LIST OF THE TITLES IN THE LIBRARY

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BLITZKRIEG

DOSDEDOS

HATE ON THIS

BLOCK PARTY

DREAD RAG

HAZMAT

BLOOM

DRIFT

HEAVY FLOW

BLUNT

THE DROP

HECKLER

BLUR

DROP IN

HEELSIDE

BMX ACTION

DROPOUT

HELLARADO

BOARD AND SKATER

DUCKTALES

HIDDEN CHAMPION

BOARDKILL

EASTERN VERT

HIJINX

BOARDSPORT SOURCE

EDGE

HOME

BOARDSTEIN

EDGE OUT

HOMEBOY

BOILER

ELECTRIC INK

HOTBOX

BONELESS

ELK

HOT ROD

BONES BRIGADE INTELLIGENCE

EL VORTEX

HOW DARE YOU

REPORT

EMERICA RSRV

HQ

BONES BRIGADE TEAM ZINE

ENTITY

HUCK

BORDERLINE RETARDED

EQUAL TIME

HUPHTUR

BORED

ER

IDLEWOOD

BORN UGLY

EROSION

INNER COURSE

BOW TO NO MAN

ESCAPE ROUTE

INTERNATIONAL LONGBOARDER

BRETTKOLLEGEN

ESSAY

INTERNATIONAL SKATING

BRUISED BRAIN CELLS

ETB

INTO THE VOID

B-SIDE

EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS IS NOWHERE

JOHN DOE

BUENOS MUCHACHOS

EVIDENCE

JOURNAL

CARBON

EXCESS

THE JOURNAL

ABD

CEMENTAL

EXPOSE

JOY MACHINE

ACTION NOW

CHAT

FAKIE TO FAKIE

JUICE

ACTION SPORTS RETAILER

CHECK IT OUT

FEEDBAG

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ADRENALIN

CHILL

FERTILIZER

KAYO

ADVANTAGE

CHIMPAZINE

FIGGY ACTIVE ZINE

KEG PARTY

ALLERGY SEASON

CHI TOWN EXPRESS

FILMUS

KICK TURN

ALLEY TIMES

THE CHURCH

FILTHY DITCH CREW

KING BROWN

ALL FOURS

CITY ONE

FINE LINE

KINGPIN

ALMOST FAMOUS

COLD

THE FIVE

KINGSH*T

ALTAMONT

COLD ONES

FIVE40

KOBRAH

ALT LAB

COLLECTIF

FLIPSIDE

KONTEJNER

THE AMAZING SPIDER-NEWS

COLOR

FLOUR PAIL KIDS

LA COSTRA

ANALOG COMPANION

COME SWAP

FLUFF

LAID OUT

ANOMALY

CONCRETE DISCIPLES

FLUKE

LAPPER

ANTHEM

CONCRETE POWDER

FOCUS

THE LARB

ANY WAY

CONCRETE WAVE

FOR FUN

LA SKATE ZINE

ANZEIGE

CONCUSSION

FOR THE KREW

LA TABLA

APART

CONFUSION

FOUND

LEVIL UNIFORM

A PROPOS

CONTINENTAL

FRAN

LIFE CRISIS

ARKADE

CONTORT

FRANK 151

LIFE SUPPORT

A SIMPLE LIFE

CONVERSE WELCOME JAVI

FREE

LIMITED

ATTITUDE PROBLEM

MENDIZABEL

FREE & EASY

LINT

AUSTRALIAN SKATEBOARDING

THE COVEN

FREESTYLE BMX

LOCAL CHAOS

AUTOMATIC

CRANK

FREESTYLER

LODOWN

AVENUE

CRUIS3R

FREESTYLIN

LOFT/ HOMEBOY

AZ STEEZ

CRVIS3R BRAZIL

THE FRONT SIDE

LOST GIRLS

BAD EGG

CURB

FRONTSIDE SAN FRANCISCO

LOUISA WILLIAMS ZINE

BAILGUN

CURBSNOT

FUKNOATH

LOVE

BALANCE

DADDY

FUNSPORT

LOWCARD

BALSKATE

THE DAILY GRIND

GARAGELAND

LOWLIFE

BALUSTRADE

DAILY GRIND SKATE CO.

