A LO OK INTO FALL / WINTER 2015
TA R S E M S I N G H / A N D E R S O N PA A K
AN ARTS AND CULTURE MAGAZINE
A ARON AND AUSTIN : FAME AND IDENTIT Y
ARTIST FEATURES
2016 RGB Magazine All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying or 01 other electronic or mechanical methods, wihtout the prior written permission of the editor, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the editor, addressed “Attention: Misiz Permissions,� at the address below. www.rgbmag.com Printed in the United States of America Editor in Chief: Ron Gutierrez Cover Photograph by Annie Busado Publication Design by Irene Saavedra
MAXWELL MCMASTER
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RGB MAGAZINE ISSUE NO. 01
CONTENTS 01
ARTIST FEATURES
03
MAXWELL MCMASTER
11
DAVID LOPEZ
19
AJ DUNGO
29
LINDSEY BEST
45
ALASKA SOHNE
53
YUYA TERADA
61
KIU KAYEE
71
KIM RYU
78
SUNG JIK YANG
86
FASHION FEATURES
88
JEREMY KIM
97
RONALD GUTIERREZ + SABRINA CHE
109 SHANNON SEGURO 119
JOY NEWELL
151
FASHION CREDITS
ARTIST FEATURES
MAXWELL MCMASTER
ARTIST
FEATURES
“THROUGH MY WORK
PLORE THE SELF IN T
SCIOUS THOUGHTS A
EXPRESSED THROUG
AGERY, TEXTURE, AN
K, I AM ABLE TO EX-
THAT MY SUBCON-
AND FEELINGS ARE
GH THE LAYERS OF IM-
ND IMPASTO.”
- MAXWELL MCMASTER
MAXWELL MCMASTER
05
Maxwell McMaster is a Los Angeles based painter. Through my work, I am able to explore the self in that my subconscious thoughts and feelings are expressed through the layers of imagery, texture, and impasto. Perhaps how I go about painting also illustrates my psyche as I start without a plan--I let it happen. I usually start with a very loose gradient or minimal landscape, and then it’s just a matter of reacting to it. Sometimes I’ll wait before making my next move; very often a half finished piece will be meditated on, waiting for the right moment. The work I find finished, in front of me, is usually abstract or abstracted representation. I occasionally use other
mediums collage, screen-printing, oil, but most of them are acrylic. I’m very interested in color, sometimes I’ll make a painting as an excuse to explore color and texture combinations. A good painting will have a presence, some kind of vibration that makes the viewer feel something—I am very interested in that. I have worked as a designer, friend, and confidant of the Slow Culture gallery in Los Angeles since its inception in 2013. It’s a place I strongly connect with and support.
MAXWELL MCMASTER
ARTIST FEATURES
07
MAXWELL MCMASTER
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ARTIST FEATURES
09
MAXWELL MCMASTER
10
DAVID LOPEZ IN COLLABORATION WITH POKETO
DAVID LOPEZ
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14
ARTIST FEATURES
15
MAXWELL MCMASTER
02
ARTIST FEATURES
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DAVID LOPEZ
18
ARTIST FEATURES
“IT WAS EXHILARATIN WE WERE GOING TO
A BUNCH OF STRANG 01
BUT A GENERATOR A
MAXWELL MCMASTER
NG TO THINK THAT PLAY IN A CAVE TO
GERS WITH NOTHING
AND A FLOOD LIGHT.”
