There are plenty of brands who have dipped their toes in the unisex waters, test driving the style like the latest fad in cars before usually ditching it altogether and returning to the comforting confinements of women’s and men’s separate-but-equal clothing. While unisex clothing might seem like the easier route to take when it comes to pieces like Ts, there is a reason why only a few brands have been successful at doing so.
An equally appealing unisex T is somewhat of an art that London-based brand LONG Clothing has mastered. Started in 2008 by young designers Gareth Emmett and Rhys Dawney, their T’s feature everything from artwork collabos with record labels to droopy smiley faces comprised of ironic shapes. One of my favorites is the black T with a sad face, and the eyes are dripping hearts.
The androgynous appeal of each T is maintained across their entire collection, which, says co-founder and director Gareth J. Emmett, is meant for those who “have the confidence to be different.”
I caught up with the man behind this brand of Ts and epic London parties and asked him 5 questions to get a better feel for LONG. With 30 stockists in places like OAK here in New York all the way to Denmark, Singapore, Japan, France and Australia, the scope of dope for LONG is a global one.
1.) How did the idea to start LONG come about? Was it a “night at the bar” drunk kind of idea, or was it carefully thought out and planned? How do you and Rhys know each other, and how do your personal tastes come through in the Ts?
We sculpted the brand completely around our own tastes. We wanted to create something that we ourselves wanted to see at the time and that was the whole premise behind LONG. Nothing was planned as such and the brand has taken on a life of its own over the course of its existence.
2.) Why unisex? Did you choose to do this because you think unisex clothing appeals to a certain type of audience? Who is your client/customer, or who wears LONG? What kind of attitude do they have?
We always wanted our brand to have an androgynous feel to it and that’s why we try to keep our clothing design as simple as possible. Our brand seems to have a wide audience made up of a lot of different people so it’s hard to say who exactly ‘wears’ LONG but on the whole anyone who has the confidence to be different.
3.) How did you link up with Owleyes for collaboration, and why did you pick his style of art? How does the art represent LONG as a brand?
We linked up with Disaro records and Illustrator Owleyes at the end of last year. We’re big fans of the label and have wanted to do a collaboration combining music and art for while now. It was a great excuse to get some of the label acts over for a party too!
4.) If your clothing had a soundtrack, who would be playing?
At the moment it would have to be our new favs from Japan, Plasticzooms.
5.) What can people expect in 2011 from LONG? New stores? More collaborations?
Bigger parties? 2011 has already been non-stop, February/March will see our most exciting collaboration yet and also the biggest party to go with it, that’s an exclusive for you. Keep a watch on longclothing.com for more details.
(interview conducted with Liam and Vic Mensa of Kids These Days).
On MTV’s “When I was 17,” socialites, celebrities and pop stars alike share stories reliving their careless youths; many were skipping class, getting into trouble, and had only a budding interest in the industry in which they would eventually land.
But at 17, the kids who make up Chi-town band Kids These Days have already established a fanbase numbering in the thousands, and their groupies, fans and haters are probably growing exponentially as I write this. So suffice it to say: these kids are not those kids.
[The Band + Their Sound]
Kids These Days is a Chicago-bred band comprised of barely-legal teens who have a dangerously potent mixture of raw talent and genuine passion for music. You will hear no auto-tune, no empty instruments contrived by a machine, no recycled loops…In other words, Kids These Days has yet to succumb to the pressures of current mainstream music, and instead they have opted to perfect their own hybrid sound, which is an equal mixture of hip-hop, rock, soul and jazz.
KTD, as they are sometimes referred to, consists of 8 members and has the numerical makeup comparable to a modern-day Wu Tang clan: it’s hard to keep track of everyone at first, but soon after listening to a song or, even better, watching a video, every member quickly assumes a role, each equally important and impactful. In fact, their sound would be detracted by even the absence of a single member of the group.
The key to their unique sound and the element that separates them from other groups is easy, Liam, the main vocalist and guitar player says.
“There is a huge absence of horns in American pop music and music in general. Real, authentic music is really all we listen to.”
And with authenticity being a priority for KTD, their sound seems to resonate with a wide variety of audiences.
“We’ve played shows with all these different genres: rock, folk and hip-hop, and every show, the audience feels it. If you bring something real or authentic, I don’t care where you come from, it will connect with the audience. And we are 100% authentic. We play instruments the way they are made to be played. And people connect to that. People connect to authenticity,” Liam said on behalf of the band.
Performing to packed houses and recent sold-out gigs (like their jam-packed show this past Saturday), Kids These Days’ hybrid sound comes from three horns, a rapper, a blues-rock trio and a female singer (who is also a classically-trained pianist). The group poured their creative and musical juices into the same Kool-Aid pitcher at the ripe young age of 15, when they met through a magnet school in Chicago. Even videos of their earliest work, which consists mostly of covers (check out this AMAZING Common “Be” cover; trumpet player Nico blew me away), is anything but talent show-like quality, and instead offers a glimpse of the monstrous talent contained within this 8-member band.
According to Liam, who is the furthest thing from Bieber you can find in music right now, the idea to start a band came early on in middle school. He and Lane, the bass player, were friends and the idea had been tossed around about possibly starting a jazz funk band. Soon after, the trumpet, Nico, was introduced and the rest of the members quickly fell into place. Nico was childhood friends with Vic, the rapper, who adds an undeniable mainstream appeal bursting with colorful lyrics and a massive amount of potential.
And Macie, or “Mace-God” as the guys call her, is the group’s only girl and the designated queen bee. For such a small girl-not-yet-woman whose experience in the heartbreak arena can only be attributed to less than 2 decades, she packs a voice with gusto way beyond her years and sings with an amount of believability that makes you (at least made me) melt. Singing “Summertime” with an effortless ease, this video requires at least a few rewinds (ff to 1:56).