GIFTORM

LUMP SUM

BEACH BROTHER

DALLAS CREW

GLOBAL SKATING

MADPOINT

BEACON ANTISOCIAL

DAMAGE

GLWDRK

MAG STRICTLY SKATEBOARDING

THE BEAN

DAME

GO FASTER

MALL GRAB

BEEF STREET

DANK

GOLDEN HOUR

MAN CHICKEN

BEEFTRUK

DEATHBOWL TO DOWNTOWN ZINE

GORILA

MANUAL

BENDER

DEJA-VU

GOSSIP SKATEBOARDING

MARC

BERRICS MAG

DEMO

GREEN ZEEN

MASS APPEAL

BE SKATEBOARDING

DEPENDENT PERSONS

GREY

MEDIUM

BIG BROTHER

DESILLUSION

GRIND

MEMORYHOUSE MAG

BIG YOUTH HAPPENING

DILLIGAF

GRIP

MENACE TO SOCIETY

BISK8 VISUAL

DIRT

GRIP ZINE

MERSEY

BLACK CROSS

THE DIRT

GUERRILLA

MILQUE TOAST

BLACK METAL MAILORDER BRIDE

DOCUMENT

GUILTY

MINCE

BLACK SHEEP UNDERGROUND

DOCUMENT+1

HAKAS

MISPRINTS

BLAST

DOGPISS

HANGUP

MONSTER

BLESSED

DOGWAY

HANG UP

MONSTER CHILDREN

BLISS

DON'T ASK ME

HAPPY

MOVE

DOPE ZINE

HARSH BARGE

NATION

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MEMORYHOUSE MAG

PURE TRASH

SKATEBOARD WORLD

THRASHER

MENACE TO SOCIETY

PUSH

SKATE BONER

THRASHER FRANCE

MERSEY

PUSH PERIODICAL

SKATE FATE

THRASHER JAPAN

MILQUE TOAST

PUSH SKATEBOARD MAGAZINE

SKATE INDUSTRY NEWS

THREE

MINCE

QUELL

SKATEISM

THRILL

MISPRINTS

THE QUIET LEAF

SKATE JAWN

THUG

MONSTER

RAD

SKATELINE

TIGHT TRANSITION

MONSTER CHILDREN

RADICAL SKATEBOARD MAG

SKATE NEWS ESA

TILE PILE

MOVE

RAESE'S

SKATE ONE

TITUS MAGALOG

NATION

RAPINA

SKATEPARK GUIDE

THE TOA TIMES

NATIONAL SKATEBOARD REVIEW

RAREBREED

SKATEPARK MAGAZINE

TOILET WATER

NAUGHTY NOMADS

RAVING YAHOOS

SKATE PIG

TOPGROM

NEIGHBOURHOOD

RAW HYDE

SKATE RIDE

TRANSWORLD

NEVER BORED

THE RED BULLETIN

SKATE SLATE

TRES 60

NEW ZEALAND SKATEBOARDER

THE REP

SKATE SNOW BOARD

TRIBO

NEXT

RE:SKATE

SKATESTORE

TRICKS

NEXTPARKS

RE-ISSUE

SKATE THE INTL SKATING MAG

TRUCKSTOP

NOISE

RE-SKATE

SKATE WITCHES

TURKEY NECK

NOPING

RESOLVE

SKATE ZINE

TWS BUSINESS JOURNAL

NO REFUNDS

REVOLUTION

SKATING

TWS JAPAN

NORTH

RIDE ON

SKATING WITH SHE’S & HERS

TYPICAL CULTURE

NO SERVICE {SCUMCO}

RIO SKATE

SKATIN LIFE

UNDERBELLY

NO SH*TTY ADS

THE RISE & FALL OF THE HARBOR AREA

SKAT’N NEWS

UNEARTHED

NOT LIKE YOU

RISEN

SKETCHY

UNO

NOT SH*T

ROAD RASH

SKIDMARK

UPPAT VAGGARNA

NO WAY

ROLL DAWGS

SKILLZ

URBAN

NULL OZONE

ROLLER GLISSE

SKUNK

URBE

NYLON

S.O.F.A

SLAM

VAGUE

NZ SKATINSTYLE

SAME OLD

SLAP

VANS - OFF THE WALL ZINE

OBSRVR

SAUCE

SLEESTAK

VAPORS

ODD COLLAR

SBC

SLIDER

VARIAL

OGSC

SBC BUSINESS JOURNAL

SLIDE SKATEBOARDING

VERSUS

OH SO

SBTM

SLUG

VICE MAG

OLD MAN ANDY'S FLYER

SCALENE

S MAG

VILLA VILLA COLA

OLLIE

SCHMITT STIX TEAM ZINE

SMASH THE SKATRIARCHY

VISTA

OMSA

SCRAGGLER

SMELLY CURB

VOLCANO

ONE TIME USE

SEARCHING FOR SHOGO KUBO

SMOKE SIGNALS

WALLRIDE

ON THE CLOCK BLTWN

SECOND NATURE

SOCIAL STUDIES

WANDERING MAGAZINE

OPTIC

SECONDS

SOLITUDE AKA POOLDIET

WARP

OSIDER

SECOND WIND

SOLO

WAXFEATHER

OTCHO {FINGERBOARDING}

SECRET CUT

SOMA

WHAT YOUTH

OURS FOR THE TAKING

SELF INFLICTED

SPEED WHEELS

WHEEL

OUR WORLD

SESSION

SPRAY

WHEELBASE

OUTTA POCKET

SG

SPROINK

WHITE OUT

OVERALL

SHAPE

SPROUT

WICKED WORLD

OVERDOSE

SHARK BAIT

SSD

WILD WORLD OF SKATEBOARDING

PACK OF STRAYS

SHORTWAVE

STANCE

WILLOW

PAGER MAG

SHRED TILL YOU'RE DEAD

STAND/BY

WIZARD

PAL MAG

SIDEWALK SURFER

STEAMZINE

WOOD

PARALLEL

SINGLE USE

STEEZ

WOOD PUSHER

PASSAGE ZINE

SIX STAIR - HOW TO MAKE A VIDEO

STEPDAD

WORD

PATINHO FEIO

CONVERSE ZINE

STOKE MUCH

XEM SKATERS

PAUSE

SK8ACTION

STOOPS

XXXBOARD

PAYING IN PAIN

SKATE

STORM

YEAH

PENPAL

SKATE & ANNOY

STRANGE NOTES

YEAH GIRL

PERFECT TRANSITION

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STREET BUDS

YESTERDAY'S NEWS

PHAT

SKATE-AID

STREET CANOE

YEYO

PIFF PAFF PUFF

SKATE AUSTRALIAN MAG

STREET NOISE

YOU NEVER WILL

PIKE DREAMZ

SKATEBOARD

STREET SURFING

ZERO DAMN IT ALL

PINK CRACK

SKATEBOARD!

STRENGTH

ZINE UNSEEN

PINKY

SKATEBOARD AUSTRALIA

STRICTLY SKATEBOARDING

ZIPANG

PIZZA PYRAMID

SKATEBOARDER

STRUGGLE CITY

100%SKATE

PLACE MAG

THE SKATEBOARDER'S JOURNAL

STUCK

43 MAG

PLAYBOARD

SKATEBOARDING HALL OF FAME

SUGAR

5.6 ZINE

PLAYGROUND

PROGRAM

SUNDAY SCHOOL

5 BELOW

PLUS ZINE

SKATEBOARDINGHATESYOU

SURGE

7PLY MINDS

POK

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SWANK ZINE

POOLDUST

SKATEBOARD JOURNAL

SWELLBOW

POP

SKATEBOARD KONA

SYSTEM

POWEREDGE

THE SKATEBOARD MAG

THE TALES OF CREATURE

PRO MOTION

SKATEBOARD POSTERS

TAILSLIDES {HAWAII}

PS118

SKATEBOARD SCENE

TDG

PUREFUN

SKATEBOARD TRADE NEWS

THANK YOU SKATEBOARDING

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Arc’teryx Couldn’t Care Less About the Hype

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JEREMY LEE

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Though Arc-teryx has been a staple in the lives of active users for over 20 years, it has recently started to see momentum in the streetwear space, closely tailing its urban lifestyle sister brand, Veilance. Celebrities like Frank Ocean, Drake and Virgil Abloh have all been spotted wearing Arc’teryx’s color-blocked technical outerwear, and BEAMS fans in Japan are known to covet the brand’s backpacks and bags—sometimes for outdoor purposes, but oftentimes not.

Tucked away in North Vancouver at the foot of picturesque, snow-capped mountains lives Arc’teryx— that outdoor brand with the intricate, fossilinspired logo worn by everyone from hardcore climbers to Kanye West.

Despite its growing presence within the streetwear community, Arc’teryx remains dedicated to performance and quality well before fashion. “We're not overtly fashionable, and we’re not following micro trends,” Dan Green, Arc’teryx’s creative director, states bluntly.

The brand could have easily embraced its appearance on Off-White™’s Fall/Winter 2020 women’s runway show as a collaboration and step forward in streetwear, but instead the brand dismissed it as unofficial, saying in a statement to HYPEBEAST that Abloh and his team essentially used Arc’teryx jackets and harnesses without permission. Arc’teryx has more on its plate than to pander to its new fan base. Pushing for sustainable innovations, designing custom machines, expanding nearby factory Arc’One, holding in-depth R&D sessions with GORE-TEX and designing military gear are just a few items that take precedence on the brand’s to-do list.

Yet, as with the normcore movement, there’s something inherently fashionable about not caring about fashion.

“The moment we pivot and try to address the streetwear world, we’ll totally lose it,” says Green. Maybe Arc’teryx is onto something with its reluctance to enter the world of frequent product drops and collaborations.

In today’s streetwear landscape—a space that has already been declared “dead” by Abloh—perhaps the only thing more authentic than a legit-checked pair of Off-White™ Air Jordan 1s is a brand that couldn’t care less about streetwear.

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DAN GREEN, CREATIVE DIRECTOR

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ROLLS OF FABRIC, PRIMARILY GORE-TEX VARIATIONS, READY TO BE ASSEMBLED INTO SAMPLES.

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THE ARC’TERYX DESIGN FLOOR

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NOW YOU KNOW:

TO CREATE GARMENTS AND ACCESSORIES THAT ARE FULLY WATERPROOF, THERMAL BONDING IS OFTEN USED TO CONNECT DETAILS LIKE POCKETS RATHER THAN SEAMS. ALL SEAMS FOR WATERPROOF ITEMS ARE BACKED WITH THERMAL BONDING TAPE TO ENSURE NO WATER GETS THROUGH.

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ARC'TERYX'S COLOR TEAM IS COMPLETELY SEPARATE FROM THE DESIGN TEAM. EVERYTHING FROM FINE ART TO A SPECTRUM OF EMOTIONS INSPIRE THE RICH COLOR PALETTES THEY RELEASE EACH SEASON.

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TOM FAYLE, ADVANCED R&D

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Why is designing custom machinery important to Arc’teryx?

DG: When you're innovating, it means you're doing things that don't exist. Back in the early days, a lot of things like thermoforming were new at the time. So we built a tool to help us. Then we took some of the successful tools we built to our partner factories. Sometimes we’ll modify tools that are already out in the industry, but we slowly started to develop a staff that is dedicated to making custom tools.

Once you realize that building machinery is on the table, you don't have to be held back by typical material or factory constraints. It's a mindset. When it comes to technology, though, there are limitations. We could buy a 3D printer, but it's going to be outdated in six months. So, in that case, we would probably partner with someone else who's constantly updating their capabilities.

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How does Arc’One’s proximity to Arc’teryx HQ affect your design and production processes?

Dan Green, Creative Director: Arc’teryx has always aspired to build the perfect thing—not to dream it up and have someone else figure out how to build it. Knowing how to run a factory, knowing how to handle materials and knowing how to do construction is valuable for doing good design work. Having a factory so close by allows us to understand every little detail about each product, control the quality and understand the “why” behind all the questions that a factory would have for us. Through that, we’re able to set a precedent with all our partner factories.

It takes a while to get new factories on board and up to our quality standards. And then as we've grown, it's a huge challenge to maintain that quality with thousands and thousands more pieces every year.

Since Arc’teryx’s headquarters is right beneath an epic mountain range, you do a lot of product testing in the wild. What is that process like?

DG: It's important to remember that a lot of the problems we're trying to solve are not new for us. We've been trying to solve them for years and years. So when we're testing something outdoors, we take all of our accumulated knowledge and use our awareness to improve upon products without compromising some of their design fundamentals. It's very rare that we give someone something that is crazy new—it’s still a jacket. But in terms of things like insulation and comfort, we've had a lot of good breakthroughs that, when we test them in the field with staff, friends, etc., we can quickly tell if they will work for everyone or not.

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But that means what we created back then is still relevant today. Yeah, some of the construction might be outdated, but it is still top quality. We never look at an old product and think “Oh my gosh, this is embarrassing.” We’re still proud of everything we’ve made.

Arc’teryx and GORE-TEX have a very close relationship built on a mutual love for quality and experimentation.

On the Arc’One factory floor, some quality control workers are tasked with inspecting rolls of GORE-TEX fabric under giant lights with magnifying glasses, and the design team works closely with the material company to develop new ideas. Just how close does this relationship get?