- AJ DUNGO
02
ARTIST FEATURES
AJ DUNGO
21
In the summer of 2014, my band went on a west coast tour. Our first show was in San Francisco at an area called Sutro Baths, which are basically sea caves off of the coast. It was a DIY show and it was totally illegal. We were assured that we would be fine because the excessively confident art student who booked the show said the cops never rolled shows at Sutro Baths and we had the “cover of night.” He had obviously never done this before. We get to SF and it’s a shit show, totally disorganized but surprisingly packed. It was exhilarating to think
that we were going to play in a cave to a bunch of strangers with nothing but a generator and a flood light. At the mouth of the cave, kids were straddling rocks, drinking 40’s, and puffing on cigarettes. We spent a long time heaving our gear from the parking lot down to the cave. We were basically traversing down a mountainside with our bulky instruments. By the time we were about to play we were exhausted and we had wasted most of our time setting up. In the end, the cave sounded terrible and our set ended up getting cut short by the cops.
MAXWELL MCMASTER
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ARTIST FEATURES
08
AJ DUNGO
09
ARTIST FEATURES
AJ DUNGO
ARTIST FEATURES
01
AJ DUNGO
28
ARTIST FEATURES
“FOR AS LONG AS I CA BEEN INCESSANTLY
THE HUMAN CONDIT 01
FIND THAT MIRRORE
OR OBJECT, THAT’S T I WANT TO MAKE.”
MAXWELL MCMASTER
AN REMEMBER I’VE OBSESSED WITH
TION, AND WHEN I
ED IN A LANDSCAPE
THE PHOTOGRAPH - LINDSEY BEST
02
ARTIST FEATURES
LINDSEY BEST
31
I’m a photographer currently based in Los Angeles who graduated with my BFA in Photography + Imaging from Art Center College of Design. I have vast experience with shooting music and music journalism in addition to being heavily focused on story telling through creating narrative and concept based images. My photographs examine the human condition and the connection to the world in which we call home. Photography for me is about being able to explore and express a connection or passion through the creation of an image-- whether that be with a subject or with a narrative or an idea. My photographs have invariably been more about human experience than about the landscape or object. For as long as I can remember I’ve been inces-
santly obsessed with the human condition, and when I find that mirrored in a landscape or object, that’s the photograph I want to make. I am fascinated by language, communication, and the fragmentation that inherently exists within the limits of what it means to be human. Using genres to label photographs has never made much sense to me for this reason, all of my images are portraits of what it means to be human-- whether that’s found in a landscape image, a still life or photo illustration, a portrait, or a music photograph.
MAXWELL MCMASTER
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ARTIST FEATURES
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LINDSEY BEST
02
ARTIST FEATURES
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LINDSEY BEST
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01
ARTIST FEATURES
01
LINSDEY BEST
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ARTIST FEATURES
01
MAXWELL MCMASTER
02
01
LINDSEY BEST
44
ARTIST FEATURES
MY BODY OF WORK
RATION OF THE SEN
TY/ IDENTITY-CRISIS 01
THE JUXTAPOSITION NURTURE...
MAXWELL MCMASTER
BEGAN AS AN EXPLO-
NSE OF “SELF-IDENTI-
S” WHICH CONSISTS OF
N OF NATURE VERSUS
( ALASKA SOHNE)
02
ARTIST FEATURES
ALASKA SOHNE
01
My body of work began as an exploration of the sense of “self-identity/ identity-crisis” which consists of the juxtaposition of nature versus nurture, and the result of that confrontation, which is why they’re all self-portraits. As the pieces continued, I began to see themes of sensuality and subtly of the feminine physique, vulgarity, and the sublime, which came from my Korean cultural roots and influences of American pop culture when meshed together. I work primarily in oil paint, but began to use
watercolours in my later pieces due to their ability to have extreme and lack there of control, another resonating theme in my work. As the depths of my paintings begin to get more articulated, my vision gets more concrete: to create a body of works that will help me understand not just who I’ve become, but who I am at my core and why I ended up this way; a language that I can interpret.