[Their Latest Music]
“Darling,” the group’s latest single, is not only proof that KTD get better with every release, but also shows a more focused sound, as if they are finally settling into their hybrid brand of music, which is hard-to-pinpoint but becomes easily recognizable with each release of original material. The video spotlights the strengths of each member, with Liam, a self-proclaimed old soul, starting the video out in a guy-goes-to-a-bar scene…which is funny because he’s 17. The video plays out with a flirtatious unfolding sequence, and rapper Vic Mensa flows to a audience of teens, flickering lights and a smooth tempo provided in big part by Greg on the drums and Lane on the bass.
[Their Inspiration]
With a sound as different and as young as theirs, inspiration for their music comes from every corner of the music spectrum. Liam, the lead vocalist and guitar player, accredits personal influences such as Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band, The Beatles, Ray Brown and Wilco, and lists the Pharcyde, Sly and the Family Stone, A Tribe Called Quest,The Roots, Andre 3000, and the Black Keys as musical inspiration for the band’s collective sound.
Vic, at only 17, is also refreshingly inspired by some of raps and mainstream music in general’s greatest wordsmiths. He listens to Mobb Deep everyday, counts Nas and Slum Village as inspiration, but lists fellow Chicagoan Common as his favorite rapper and J Dilla as his favorite producer. With such quality influences coming in, it only makes sense that quality is on the other end coming out. Vic has a burgeoning solo career in addition to KTD’s numerous ventures, and has received both hate and acclaim in the depths of hip-hop music madness, aka the 2dopeboyz comment threads.
“I’ve been called I named myself BluDraCole,” says Vic over Skype, in reference to 2DB commenters who say he looks like Blu and raps like either Drake or J. Cole. As a response, in “Darling,” Vic slides in the line: “Better than them rappers that I shouldn’t be compared to.” But anyone who knows how the typical comment threads go, then you are familiar with the seasoned haters who will eventually be the first ones to comment about how dope the kid is.
[Their Style]
Because the group contains so many members, there isn’t one genre of personal style that can sum up the tastes of each member.
There are some undeniable taste makers in this crop of youngins: Greg Landfair, the drummer, has an obvious penchant for New Eras and snapbacks, sporting hats from brands like Obey, 10 Deep, Crooks & Castles and The Hundreds, and his clothing choices also reflect his affinity for dope streetwear. J.P. Floyd, the trombone player, always wears something purple. Macie’s style is an aesthetic lesson in effortless cool.
“Better quality clothing tends to be simpler pieces,” Vic said over Skype, wearing the same Polo hat he has been photographed in on numerous occasions.
“I think it’s cool cause everyone has their own individual style,” says Liam. “J.P. is always fresh and has to wear something purple, I like suits and dress clothes, and Greg has one of he most unique styles and he doesn’t care what anybody thinks.”
With the many different flavors, if you will, of personal tastes in the band, KTD teamed up with well-known Chicago boutique Sir & Madame, which has a vintage-meets-contemporary feel, in an effort to acquire a more streamlined look for the stage, and the Kids have stayed laced ever since.
Sir & Madame carries labels such as Redwing boots, BKc cardigans, Persol shades, Cheap Monday and Cubannie Links accessories, and their own eponymous label that delivers everything from letterman varsity jackets to riding pants.
“I’ve known Vic since he was in grammar school,” said Sir & Madame co-founder Autumn. “And when we found out about the band, we wanted to help them in any way we could. Plus, their sound and style is authentic, so it was a perfect fit for our store’s feel.”
[Their Future]
With their shows selling out in just days and their recent attention from the likes of Complex and 2DB (also on the Complex Media Network), it is an understatement to sum up KTD’s future as “bright.” Rather, their future in music is blinding. While they are yet unsigned, I have a feeling indie labels will come knocking within months and the big sharks will soon follow with their tongues out.
In the meantime, KTD also plans on releasing more original material, a process through which mistakes inspire the final product.
“So much of our composition is based off of spontaneity. Someone will bring in an idea, a groove, a line, and we’ll play with it. But then someone will make a mistake that’s really cool, and that’s typically how a song is comprised,” whereas the covers are more planned and calculated, says Liam.
After opening with the likes of Dom Kennedy and The Cool Kids, they’d like to share the stage with Common (hip-hop), the Black Keys (rock) and/or Roy Hagrove (jazz).
And as for the fans? Their reach stretches everyday with more “likes’ on facebook and more hits to their YouTube channel, and the groupies have already started appearing from the woodworks, as they say.
Vic, who raps “Girls wanna act anonymous until I bring the band up,” on “Darling,” says every time KTD has a show, he’ll open his facebook page to find a dozen new friend requests. Give it another six months and that dozen will morph into a hundred.
Five years from now, KTD will likely have a tour schedule, a tour bus and a host of collaborations from music’s finest, and maybe then their authenticity will be tested in an industry where label accommodation is inevitable and innovation is a struggle.
However, fake eventually falters, but authenticity builds, so until the Big Guys come knocking with contracts , KTD is still holding concerts on the underbelly of cool, although I can already see a place for them being cleared at the top. It’s only time before DOPE meets AMBITION and the two collide.
There are plenty of brands who have dipped their toes in the unisex waters, test driving the style like the latest fad in cars before usually ditching it altogether and returning to the comforting confinements of women’s and men’s separate-but-equal clothing. While unisex clothing might seem like the easier route to take when it comes to pieces like Ts, there is a reason why only a few brands have been successful at doing so.