TF: We’re really close with GORE-TEX and have had a strong relationship with them since our launch. I work the most with GORE-TEX. That whole membrane world is changing a little bit with sustainability as well, so I'm building a lot more GORE-TEX to try to find out what all these changes may be, and to understand what the wins and losses might be. Sometimes we have R&D summits with GORE-TEX where we get together off-site for a few days and just talk about our problems and what they might be able to do to help us. We have our perspective of where our products need to go, and they have a lot of engineers and a lot of capabilities that we’re not totally dialed-in on between their medical and industrial work. They're trying to look at other strengths that they have and how they might be able to work for us. It's a brainstorming session, which is important so we can all stay aligned, especially as sustainability becomes a bigger push.

During your time at Arc’teryx, have you noticed any major shifts in the brand’s ethos?

DG: Sustainability and being responsible for what we're putting into the world wasn't an early consideration, and now it's a major one. This idea of responsibility could actually trump everything else. There was a time when as long as you had all the right chemicals on a product and it felt super tough, it didn't matter what the materials were.

Sustainability is coming from Arc’teryx’s same initial ethos of “Let’s not put crap in the world.” But now it's like, “Okay, how do we make awesome things that can also be part of a circular economy in the future?” We want it more than anybody. It’s definitely a process that starts with R&D. Tom Fayle, Advanced R&D: We’re really trying to look at that whole chemistry world as it evolves. We often have to stay away from a lot of the recycled materials because they usually don’t have the abrasion resistance or longterm durability we need. Durable water-repellent (DWR) and C8 work really well but have sustainability issues with persistence in the environment. From an outerwear perspective, recycled polyesters aren’t as durable—it’s a stiffer fiber that breaks easier and tears more frequently.

There's some work happening with nylon, and there are bio yarns out there, but what's their impact? Bio-yarn companies are competing for agriculture. So just because it's a bio-yarn doesn't mean it’s sustainable in the long run, which is something we have to consider.

Many Arc’teryx designers say that Arc’teryx isn’t a fashionable company. Can we unpack why this is a common thought?

Edita Hadravska, Design Manager, Everyday: Arc’teryx’s DNA is so strong that it's very hard to evolve it in drastic ways without compromising what it's all about. Each design change is always based on functionality and performance— there's no real space for frivolous changes. I came from the world of fashion, and when I first got here I could not believe how rigid things are at Arc’teryx. But now I'm the one fighting for consistency and trying to find new context as opposed to, you know, putting ruffles on our GORE-TEX.

Is there added pressure to be sustainable since Arc-teryx is closely related to nature?

DG: Companies who don’t start to consider sustainability will be out of business and irrelevant to design in the future.

Arc’teryx has a recovery program in the United States, which is one of our contributions to the circular economy.

It allows consumers to sell their product back to us. We're lucky that we have really old gear that still works. A lot of the stuff we see coming back is stuff we forgot we made.

[Ed. note: People who have worked at Arc’One the longest are specifically assigned to the recovery program because they have the construction knowledge needed to repair old products]. We're not overtly fashionable, and we're not following micro trends.

DG: We’ve defaulted to our technology in our problemsolving, which helps us find a lot of our design aesthetic.

So when we’re trying to find a better fabric to do something, it might not be visible to the average person on the street.

And that, by default, gives it an aesthetic that may or may not resonate. As the outdoor world has moved into popular culture a bit more, you have to ask yourself why. Over the years, it's always been things that have purpose—like military or workwear—that were then repurposed for fashion. Oftentimes in fashion, things are relevant because

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NOW YOU KNOW:

ARC-TERYX PUTS ITS GEAR THROUGH TRIALS TO DETERMINE IF THE PIECES ARE UP TO PAR. HARNESSES ARE PUT THROUGH STRENGTH TESTS, WHILE FABRICS ARE PUT THROUGH ABRASION TESTS. A LOT OF THE MACHINERY USED IS TWEAKED SPECIFICALLY FOR ARC-TERYX PRODUCTS.

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What are your thoughts on city-dwellers and everyday consumers wearing performance Arc’teryx products even though they don’t necessarily need them?

DG: It's funny, isn't it? But when you think about it, it's cold in NYC, and you want to be warm. When I first started 20 years ago, one of our little backpacks, the Arro, was making its way into local skate shops. We were so psyched because it happened on its own. We sell tens of thousands of jackets, and we know they’re not all going to alpine climbers.

But we’ve never thought, “Oh, other people are buying our products. Let's start making products for them.” That's what the user does, right? They take it in and make this cool in their world. It's like, who cares? Just let the products go where they need to go. they were relevant to something else and can now be reinterpreted into a new space. Maybe it was always inevitable that outdoor would go through that same process.

TF: The brand started with a desire to make good products and really good materials, and that ethos has stayed with us all this time. Our products have to be the best. That mentality is one of the things that has kept our brand integrity. There have been a lot of requests over the years asking us to produce something at a lower price, but we choose to stick with our quality even if it’s more than what many people are asking for or need.

Arc’teryx doesn’t enter into many collaborations with other brands, but you have worked with BEAMS multiple times. Why BEAMS? DG: Our bags in particular have always meant something different in Japan than they did in the rest of the world, so we've always had very unique dealer arrangements and have made design tweaks for bags in the Japanese market.

With BEAMS, it was a collaboration in that it was specific for this channel and partner, but it wasn't a different type of design. It's cool to see that young people still respond really positively to things like material updates instead of design updates.

EH: Some people may be going on an expedition where they’ll be exposed to extreme elements for days, while others may be waiting at a bus stop. When designing products meant for times when performance gear isn’t necessarily needed, we use the same recipe, toolbox and process as the performance products, except we’re putting them in a different context. We focus on all-day comfort

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and everyday versatility, while still looking at functionality and performance at the core. The ideal garment takes you from the morning until the end of the day, so you have to be able to switch from cold or wet environments to really hot environments without massive drama. We tend to look at quiet trends as opposed to loud ones, but with all this streetwear hype lately we also have to be somewhat sporty.

How do you feel about Arc’teryx’s recent popularity within the streetwear space?

DG: No matter what, we always want to make our products for the highest performer. We've always felt like there's a certain authenticity and depth associated with our products that goes deeper than how they look. Part of our success is that we're not trying to be trendy. Being in the streetwear world can be really scary if you have your sights set on being a 100-year-old brand because it's a roller coaster of “you're hot, you're not.” So we just stay the course and do what we want to do. There will always be a following for that because it's truly authentic. The moment we pivot and try to address the streetwear world, we’ll totally lose it.

The longer you hang out in the streetwear space you'll notice that the brands that are hot today are not going to be there in the future. They may not even exist, or they get gobbled up by a big entity and are never the same.

Eventually there's another new thing that comes along.

Tome, trying to stay relevant in that would be stressful.

So the best way for us is to just make great stuff. I don't care who buys it. So when it comes to our success in that space, we'll take it, but we won’t lose sight of our purpose, which is to make great stuff and welcome everybody.

EH: Well, there's a huge wave of cultural appropriation of the outdoors. I think the secret for Arc’teryx is that we have always done the same thing. The minute we start to design into this appropriation, that's when things are going to go really sideways. Authenticity is the key, and that's what makes us attractive. We can't really worry about that world right now. We have to worry about building a hundred-yearold brand. I mean, it's nice and we’ll take the money, but it's not going to define what we're doing.

TF: I guess we’ve turned into a luxury brand, but it sure has helped us grow. It's also given us the ability to have some cool development opportunities. It’s been nice to play up our core products without losing our main focus. As long as we can keep making the good sh*t, it’s fine.

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Not to mention two new restaurants in Toronto, Canada, where it all started for Matheson. Yet, there could be even more projects in the works—you never know with Matheson. And it would sometimes seem that neither does he.

No one would dare accuse Matty Matheson of being a perfectionist.

He doesn’t have much time to be one.

Matheson is coming fresh off the second season of his selfproduced cooking show, Just A Dash, and preparing to reveal a slew of new projects this year, including a show called Eat Out America cohosted by Benny Blanco, a podcast called Powerful Truth Angels with 2tone of BornxRaised, a tradeswear clothing line and a second cookbook.

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The beloved funnyman of the culinary world seems to conceive of his numerous undertakings with a breezy spontaneity so fluid they almost seem magicked into being. However, it doesn’t mean these projects lack hard work, love, consideration or unrelenting standards—very much the opposite becomes evident as he describes each one. He answers my questions in phases: every story has a backstory and every backstory, its own backstory.

Matty Matheson stands out in more than a few ways: the tattoos, the larger-than-life persona, the exclamation marks which seem to accompany his every sentence be they written or spoken, the unapologetic swathe of colorful language which covers most of his speech.