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01
AL ASKA SOHNE
02
01
ARTIST FEATURES
01
YUYA
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TERADA
02
ARTIST FEATURES
YUYA TERADA
01
02
ARTIST FEATURES
01
YUYA TERADA
02
ARTIST FEATURES
01
YUYA TERADA
02
ARTIST FEATURES
01
KIU
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KAYEE
02
KIU KAYEE
ARTIST FEATURES
01 65
KIU KAYEE
02 66
ARTIST FEATURES
67
KIU KAYEE
68
ARTIST FEATURES
01
KIU KAYEE
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THE FIGURES RAREL
ARE SIMPLY IMPLIED
WHICH CONTRASTS T
TICAL, AND UNPRED ROUNDING THEM.
LY SHOW EMOTION OR
D WITH A SILHOUETTE
THE BIZARRE, FANTAS-
DICTABLE WORLD SUR-
(KIM RYU)
ARTIST FEATURES
KIM RYU
73
Born in 1992 (Fremont, CA), Kim Ryu earned her BFA in Illustration with distinction from the Art Center College of Design. Kim Ryu’s paintings feature mysterious beings transposed in a surreal world. In many of her compositions, anthropomorphic figures are in the process of discovery or survival in a foreign landscape. The figures rarely show emotion or are simply implied with a silhouette which contrasts the bizarre, fantastical, and unpredictable world surrounding them. Inspired by Indian
miniatures, Kim’s compositions break the rules of perspective and focus on a dream-like and expressive quality. Her process is open to accident in the initial stages, and then she carefully chooses the objects and figures in the piece. Most of the objects in her work serve as markers of the modern versus ancient, real versus unreal. Her subject matter revolves around individual stories of an evocative and melancholic world dripping with symbolism.
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ARTIST FEATURES
01
KIM RYU
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ARTIST FEATURES
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KIM RYU
77
ARTIST FEATURES
SUNG JIK YANG
01
02
ARTIST FEATURES
82
SUNG JIK YANG
83
ARTIST FEATURES
84
MAXWELL MCMASTER
02
FASHION
FEATURES
ARTIST FEATURES
THE THEME IS “SUPER INSPIRED BY THE FAN
COSTUMES. THE USE 01
AND ODD SHAPES AR
BODIES WE NORMALL
MAXWELL MCMASTER
RNATURAL EXTENSION”, TASY OF LARGE-SCALE
E OF VIBRANT COLORS
RE ADDITIONS TO OUR
LY NEVER SEE. (JEREMY KIM)
02
FASHION FEATURES
JEREMY KIM
01 90
JEREMY KIM
02
FASHION FEATURES
01 91
JEREMY KIM
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FASHION FEATURES
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JEREMY KIM
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FASHION FEATURES
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JEREMY KIM
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ARTIST FEATURES
01
RON GUTIERREZ
MAXWELL MCMASTER
SABRINA CHE
02
FASHION FEATURES
MICHAEL AARONWITZ
01
MAXWELL MCMASTER
02
FASHION FEATURES
01
MICHAEL AARONWITZ
02
FASHION FEATURES
01
MICHAEL AARONWITZ
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FASHION FEATURES
01
MICHAEL AARONWITZ
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01
MICHAEL AARONWITZ
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SHANON
SEGURA
FASHION FEATURES
INSIDIOUS SHANNON SEGURA
SHANNON SEGURO
02
FASHION FEATURES
01
SHANNON SEGURO
02
FASHION FEATURES
115
SHANNON SEGURO
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FASHION FEATURES
SHANNON SEGURO
ARTIST FEATURES
01
JOY
MAXWELL MCMASTER
NEWELL
02
FASHION FEATURES
JOY NEWELL
01
JOY NEWELL
02
FASHION FEATURES
01
JOY NEWELL
02
FASHION FEATURES
01
JOY NEWELL
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FASHIONt FEATURES
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02
FASHION FEATURES
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JOY NEWELL
0102
RHODES BROTHERS
MAXWELL MCMASTER
From where I stand, I can just see the darker blue hues of the San Rafael Hills. I follow its lines and it crosses the vertical laces of tree branches. Depending on how much you squint, the convergences almost resemble graph paper. I’ve never been casually strolling with a lover while heavy clouds gather, but the sensation I had under looking from the bridge must be what it’s like to take shelter while it rains and couples kiss. Intimate with the type of dumb admiration towards some02 thing so natural. Well, the city has been going through a drought, so the astonishment is justified. I imagine some squirrels or little animals running around, but they would probably distract me from the rarity that is a Northern Californian color palette in Los Angeles. I wonder if Aaron and Austin Rhodes are going to wear all black like they’re known to do, and how the abundance would play out against the consistent emerald green against the misty grey blues left over from this morning’s thunderstorm. They are down to socks and matching phone covers. The twins have retained their
Midwestern etiquette and shake hands with each person, saying their name each time. I find out that Austin isn’t really going to Georgetown and while Aaron likes to sing, it’s “more of a shower thing”. We talk about surface differences between the twins. And by we I mean Austin and I, Aaron is doing something very important on his phone. While they won’t laugh at the jokes they crack themselves, they’ll chuckle at each other’s. They 01 have the confidence to make a joke while keeping their devilish grin, but are wholly conscious of their strengths and limitations.