Yet it is his sincerity that is fundamental to his core.

Matheson is not coy, smooth, or well spoken, nor is he particularly press-trained, albeit certainly not press-shy.

He is unabashedly true to himself, to the people around him, and to anyone who, in his own wording, “f*cks with him.”

Matty never tries to be perfect—and he will be the first to call bullsh*t on anyone who does. He doesn’t shy from calling out the contrived perfection of cooking shows and cookbooks in his own productions, poking fun at the serene scenarios which omit the burns, dish swaps, and numerous assistants on standby, alongside the panic and stress that comes from life in the kitchen.

The vision of a smiling chef standing in a pristine kitchen behind a spread of carefully prepped ingredients often seems to taunt us, as if to say that we, too, could be domestic perfectionists if only we tried harder. Perhaps the ultimate pull of Matheson is that you feel he cares about realness—almost protectively so—even though his ubiquitousness today implies he doesn’t have to.

When we phoned him for this interview, Matty was driving to a taco joint in Sonoratown, LA. Parked inconveniently roadside in the midst of LA’s famously congested traffic, he proceeded to speak to us on why he cooks, why we should cook, and why we should embrace the messy, mundane, at times dark and often dirty imperfection in our lives, both in and out of the kitchen.

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Q&A

You seem to be jumping into more and more new projects. What made you decide to branch out?

Well, I was a chef: a real, in-the-kitchen, actual chef.

Then I started doing Internet content and TV. I’ve left the restaurant world for almost four years now. Within that time, I've had a second career beginning, building the foundation for a full, new life. Now I have figured out enough that I'm going to go back into the restaurant business and just see what's up. Then balance everything that I'm doing with clothes, the touring that I do and books, and all that kind of stuff.

What was the transition like going from chef to the host of several web series?

It was wild because all of a sudden, I made a video.

The video kind of hits and instantly gets a couple million views. Then I make another video, and then I make another video. Then [VICE] was like, let's do a travel show. All of a sudden, I don't know what's happening. I never wanted to be on television. I thought food television was just losers on f*cking loser shows. I didn't know what I was doing.

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feel like I have a job. I think work and jobs are different.

People say if you love your job, you never work a day in your life. I'm like, yeah. I don't even know.

Everyone f*cks with you because you're so real. Why is it so important to you to show the real side of cooking?

Even if you took the best f*cking chef at home, 80 percent of the time he's going to make something awesome, 20 percent of the time he's probably going to make some f*cking dumb sh*t. When I'm cooking at home, I'm making some f*cked-up sh*t too. And I don't give a—I'm not a restaurant, “Here's this perfect chicken and here's all this awesome stuff.” I'm showing people how to f*cking cook.

All I want is people to f*cking cook. That's it. Everything doesn't need to be so precious; it's precious that people try.

I just want people to have hope towards cooking.

I think cooking really builds self-esteem. It's such a nice way to do something for somebody else or for yourself.

Humans are horrible to each other, but somehow food can instantly make you feel better. We're all f*cking broken. Life is f*cked. I'm broken as f*ck, I'm a mental case. But making food genuinely makes me happy. It also genuinely stresses me out when I'm shooting these f*cking videos sometimes.

And that's okay. It stresses people out when they're cooking at home. Sometimes you can't find a spoon, sometimes you can't find a bowl. That's the stuff that's beautiful. The chaos and the, “Where the f*ck is the towel? What the f*ck is this?” That's everybody at home, because nothing's perfect.

I was funny enough, engaging enough, that we kept making stuff and it started taking me away from the restaurant.

I never had a vacation, ever. You would maybe get a week in a whole year. You wouldn't even have two days off in a row. All of a sudden I was like, “Oh, I'm gone for two weeks. I'm going to shoot three episodes of this show.”

And the partners of the restaurant were like, “What are we doing? We're paying you to travel.” Eventually I was making so much content for the show that I was never at the restaurant. I'm not an actual partner at the restaurant. This is just a job. I make more money [working with VICE]. I had to make a really hard decision.

Your first cookbook is very family-oriented and your food is very welcoming, approachable and down to earth. Have you always been drawn to this mentality towards food?

I think so. I haven't really changed that much. Even when I was in the restaurant business, I always cooked for my friends. On my days off, I would cook. We would make tons of meals. We would go over to my friend’s house and we would have these big dinners. All my friends were sh*tty

I spent the last five years doing my thing. Making TV shows, making content, traveling the world, writing books. It's wild what my life has turned into. I'm very grateful that people f*ck with me. I could've been a chef that was making 65K a year and that was my job. I work every day and I still don't

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Build a relationship with butcher shops, with farmers markets, with the people actually growing food. That’s the thing that needs to happen. And guess what? The more people buy from farmers, the cheaper it gets. You don't need to buy organic, you just need to buy from farmers.

Meatless society, sure. I think people just need to be willing to buy stuff that isn't perfect. They take [perfect produce], put it in their fridge and don't even eat it for three days. Then it gets wilted anyways. And I think that in supermarkets, you should be able to buy one thing.

Do you always need to buy the whole head of parsley? It's just over-consumption on everything: social media, clothes, f*cking everything. We're just such broken people that we need to fill the void of nothingness continuously. It's a circle of depression and sadness. We're just parasites sucking up the f*cking world.

“HUMANS ARE HORRIBLE TO EACH OTHER, BUT SOMEHOW FOOD CAN INSTANTLY MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER.”

That's one way to put it.

I don't know. Everyone's a trash can, man. We're all on fire, we're horrible.

What takes the most consideration when you’re writing your cookbooks?

I write very much in the moment, and I just write honestly.

Dude, it's so fun. In the book I'm doing now, I’m literally making fun of my own book. I make Crab Rangoon and I do a photo shoot at my house. I have a crabapple tree; we set up this beautiful little table under this crabapple tree. In the recipe note, I'm like, "If you don't have a crabapple tree, don't even try to make this at your f*cking house."

I can't write seriously. I make this beautiful cookbook and a lot of people don't even have a f*cking apartment. I can't just be like, "On my beautiful ranch, I'm going to make this and this and this," and set up all these scenarios. I've got to make fun of myself for doing it. A lot of people don't have a grill or fire escape to put a grill out onto. I try to be like, “You can do this here. You can also do it here and here.” I'm just trying to give people options.

punk kids. We would just come together and make tons of vegan burritos. Most of my friends are vegetarians. I always wanted to cook and to always be around food and be around people that I care about. That's it, really.

What's it like for you living back in your hometown?

I love it, kind of. I lived in the city for 20 years. I lived in Toronto longer than I've ever lived anywhere. We moved around a lot as kids. Moving back home is weird— I never thought I would do it, I'm such a city guy. [My wife and I] picked quality of life over hustle and bustle. I'm in a position in my career where I don't really need to be physically anywhere.

Do you think that we could become a meatless society?

Makes sense. The thing is, if people aren’t just buying commodity and if you bought beef or lamb or pork or birds from a real butcher shop, I think that would make a difference. If the masses started buying vegetables from real farmers. We throw out 40 percent of the food that's produced.

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I was like, "Where is everybody?" They were like, "Nobody cares. Either you do this or you don't, so why the f*ck do they need to be here?" I was just kind of like, "Okay. That's even harsher than them being here." Everyone's like, “It's up to you.” Everyone was already done with me. I was such a mess.

I was smart enough to not completely throw it away. Then I just learned every day. Every day is different, every day is literally a blessing. I just don't take advantage of things anymore. We only got a certain amount of time in the day.

I'm in a position already where my year is fully booked.

I know every single day for the next f*cking three hundred days. If I'm at that point, every single day has to matter.

Every single day, I need to be moving forward. Every single day, I need to be well aware of what's happening and doing what I need to do to make sure that my family is taken care of. That's it. That's all I want. I want my kids to have Christmas every year. I want my family not to worry about stuff like that. It's a wild thing.

I used to not do anything for a day. I would do enough drugs and alcohol and bullsh*t that I would sleep for a day and not give a f*ck. What did that get me? Nothing. Now I'm in a position where I get what I give. I work really f*cking hard.

I'm very consistent. I see results. That's all that matters.

Now we have a beautiful farm: Trish gets to garden and I get to do whatever I want to do. Our kids get to run around naked if they want, and have fun out in the woods and get poison ivy. I think it's an amazing thing. I still have my businesses in Toronto so my kids get the best kind of thing where it's like, they're going to get to grow up and come up to Toronto, go to art shows, go to museums, do whatever the f*ck they want to do. And they also have that beautiful childhood growing up riding dirt bikes, going to the beach and having fun.

Do you think that you'd be doing the same things as you are today if you didn't go through that partying stage and overcame it the way you did?

No, because I wouldn't know either side. I have no regrets.

Luckily, I never f*cking hurt anybody. I was never a full piece of sh*t. I don't have burned bridges and I don't have to look over my shoulder, but I know what it's like to be in the mud. I know what it's like to be down. That gives me an opportunity to be extremely grateful and to know what it's like to not have things.

You turned from your previous hard-partying lifestyle to being this industry figure with all these different projects, along with becoming a family man. Can you tell me about the time when you decided, "Okay, enough's enough. I'm going to get it together?"

Yeah. I was going to lose everything. I got to the point where nobody even gave a f*ck about me anymore. Like my friends. That's really what clicked—when I had my intervention, nobody was there except for four people.

I know what it's like to not have friends. I know what it's like to have people not f*ck with me. I know what happiness feels like. I like being happy. That comes from love, commitment, consistency and compromise. That comes from learning a lot of different things. It comes with a lot of communication and it comes with a lot of self-awareness.

It comes with a lot of praying, intention, meditation and a f*cking lot of stuff. I wouldn't want to change my past.

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AITOR THROUP’S HOMECOMING

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The town of mills and brick, remnants of England’s Industrial Revolution, was a stark contrast to the Spanish-speaking capitals (first Buenos Aires, then Madrid) where Throup spent his earlier years. With that contrast came the challenges of language, friends and culture. But for the imaginative young Throup, there were also positives. Open space, opportunity and the energy of a passionate football culture helped pique an interest in avant-garde fashion, inspiring work like his Royal College of Arts graduate collection, When Football Hooligans Become Hindu Gods.

In 2004 Throup left northern England for London, where he started his eponymous A.T. Studio, then later continued to Amsterdam for G-STAR. As his work progressed, contrasts, like those that he had confronted in his youth, became fixtures of his career.

His collections, few and far between, were quick to sell out. Despite a personal distaste for cyclical fashion, his work garnered continuous praise from the industry.

He developed a meticulous design manifesto, adhering to its principles, all the while creating products that bordered on works of art.

In 1992, a 12-yearold Aitor Throup moved with his family to the small northern district of Burnley— with a population of under 100,000—in Lancashire, England.

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Defined by those juxtapositions, nearly 30 years after his first arrival in Burnley, Throup has forsaken prominent European cities and returned to the English town to create a cutting-edge studio in a storybook setting. This time the move is, by his own volition, a personal mission to break down left-brain boundaries and rediscover his inner-child—a persona with a love of drawing, toys and comic books that Throup credits for some of his most recognizable work, including his library of sketches, sculptural displays and transforming garments.

Having just completed his workspace along the canal and reformed his team, Throup is preparing to launch The DSA, a streetwear-forward line featuring his drawings, along with a second, as-yet-unnamed multidisciplinary exploration involving clothing, music and sculpture. Amid this whirlwind, he paused from his workday to reflect on his move, the new studio and the evolution of his prodigious creativity.

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Q&A

Can we set the stage? Let’s talk about Burnley in your formative years. You just arrived from Madrid‌ When I think back now, I think, wow, that was such a real contrast, but when I was in it, I really didn't connect with feelings I had. I don't remember it as a contrast between big, cosmopolitan Latin cities, and a gray and dark, working-class, small town in England. I remember things like the smell of the rain, the feeling of the wet grass and the wet dew. I remember the small houses. The Britishness, for me, was a positive contrast. I felt like I could be bigger than things. I could create. I still see Burnley like that. I see small towns as places of potential and possibility.

I’m sure there were challenges as well.

I'd recently turned 12 years old and, as someone who had just come from Madrid, I couldn't speak English. I was the new boy. It was tough, man. I was bullied and picked on.

It's allowed me to understand the true nature of identity because, when you boil it down, the situation was about me being a minority in a place where everyone can identify with themselves through language, nationality, skin color, even cultural nuances beyond language, behavioral patterns, etc.

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I simply had to adapt and master those things to survive in that environment. I feel very much British. The reason why I think that's important is because I feel like that formed my perspective and it allowed me to feel and to identify with Burnley, to identify with Britain, but also to identify with Argentina and Spain, and to realize you can identify with more than one country. We're just human beings. We're all the same.

that. I was in deep training for the work I do now. It's not like I withdrew and became an artist to express myself because I was bullied. No. I was always drawing. I was always reading comic books and I was always playing with my toys. I still do. I love figures. Honestly, I think my products are like toys. I want them to transform. I want to take that accessory off and for it to become something else, and to do something that means something.

Do you point to the opportunities and challenges of Brunley as helping to define your creativity?

It's not as clear-cut as that, really. There were three activities that I did as a kid: draw, play with my toys and read comic books. These were all different versions of activating the same muscle, of using my imagination.

Even when I played with toys—GI Joe or Star Wars figures or whatever—it had as much influence on my work as a designer as drawing. I had these little figures floating in the air, falling in slow motion, and I would be like the camera. These figures are falling beautifully and gracefully; I'm moving each limb and each joint like The Matrix, just dramatic and poetic and beautiful. I was creating worlds.

When I talk about my creativity in my childhood—it was

And there was the football aspect of the city.

Being able to experience football so directly in this small town and being able to go to a football match— for the first time in my life—had a big impact on me.

I remember being really fascinated by the uniform that these men were wearing.

I was seeing men in hoods with goggles before it was seen on the street like it is now. That was a weird thing.

These wonderful jackets that changed color and lit up like my toys—they were like comic book characters. I just loved that juxtaposition of these very macho men in very creatively expressive garments, almost like neon peacocks.

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Do you have a specific memory of that scene?

My earliest memory that really gave me that feeling of inspiration or fascination was a [C.P Company] jacket.

That effect is still there. Over the years, I analyzed what that effect was and it was a fundamental part of football subculture and the football hooligan. That's like the football casual holy grail. I've had that exact feeling twice before in my life: once in Argentina and once in Spain.

“I THINK THERE'S A DIFFERENT VERSION OF US INSIDE—THE TRUE SELF, THE INNER SPIRIT, THE INNER CHILD. THE FURTHER YOU GET FROM THAT TRUTH, THE MORE PROBLEMS YOU HAVE.”

In Argentina, I was about six years old and I remember, so vividly, a kid coming into this hall wearing a Goofy hat. He'd just been to Disneyland or whatever, and I was obsessed with this hat. I thought it was the most beautiful object ever.

It's not even like I needed it. I was just happy that it existed.

It moved me.

If you fast forward a few years to when Tim Burton did his first Batman movie. I remember watching it at the cinema in Madrid. There was that moment when Michael Keaton is in the Batcave, looking at the bat mask, and it's an empty, hollow, three-dimensional representation of his face and his facial features: exaggerated pointy eyebrows integrated into this beautiful, rubber-molded object.

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Those three objects planted the seed. It's like an essence in my work. It’s a fascination, it's an obsession. They are objects designed to interact with the human body, but when they're not interacting with the human body, they're inanimate objects which have their own identity. They have a soul.

something that is right for you. Through that authenticity, you drive your own authenticity. It's not like I'm moving back to Burnley because I don't like fashion. It's more like, I'm just being me.

So what was that process like to say, "I'm ready to come home, but now I need a home for my work"?

It happened quite easily. This particular building came up and it’s like I had manifested it in my imagination.

It's the ideal place. I would say it's the most iconic and beautiful building in Burnley and it represents its industrial heritage. It's a Victorian building built in 1848. It's called Slater Terrace.

I originally wanted to ask whether moving to Burnley was a pushback against the cycle of fashion being so fast these days, but it sounds like there's a lot more to it than that.

That question makes me realize that my dislike of seasonal fashion, my move to Burnley and any aspect of my work are the things that are cementing a constant statement, which is to be true to myself. They're all expressions of that same sentiment. I think we all suffer from being in a system or in a program that's a result of standardization. We end up stuck in this cycle. I think there's a different version of us inside—the true self, the inner spirit, the inner child—and they're just quietly away in there. The further you get from that truth, the more problems you have.

The Industrial Revolution was basically initiated in the north of England. Burnley was the epicenter of cotton production.

There’s a concentrated area of mills and warehouses in Burnley called the Weavers' Triangle. You see these huge, big industrial chimneys and these beautiful brick buildings and stone brick mills—elegant, amazing pieces of architecture, absolutely timeless and representative of the working class, but also very forward-thinking for the time.

The term “disruptive” becomes relevant. If you feel like doing something disruptive, it's really because you're doing

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Your design work is super meticulous and detail oriented.

What was your approach to designing this space and how long did it take to sort it all out?

We had to do the practical and pragmatic version, obviously.

I guess I'm working towards the moment where I can fully, from scratch, design every detail of my own house. I'm not there yet and I think the moment when that happens, it would be a very different answer to that question. This was a beautiful opportunity but an opportunity to solve a practical problem. We had to do it quickly because we had to get to work.