FASHINO EATURES
Austin: I like Venice beach, the little shops and stuff. Bemelman: Why do you think you like New York more than L.A.? Au: There’s a lot of differences in people, I think.
135
B: They’re a little more upfront in New York? Au: Right, yeah, and also just the energy in New York. Where L.A. is so laidback. Which is great, but I catch myself getting lazy. In New York you’re always on the run, I love that. I feel like everyone’s, you know, hustle, constantly getting things done. I like how big New York feels too, whereas L.A.’s more spread out. There’s so many little factors that I love, and it’s just so romantic. I love the West Village, Chelsea, there’s just so much history there, which I know L.A. has that too.
B: It’s a different type of history. Au: Yeah, exactly. The changing seasons, I miss that because I grew up in Ohio. B: Do you feel like you’re more disciplined than your brother? Au: He’s more of, like, a boss-guy of what we do. He’s really structured. Aaron: And he’s good at cleaning the house (Austin laughs) Au: But in other parts, I’m very organized. B: That’s a funny way of putting it, in terms of how you see your differing types of discipline. I thought you would say something about working out and he’s more—
RHODE’S BROTHERS
02
AUSTIN RHODES
ARTIST FEATURES
01
AARON RHODES
THE RHODES BROTHERS
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FASHION FEATURES
01
RHODE’S BROTHERS
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Fashion FEATURES
01
RHODES BROTHERS
Au: Mhm, no (Austin laughs), I never—he works out more than I do. He’s very upfront whereas I’m like passive, I’ll let people walk all over me. While Chelsea styles Austin’s hair, I wonder if he’s fastidious about that aspect of himself. The first thing he did after shaking hands was look in the mirror to play with his individual strands of hair. I ask him if he always did that, or is it something he picked up after moving to Los Angeles. He thinks on it and says that he’s been more concerned with how he’s perceived. Perhaps it’s because of how frequently the camera is pointed at him now, but he’s always liked things a certain way. If he has even one strand out of place, he’ll use a hat, but that rule doesn’t apply when he’s on camera. B: Oh, congratulations for Scream Queens.
A&A: Thank you. B: In regards to Ryan Murphy, how do you feel his work has affected you? Glee, AHS, Nip/Tuck, if you’re familiar. Aa: I think he does a really good job of utilizing what’s trending. Au: While tying in a social message. Glee, you can see is why he’s so groundbreaking. There were two gay characters and he just made it normal. It puts a subconscious message in your mind that “hey, it’s ok.” He’s at the forefront of new things. I think he’s a very smart guy. Aa: After our video went viral, he reached out to us days later. Au: Yeah, he’s on it.
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FASHION FEATURES
“FOR ME, FAME, PART OF IT...”