The most beautiful mill, Slater Terrace, has been completely re-developed. It was gutted out and cleaned up and it's this open plan with huge units, with smaller units around the side, which were called terraced houses. So you see this huge Victorian building with a huge chimney coming out of it, but on one side, there’s a row of eleven terraced houses and on the other side, the building’s coming out of the canal. I'm looking at the water right now out my window: this canal is the Leeds to Liverpool canal, which is in itself an iconic part of the Burnley landscape.

What’s it like inside?

It was just two huge spaces that were open plan, and I was a bit overwhelmed by it at first. I didn't really know how I was going to figure it out. I had a few meetings with the owner of the building and he was really supportive and allowed me to redesign the architecture. We've been able to create this amazing space where you feel like you’re inside this historical, listed building but in a very modernist setting. The environment basically ensures a real fluid workflow between all of the different processes that we have within the studio.

I'd love for you to talk about emotional characteristics of the space as well. Is it a big change from your London set-up?

I had a wonderful space in London. I also had a great landlord who's also my friend, Hardy, who runs Maharishi. It was his old studio and he allowed me to also re-architecture the inside of it and paint everything white. I really enjoyed it, but I guess we outgrew it. The ideas outgrew it and we needed something not just bigger physically, but maybe, as you're suggesting, bigger emotionally.

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Building the new team here has been a real challenge, but it's been great to know that if you have something genuine, fundamentally honest and exciting, then people are prepared to relocate to sunny Burnley and experience a completely different life to what you would perhaps associate with a really progressive, conceptual design studio. That juxtaposition and the setting of the studio actually makes a lot of sense to people.

Are there any challenges with being geographically removed?

I still get to dip my toe in the big city and other cities. I still travel. I have different reasons to travel, not just to London but also beyond. I think it's a much healthier way to be able to experience those things. It is drastically different. I don't miss it. I do think that towns like Burnley can become symbols of progress in this post-Brexit era. We can make things happen in small towns in Britain and that applies anywhere.

Can you talk about that confidence in the context of restarting the studio and getting ready to drop your two upcoming projects? It’s a big year for you.

Again, contrast. Everything I'm trying to do is basically an expression of that. It's also the left brain, the right brain, the serious, the fun, the spirit and the mind. The overthinking mind and the free spirit. It's mad because I think my trajectory and my past and current processes are defined by this contrast and acceptance of two things that could very easily conflict and contradict themselves.

I think the height helps here. The main space when you come in is the double height with an original arched ceiling.

It's beautiful timeless engineering in itself. It's just so inspiring every time you walk in. The physicality helps you emotionally. Compared to London, it's quieter. It's calmer.

There are fewer distractions, and I think that we all feel much more focused. In London, I sometimes felt suffocated by the energy of other people.

The shoulder construction that we have in the new project is the same shoulder construction that I started developing 15 years ago, when I was doing my master’s degree.

The very first components of this project are 15 years in the making, which have progressed through every single project I've ever done. Just to contextualize, 15 years in the making for these two projects and, all of a sudden, we find the sweet spot; I decide to come back to Burnley and launch expressions of this inward journey in the chaos of the world.

I imagine that not all of your team is from the countryside.

Was the move jarring for them?

This is the thing. When I left Amsterdam and I decided to come to Burnley—this doesn't make any sense, either— I decided to start the team again. All of a sudden, I was alone for the first time in years. It was just me looking for a studio—which seems crazy now, but it allowed me to reapply my learnings to a new start and not be weighed down by certain things that I'd learned to do, in a better way, a more positive way.

The moment I figured out an aesthetic system, a design language, a concept and experience to imitate the emotion of manifesting your inner self in this chaotic external world, a global pandemic happens. It's like wow, what a crazy, perfectly apt backdrop for this narrative.

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AITOR’S SKETCHES DRAWN FEBRUARY 20— MARCH 5, 2020

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WORDS

KEITH ESTILER PHOTOGRAPHY

KYLE REYES

At the End with Lucien Smith

LUCIEN SMITH

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Five years ago, at the age of 25, he traded his trendy TriBeCa loft for a quaint abode nestled in the remote confines of the Long Island peninsula.

The California-born artist took refuge in the seaside town after making a sudden exit from the art world.

Smith wanted to detach himself from the elite art milieu, flooded at the time with deep-pocketed collectors who used his work as part of their get-richquick schemes. “Art was about money everywhere I looked. It was scary,” he says. “I was pushed into being an artist so fast that I didn’t have the chance to look at what I was doing, or wanted for the future.”

Montauk is nicknamed “The End” by many of its local residents, but for Lucien Smith, it’s the place of a new beginning. The beachy village, located at the easternmost tip of New York State, is home to a small community of fishermen, retired veterans and conservative families— with the exception of a few recluses like Smith, who seek an escape from hectic city life in search of a higher purpose.

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When he was 21, he ran a studio with his own assistants while studying at Cooper Union, and found his works in the top lot of a Sotheby’s auction. Over the next few years, he became used to selling out shows before they opened, as collectors purchased his pieces for six figures. Just as it seemed like he was reaching the pinnacle of his career, it imploded: he was one of the few young artists hit hard by the art market fad called “Zombie Formalism.”

The term, coined in derision by art critic Walter Robinson, was a movement which spanned roughly four years from 2011. This was a period when collectors bought paintings with a particular style and then flipped them at auctions soon after. They favored abstract compositions by young artists such as Oscar Murillo, Jacob Kassay, and Smith himself. While this ambitious group channeled the original principles of Abstract Expressionism, critics like Jerry Saltz decried their creations, arguing that their works looked identical and failed to push the boundaries of the genre (hence the word “zombie”).

Until the end of 2015, the price for works by these young artists escalated. For instance, Smith’s Hobbes, the Rain Man, and My Friend Barney/Under the Sycamore Tree (2011), a large-scale landscape painting, was first sold for US$10,000 right after Smith’s thesis exhibition at Cooper Union. Then, in 2013, it was bought at auction by Israeli businessperson and art collector Alberto Mugrabi for US$389,000. Two years later, the work was virtually unsellable. “I’m not against the art market and gallery system. I think it works to help generate resources for artists to grow

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exponentially,” Smith explains. “But that whole system has projected curriculum on the entire industry. It continues to be market-driven, and the artist is left out of those conversations.”

This competitive, profit-fueled arena left Smith broken, worn out, and facing an identity crisis. He didn’t like who he was anymore and didn’t have the energy to continue being someone that he wasn’t. His art reflected those sentiments. In the studio, he was fumbling painting after painting, trying to emulate Abstract Expressionist greats like Jackson Pollock or Willem de Kooning. His motivations for painting were the wrong ones: he was working to satisfy critics and reel in collectors who purchased his paintings just for their hype.

As an escape, Smith chose a hermit lifestyle in Montauk to clear his head and start afresh. He describes his countryside home as an “amniotic space,” a place to freely experiment and give life to new ideas. He calls the largest room in his house “The Brain,” where he comes up with the concepts for off-site projects. Inside is a Mac desktop computer with tabs of random sites open, a wall with taped-up computer paper displaying iPhone screenshots, and a sprawling color printer that he’s currently using to create transparencies for silkscreen printing. The smaller space in his home is 165

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devoted to making oil paintings, complete with a miniature easel. He says that he may convert this spot to create silkscreen works too, but smaller ones. In the backyard is a garage, transformed into a workspace for large, mixed-media pieces. When he’s not working on projects, Smith takes his vintage Dodge Polara for an eight-minute ride to the beach to surf, fish and decompress.

His life in Montauk has inspired a new purpose: Serving the People (STP). Smith’s mission for this non-profit platform is to showcase his work alongside the creations of like-minded, interdisciplinary artists without the commercial bias of the art industry.

He launched a new body of work under Serving the People in January, during Frieze LA. For the exhibition entitled Fear Eats the Soil, he presented silkscreens of various Internet-found images—from a grainy image of a tarantula to a superimposed portrait of Audrey Hepburn at a diner. The show channeled a new worldview for Smith, one where he was able to produce pieces he wanted to display, and produce them with unfettered creative expression.

“ART WAS ABOUT MONEY EVERYWHERE I LOOKED. IT WAS SCARY.”

LUCIEN SMITH

While the curation of images for Fear Eats the Soil may appear random, they are linked in that they all capture Smith’s genuine interest. He describes the process of cycling through visuals online as a form of digital escapism. He constantly scours the Internet and social media in a Warholian sort of way to find visuals that he wants to reproduce. Smith describes his digital discoveries as a positive reflection of current society, where people aren’t afraid to showcase themselves online and share their interests. “The premise of this show was for me to show how vulnerable I can be and not let other people’s fears become my fears,” he says.

Smith wants people to appreciate his new works without going too deeply into how they’re made.

He argues that his current practice is now rooted in the concept that art shouldn’t have to be laborious for it to demand attention or interpretation. “I used to create work specifically for those reasons, but now I’m on a different path. I feel like an emerging artist again,” he says. “When you think about art, it’s the ability to create something from within. It’s great that there are economics around that, but it shouldn’t have a profound effect on your practice.”

Right now, the artist and newly turned curator is busier than ever, balancing multiple projects for his studio while planning out shows and the overall trajectory for STP. Smith wants the collective to become an inclusive platform which supports all kinds of artists, even musicians. “Artists are doing more than just painting these days, and STP is a platform for those creatives,” he says. “I’m stepping into a curator role, which is a new thing for me, but I don’t want to handle these incoming projects like a dictator. I want STP to be a self-sustaining thing.”

Despite starting down a new life path at “The End,” Lucien Smith is still working things out. What’s next on his agenda? Finally fixing up that Montauk house he’s lived and worked in for the past five years—it’s time.

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Guide Issue

26 perfect circles, 19 albums, 3 continents, and a microwave meal for one

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Editors’ Picks Tried and true books for trying times, as recommended

by HYPEBEAST’s editors.

Survival Lit Because TaskRabbit isn't an option right now.

The Adventurer's Handbook: From Surviving an Anaconda Attack to Finding Your Way Out of a Desert

by Mick Conefrey A Little Bit of Everything For Dummies American Politics: A Graphic Guide

by Laura Locker, illustrated by Jules Scheele Emotional Intelligence for Dummies

by Steven J. Stein 172

GUIDE

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning

by Margareta Magnusson

The Timber-Frame Home-Design, Construction, Finishing

by Tedd Benson

Microwave for One

by Sonia Allison

What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

by Randall Munroe White Noise

by Don DeLillo

Trick Mirror

by Jia Tolentino

The Noma Guide to Fermentation

by René Redzepi, David Zilber

The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief

by Clair Davies

This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor

by Adam Kay

The Way of the Iceman

by Wim Hof, Koen de Jong

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The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener: How to Grow Your Own Food 365 Days a Year, No Matter Where You Live

by Niki Jabbour

The Zombie Survival Guide

by Max Brooks

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Miles Greenberg Top 20 Albums For Your Art Viewing Pleasure

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“My ideal art viewing experience is to put on my headphones and listen to Radiohead and walk through the Louvre.”

Playlist: Tunes for when we can all travel freely again.

Belvedere Vienna, Austria R Plus Seven

by Oneohtrix Point Never Fondation Phi Montreal, Canada Are You Alone?

by Majical Cloudz Rockbund Art Museum Shanghai, China Untogether

by Blue Hawaii UCCA Center for Contemporary Art Beijing, China The Heart Part 4 and untitled unmastered

by Kendrick Lamar Fondation Cartier Paris, France Adieu Au Dancefloor

by Marie Davidson Louvre Paris, France Kid A

by Radiohead Palais de Tokyo Paris, France It Was a Time of Laboured Metaphors

by Kate Carr Hamburger Bahnhof Berlin, Germany Lifetime Klein

Fondazione Prada Milan, Italy Atlantics (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

by Fatima Al Qadiri Punta Della Dogana Venice, Italy Untitled (Live)

by Croatian Amor Lee Ufan Museum Naoshima, Japan 4’33”

by John Cage

Museum of Modern Art New York City, USA Mothership (Remastered)

by Led Zeppelin and Lost In Translation (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

“With the new expansions you’ll probably have time for both.”

Astrup Fearnley Museet Oslo, Norway Async

by Ryuichi Sakamoto

New Museum New York City, USA Dummy

by Portishead

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao Bilbao, Spain Miss Perfumado

by Cesária Évora

Whitney Museum of American Art New York City, USA The Pearl

by Brian Eno and Harold Budd

Kunstmuseum Basel Basel, Switzerland BTTB (20th Anniversary Edition)

by Ryuichi Sakamoto

BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art Gateshead, UK Safe In The Hands of Love

by Yves Tumor

The Frick Collection New York City, USA ISON

by Sevdaliza Metropolitan Museum of Art New York City, USA Mezzanine

by Massive Attack and Sinfonietta

by Leoš Janácek

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Mount Sunny Interpreting Cupping Marks

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How-to: Getting in touch with our moderate stagnation.

Photography Katie Flaherty

“The earliest records to mention cupping therapy date back to 1500 B.C. via translated hieroglyphics and ancient texts from Egyptians. The treatment was used for an array of ailments from rheumatoid arthritis, to respiratory disease and fever to regulating menstruation.

Modern day cupping is primarily sought out for muscle recovery, pain, tension and the common cold, although it is still beneficial for a number of health conditions.

This is due to the idea that most diseases arise from a stagnation in the body, either physical, emotional or spiritual.

During a cupping treatment, this stagnation is brought to the surface and can be diagnostic in showing practitioners the health of the body’s circulatory system. On average, it takes 45 seconds for blood to circulate from the heart, all around the body, and back to the heart again.

If there is a blockage, the blood is not circulating and the longer it stays blocked, the darker it becomes. Generally speaking, the darker the cupping marks, the more stagnation is in the body.�

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Look Back Library Locations Australia Hemley Skateboarding First Floor, 259 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065 @hemleyskateboarding

The Netherlands Skatepark Utrecht Koningin Wilhelminalaan 4, Utrecht @skateparkutrecht

Kingpin Skate Shop 6034 Pacific Ave, Stockton, CA 95207 @kingpinskateshop

South Bay Skates 3594 Redondo Beach Blvd, Torrance, CA 90504 @southbayskates

Kingswell [a @theskateboardmag focused library] 4651 Kingswell Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027 @kingswell_losfeliz

Street Science 2155 Las Positas Ct D, Livermore, CA 94550 @streetscience

Krown Skate Shop 319 Main St #7, Salinas, CA 93901 @krownskateshop

Transitions 422 E Sepulveda Blvd. Carson, CA 90745 @transisions_sk8 Unmodern Industries 11783 Slauson Ave, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670 @unmodern1

United States

Lighthouse Skate Shop 16B Helena Ave. Santa Barbara, CA 93101 @lighthouseskateshop

Mortal Skate Shop 127 S 4th Ave Tucson, AZ 85701 @mortal_skateshop

Local Skate Shop 12346 Woodside Ave, Lakeside, CA 92040 @local_skateshop

Apt Skate Shop 1311 Sartori Ave, Torrance, CA 90501 @aptskateshop

Long Beach Skate 3142 E 7th St, Long Beach, CA 90804 @lbskateco

Boulevard Skate Shop 3747 W Pacific Ave #H, Sacramento, CA 95820 @boulevardskateshop

Mission Skate Shop 3045 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94110 @missionsk8shop

Brotherhood Board Shop 1422 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa, CA 95401 @brotherhoodboardshop

Off Top 1228 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90017 @offtop_skateshop

Concrete Lodge 616 N Market St, Redding, CA 96003 @concretelodge

Overcast Skate Shop 28780 Old Town Front St, Temecula, CA 92590 @overcastskateshop

Contenders Boardshop 1419 N Tustin St Ste D, Orange, CA 92867 @contenders_boardshop

Pawn Shop Skate Co. 144 N Citrus Ave, Covina, CA 91723 @pawnshopskateco

Square State Skate Boulder, CO semi private skate camp — DM for access @squarestateskate @squarehousewarehouse

Crooks Skate Shop 3764 9th St, Riverside, CA 92501 @crooks_skateshop Focus Board Shop 20025 Lake Forest Dr # 103, Lake Forest, CA 92630 @focusboardshop

Proof Lab [right next to their killer mini ramp in back] 244 Shoreline Hwy, Mill Valley, CA 94941 @prooflab

303 Boards on the Hill [a Lowcard exclusive] 1138 13th St, Boulder, CO 80302 @303boards

Red Curbs Skate Shop 40923 Grimmer Blvd Fremont, CA 94538 @redcurbs

Furnace 10100 Valley View St, Buena Park, CA 90620 @furnaceskate

Ruin 5521 Chamblee-Dunwoody Rd. Dunwoody, GA 30338 @ruininc

San Francisco Skate Club 635A Divisadero San Francisco, CA 94117 @sfskateclub

The Garage Board Shop 759 S Atlantic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90022 @the_garageboardshop

Skateboarding Hall of Fame 1555 Simi Town Center Way #230, Simi Valley, CA 93065 @skateboardinghalloffame

F A Skates 6 W Busse Ave, Mt Prospect, IL 60056 @fa_skateshop

Skate Works 379 State St. Los Altos, CA 94022 @skateworks

Ground Floor Skateboards 333 E State St, Rockford, IL 61104 @groundfloorskateboards