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B: Right, he knows what his audience wants, and you are what people want. I know this is an oddly worded question, because there’s this unspoken consensus that everyone wants to be famous, but speaking of Scream Queens, how famous would you want to be? Like, what is your ideal? That you’d be comfortable with?
Au: As long as I can still keep a little bit of privacy, I’m ok with it. As long as we’re still making a difference. B: I’m so happy that you guys are conscious of that. You always tie it back to your past, you don’t forget what launched you to this position.
Aa: Oh, hmm. You’re the first person that’s ever asked me that.
Au: The Human Rights Campaign.
Au: As things have progressed…It’s hard to…
Aa: That’s why we try to do work with—
Aa: Because if we turn our backs on it… that’s what made us who we are. B: So it’s a difficult question.
Aa: For me, fame, part of it… Aa: For sure. Au: I mean we put ourselves out there so it can happen. It’s nothing that we can really control or be mad at. But at the same time, I’m also super shy andquiet. B: Yeah. Au: As long as it’s for the right reasons, the fame. Aa: Mhm Au: That’s why I’m at peace with being known for the video. Like, that changed a lot of lives. So, alright I’m happy. Aa: At least we’re not doing a sex tape of something (A&A laugh)
Au: It’s also so new too. I’m just trying to get through each day (A&A laugh), keep people interested because with YouTube fame, I guess you could call it, you’re so accessible and a lot of people want more. I don’t have anything else to give. Aa: It’ll be interesting when we start to mix the two when the show starts happening (A&A nervously laughs).
RHODES BROTHERS
B: Not a lot of people are aware of these things. People forget that there’s no handbook for this type of life event. And there’s not a lot of academic study on what fame does to the human psyche.
wished people knew how creative his brother is, “I feel he doesn’t get enough credit for that.”
Au: I actually just watched—have you seen the Amy Winehouse documentary? It was so interesting to me, watching her become famous. But she was honestly, like before Back to Black, she was like, “I love to sing, I’ve circled depression but this is my outlet.” And she said before that I don’t think I would be able to handle it [fame]. You know what I mean? Fame happened for her, and she just wanted to sing.
I commend Austin for speaking up since he’s usually quieter. We talk about his thoughts on making and being in videos. He is precautious with his words but discloses that: “Honestly it takes a lot out of me to do videos.” Sitting off to the side, Austin approaches me twice but gets what he needs without a word; while Aaron asks me how it’s going the first time. Their polarities are palpable.
B: Like in the trailer she says… “I don’t think at all that I’m going to be famous”. When asked if he ever wants to break away and be his own person, Aaron feels “like we’re strongest when we’re together. Even if I were here by myself, I’d probably feel more uncomfortable than if I were with Austin. It feels normal when it’s like this.” We go outside for some last shots, and though it got a little bright in the afternoon, everything now looks the way it was. I ask Aaron if there was anything he wished people knew about them, “It’s easier for me to talk about us than it is to talk about me.” As he walks ahead, Austin quietly tells me that he
Their camaraderie is palpable.
When asked if he ever wants to break away and be his own person, Aaron feels “like we’re strongest when we’re together. Even if I were here by myself, I’d probably feel more uncomfortable than if I were with Austin. It feels normal when it’s like this.” We go outside for some last shots, and though it got a little bright in the afternoon, everything now looks the way it was. I ask Aaron if there was anything he wished people knew about them, “It’s easier for me to talk about us than it is to talk about me.” As he walks ahead, Austin quietly tells me that he wished people knew how creative his brother is, “I feel he doesn’t get enough credit for that.” Their camaraderie is palpable.
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FASHION FEATURES
WHEN ASKED IF HE EVER WANTS TO BREAK AWAY AND BE HIS OWN PERSON, AARON FEELS “LIKE WE’RE STRONGEST WHEN WE’RE TOGETHER. EVEN IF I WERE HERE BY MYSELF, I’D PROBABLY FEEL MORE UNCOMFORTABLE THAN IF I WERE WITH AUSTIN. IT FEELS NOR01
MAL WHEN IT’S LIKE THIS.”