Slappy's Garage, Downtown 465 17th St, San Diego, CA 92101 @slappysgarage

Killer Skatepark 5700 Morgan Ave, Evansville, IN 47715 @killerskatepark

Slappy's Garage, Linda Vista [2 blocks from Linda Vista Skatepark] 6585 Osler St San Diego, CA 92111 @slappysgarage

Minus 2196B E 54th St, Indianapolis, IN 46220 @minusskateshop

Hangtown Board Shop 103 Main St, Placerville, CA 95667 @hangtownpville The House Skate Shop 637 South Santa Fe Ave #C, Vista, CA 92083 @thehouseofvista Impact Skate Shop 1809 Chester Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93301 @impact_skateshop Joker's Skate Shop 9606 Hamilton Ave, Huntington Beach, CA 92646 @jokers_skate_shop

Socal Skate Shop 24002 VĂ­a Fabricante #404, Mission Viejo, CA 92691 @socalskateshop

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3043 Board Shop 3043 Tweedy Blvd, South Gate, CA 90280 @3043boardshop Curbside Skatepark 3535 S Irving St, Englewood, CO 80110 @curbsideskatepatk Launch - Community through Skateboarding 1007 N College Ave #B Ft. Collins, CO 80524 @launchskate Mountainside Skate Shop 741 Manitou Ave, Manitou Springs, CO 80829 @mountainsideskateshop Mutual Friends 429 Colorado Ave, Grand Junction, CO 81501 @mutualfriends.gj

Fargo Skateboarding 629 E Lincoln Hwy, DeKalb, IL 60115 @fargoskateboarding

Rhett Skateboarding 118 S Rogers St suite #6, Bloomington, IN 47404 @rhettskateboarding

NOTE:

GUIDE

Items in blue are just lines that break format, so let me know how you'd

klike to handle those

All City Skateboarding 612 S. Commerce St Wichita, KS 67202 @allcitywoodworks call for hours (316) 207-8675

Backdoor Skate Shop 222 E 5th St, Greenville, NC 27858 @backdoorskateshop

Milosport 3119 E 3300 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84109 @milosport

River Rat Skate Shop 608 N 2nd Street North Lawrence, KS 66044 @riverratskateshop

Demented Skate Shop 5617 Liberty Fairfield Rd #1, Liberty Township, OH 45011 @dementedshredshop

Cardinal Skate Shop 733 Granby St, Norfolk, VA 23510 @cardinalskateshop

Riot Skatepark 2001 Production Dr, Louisville, KY 40299 @riot_skatepark

Tri-Star Skates 5360 Brookpark Rd Cleveland, OH 44134 @tristarskates

Vu Skate Shop 7118 Harford Road Baltimore, MD 21234 @vuskateshop

Nine One Skate 502 E 3rd St, Tulsa, OK 74120 @nineoneskate

The Edge Indoor Skatepark 391 W Water St, Taunton, MA 02780 @theedgeindoorskatepark

Shrunken Head Skate Shop 531 SE Morrison Portland, OR 97214 @shrunkenheadpdx

Plus Skateboarding 33335 Grand River Ave, Farmington, MI 48336 @pluskateboarding

SOL SK8S 484 SE 9th St #150, Bend, OR 97702 @solsk8s

Familia HQ Skatepark 835 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55414 @familiahq

Stronger Skatepark 6102 SE King Rd, Milwaukie, OR 97222 @stronger_skatepark

Conservation Skate Shop 3213 S Campbell #A, Springfield, MO 65807 @conservation_skate

Holistic 516 Penn Avenue West Reading, PA 19611 @holistic_skateshop

Escapist 405 Southwest Blvd #100, Kansas City, MO 64108 @escapistskate [all 80's all day]

Ignition 420 W Grant St. Lancaster, PA 17603 @ignition_skateshop

Board of Missoula 618 S Higgins Ave, Missoula, MT 59801 @boardmissoula The Bay 2005 Y Street Lincoln, NE 68508 [in the visual arts room] @thebay_ formerly at @precisionskateboards High Voltage Cafe 808 Springwood Ave, Asbury Park, NJ 07712 @highvoltagecafe NJ Skate Shop 1 383 Monmouth St, Jersey City, NJ 07302 @njskateshop NJ Skate Shop 2 160 Easton Ave, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 @njskateshop Microwave 107 4th St SW, Albuquerque, NM @microwaveskateshop Jamestown Skate Products 209 Pine St, Jamestown, NY 14701 @jamestownskateproducts KCDC 85 N 3rd St #118, Brooklyn, NY 11249 @kcdcskateshop Krudco 371 Park Ave, Rochester, NY 14607 @krudcoskateshop

Switch & Signal Skatepark 7518 Dickson St, Swissvale, PA 15218 @switchandsignalskatepark Continuum 49 Spring St #A, Charleston, SC 29403 @continuumsc Hunt Supply Co 118 S 11th St d, Nashville, TN 37206. @hunt_supply_co Sixth Avenue Skatepark 601 4th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37210 @sixavenashville AltaVista Skate Shop 114 Broadway St, San Antonio, TX 78205 @altavista210 Crooks 5640 Montana Ave suite J, El Paso, TX 79925 @crookselpaso Deviance Skate Supply 613 Indiana Ave, Wichita Falls, TX 76301 @devianceskatesupply

Alchemy Skateboarding 311 South 7th, Tacoma, WA 98402 @alchemy_skateboarding All Together Skatepark 3500 Stone Way N, Seattle, WA 98103 @alltogetherskatepark Unity Skate Shop 944 Bay St, Port Orchard, WA 98366 @unityskateshop Unknown Board Shop 105 Grand Ave, Bellingham, WA 98225 @unknownboardshop Cream City Skatepark 5560 N Park Dr. Butler, WI 53007 @creamcity Freedom 434 State St, Madison, WI 53703 @freedom_skate_shop

AVAILABLE BY APPOINTMENT ONLY: Cowtown 215 W University, Tempe, AZ 85281 trent@cowtownskateboards.com Look Back HQ 1811 Edgemont St, San Diego, CA 92102 kevin@lookbacklibrary.org Six Stair 517 N. Fairfax Ave. (Rear Unit), Los Angeles, CA 90036 buddycoan@gmail.com Visalia Ymca Skate Camp 320 N. Akers Street, Visalia, CA 93291 Woodward West 28400 Stallion Springs Drive, Tehachapi, CA 93561 The Orchid La Casa Grande Cir, Goleta, CA 93117 Orchidskatepark@gmail.com The Boardr 4611 North Hale Avenue, Tampa, FL 33614 jared@theboardr.com Missouri Vortex aka Hermann's Hole near Hermann, MO 65041 DM @missourivortex

Southside Skate Shop 11197 Westheimer Rd. Houston, TX 77042 @southsidehtx

Windells Camp 59550 E. Highway 26, Sandy, Oregon 97055 [for campers only]

4Dwn skatepark 2633 Ferris St, Dallas, TX 75226 @4dwn

Woodward EAST 134 Sports Camp Drive, Woodward, PA 16882

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THE NEW ISSUE

ISSUE 29

Directory Issue 29

AITOR THROUP AITORTHROUP.COM AND WANDER ANDWANDER.COM ARC’TERYX ARCTERYX.COM BIANCA SAUNDERS BIANCASAUNDERS.CO.UK CARTIER CARTIER.COM CHACHA CHACHAMATCHA.COM CURLY CURLY-CO.COM GIVENCHY GIVENCHY.COM GRAMICCI GRAMICCI.COM GRAND SEIKO GRAND-SEIKO.COM GR10K GR10K.COM HARNEY & SONS HARNEY.COM

NOTRE NOTRE-SHOP.COM OMEGA OMEGA.COM PATAGONIA PATAGONIA.COM PHIPPS PHIPPS.INTERNATIONAL ROGER DUBUIS ROGERDUBUIS.COM ROLEX ROLEX.COM SEIKO SEIKOWATCHES.COM SNEAKERSNSTUFF SNEAKERSNSTUFF.COM TAKUYA YOKOYAMA KOYAMAARTPROJECTS.COM TIFFANY & CO. TIFFANY.COM ULYSSE NARDIN ULYSSE-NARDIN.COM XTRA.GEAR SHOP.XTRAGEAR.SERVICES

HUIBEN SHOP HUIBENSHOP.COM IPPODO IPPODO-TEA-CO.JP IWC SHAFFHAUSEN IWC.COM KETTL KETTL.CO KUON KUON.TOKYO LOEWE LOEWE.COM MARTINE ROSE MARTINE-ROSE.COM MONTBLANC MONTBLANC.COM MORIHATA MORIHATA.COM

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