FASHION FEATURES
They get dressed, and I notice a faint stencil of a leaf on Austin’s right arm. I ask him if it has a special meaning, tattoos usually do. He hesitates as if to say, “not exactly”. He got it on his 18th birthday around the time of Halloween with his best girl friend—he was thinking of getting something anyways. When he showed Aaron, he cried because they were no longer the same. His brother shoots Austin a look, like he was showing me pictures of a naked baby Aaron in the tub. He liked it for about a week and then he called his mother crying as well. It was filled in and much darker before the removal treatment. 147
Shooting begins and the twins are impervious to the seizure-inducing flashes. There is a mixture of rap and the Scott Pilgrim soundtrack playing at just the level where we can give commands but have to speak loudly. Austin adapts Aaron’s stare for a couple
shots and looks my way. I laugh aloud and then realize he’s not making a face at me— he’s posing. “Oh, when you’re cold, I’ll be there. Hold you tight to me.” “Pay me what you owe me. Ballin’ bigger than LeBron. Bitch, give me your money.” Between looks, I comment on Austin’s naturally concentrating demeanor due to his bone structure. To which Aaron says, “I try to push them out, the bones.” I ask him if he plays games in his head while he’s posing, to pass the time: “I’m usually thinking about, ‘Do I look really dumb right now?’”
02
ARTIST FEATURES
01
RHODES BROTHERS
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ARTIST FEATURES
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MAXWELL MCMASTER
02
FASHION CREDITS
FASHOIN CREDITS
Jacket: Mister Triple X Jacket Harness: Jonathan Guzman
153
Mask: CoutureMask Scarf: Avant Toi Jacket: Flos Floris Ring: Phillip Gavriel Pant: WHICHKIM
Jacket, Top: VANTVAART Bracelets: Phillip Gavriel Pant: The Part and The Whole Shoes: Mezlan
INDEX
Vest (top layer): VANTVAART Vest: Avant Toi Harnass: Jonathan Guzman Long Sleeve Shirt: Zara Pant: The Part and The Whole Shoes: H&M
Woven Vest: Opus Prime Studio Pant: Mister Triple X PANT
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Mask: Amato Haute Couture Jacket: Mister Triple X Jacket Vest: WHICHKIM Top: Designs by Bradley Douglas Jordan Long Sleeve Shirt: Avant Toi Pant: Mister Triple X PANT Shoes: Mezlan
FASHOIN CREDITS
Austin (left) Jacket: Matiere Short Sleeve Button-Down: AKA Aaron (right) Jacket: AZUL by moussy Short Sleeve
Austin (left) Button-Down Shirt: The Part and The Whole
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Aaron (right) Jacket: G-Star RAW Tank: LeBeau
Austin Sweater: WHICHKIM Sleeveless Button-Down: Triple S Toggle Necklace: MarLa studio Pant: The Part and The Whole Sandals: Pennant
Button-Down: AKA EYE Symbol w/ Rectangle Link Chain: MarLa studio
INDEX
Aaron Tank: Triple S Necklace: Zada Belt: G-Star RAW Pant: Jacob Holston Loafers: XCALIBUR
Austin Shirt: Triple S EYE Cuff: MarLa studio Pant: Thing Thing Loafers: XCALIBUR
Austin (left) Trench Coat: Jenny Schwarz Aaron (right) Turtleneck Sweater: G-Star RAW
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FASHOIN CREDITS
Aaron Blazer: WHICHKIM Sleeveless Button-Down: AKA Gold-Heart of and Long Bar Necklace: MarLa studio Pant: Triple S Socks: American Apparel Sandals: Pennant
Austin (left) Jacket: G-Star RAW
157
Aaron (right) T-Shirt: G-Star RAW
INDEX
156