ISSUE No 1 MAY 2012 (capsule) CAPSULESHOW.COM ⁞ TWITTER/INSTAGRAM @CAPSULESHOW ⁞ FACEBOOK.COM/CAPSULESHOW ⁞ WEARETHEMARKET.COM ⁞ 80 EIGHTH AVE/№ 202 NYC TALKING SHOP WITH IS CHRIS GIBBS OF UNION L.A. STYLE Union, the pioneering boutique that opened in New York City in 1989, fueled the invention and forward motion of American streetwear and has continually set and raised the bar for retail in its ANY many incarnations. Chris Gibbs, former NYC shop boy, now owner of Union Los Angeles speaks with Capsule’s Minya Quirk about the good old days, his weirdo past, the rebirth of Union’s L.A. chapter and the secrets to his success. GOOD? Fashion commentator Nick Schonberger weighs in MQ: So you worked at Union NYC (RIP) for a while, can you tell me in what capacity, but also, what led to that? I mean, you’re from Canada. What landed you on Spring Street? And also, were you always into clothes? Over the past decade, we’ve refined CG: I wasn’t really into gear. I moved to New York and was working at a skate shop. I was dating (now wife) Beth back then. She was really tight with Harold Hunter collective sensibility while managing to and all of them. She used to get me free Union/555 Soul/Supreme shit. After hanging out with her for a while I saw this whole other side of the game; models, clubs, retain a healthy dose of youthful exuberance. fun shit…not the dirt bag skating shit I did. When Aaron moved from Union to Supreme…Beth got me in at Union. Even when toying with the traditional, we MQ: Year? buck the rules of decorum and wear, gasp, monk straps without socks. Or, simply don CG: Maybe ‘97? Over time i just kind of had an eye for what would sell and I eventually became the buyer. I literally just bought the shit I personally liked. I guess a fitted cap with suit. Yes, we’ve grown that worked ‘cause I was a fan before working there. I still use that technique now. I buy what I like. up from a misguided interest in jerseys as MQ: Well you have good taste. How’d that evolve? Are you saying you were NEVER into fashion in your younger years? Or was it an inventiveness that came with standard daily attire. But, we’ve never lost a those early streetwear years? love for being a bit bold. CG: I mean, I was like every kid. I wanted Nikes and shit and I would come to NYC for the summer and stay with my fam and get all the latest shit. But I was never Thanks to our good friend the Internet, style a “fashion” dude. mutates faster than ever these days. However, MQ: The youth culture today, it’s a totally different climate. With brands like 555 Soul, Supreme, PNB, it’s hard to explain to young people now how different it was certain things remain the same throughout – that people were making this kind of clothing for themselves and their peers for the first time. It wasn’t a big marketing machine like it is now. It was so organic. history —we transfer from periods of aggressive ornamentation to stripped down CG: In fact, it wasn’t till I moved here in ‘94 that I really got put on. I was into all those brands because they spoke directly to me. The one thing that might have set elegance (and back) in a constant yin and me apart was that I was an outsider in New York. I lived in Brooklyn with my fam and they didn’t get me. My friends didn’t really get me either. I was like a mixed yang cycle. And, again thanks to the Internet, nerd from Canada that loved underground hip hop, hated Biggie and skateboarded everywhere wearing vintage shit. Now, that would be a hipster. Then, I was a the connection between prevailing trends has weirdo. I guess I just embraced it and tried to be different. once again tightened. MQ: You hated Biggie???? What’s wrong with you?! That is to say, ideas are happily intermingling CG: Biggie to me was like Darth Vader. He was the illest dude but he worked for the dark side. He commercialized hip hop in a way that I despised at the time. Now in ways never before imagined. I get it all and can just appreciate him for being dope. I still think he was the beginning of the end. Liberty florals land on 5-panel caps. Blazers MQ: So where were you going to school and what were some other jobs you had? take tiger stripe camouflage. Pendleton wool CG: Medgar Evers! Then Baruch…This is going to be your weirdest interview ever. A Canadian that moved to Brooklyn to go to Medgar Evers, would skate to of Native American influence forms the school and hated Biggie. bodies of varsity jackets. MQ: I get all the good stuff. (continues on back page) CG: No doubt. (continues on back page) Photo: Union L.A./Illustrations by Ben Lamb INTRODUCTIONS Capsule was started in 2007 to develop a global network of like-minded people that conceptualize, create, desire and buy the clothes that epitomize a new utopian vision of forward progress. Artisans, strategists, devotees and style leaders converge on Capsule to share this vision and bring it to life. When you come to SUMMER Capsule, you know you’re In Good Company. BUCKET LIST BRUCE PASK @brucepask Men’s Fashion Director of T Magazine: The New York Times Style Magazine With summer months in limited and a menswear stylist/fashion editor supply it’s best to make a list of all Lives in: The East Village, been there for years, and years…and years. you hope to do. Here, our own Style Advice: Be yourself, but do make an effort Favorite Restaurant: I had pretty much the most perfect dining experience James Harris shares his plans. ever at Radio in Copenhagen recently. Bruce Pask Marc Beaugé Rahman Sami Aisha Speirs Favorite Hotel: Amansara in Siem Reap, Cambodia was unforgettable. Surf. Style Icon: I’m always impressed by a really well put together stranger. Be trill. Favorite Possession: My little cottage at the beach Get buck. Summer Plans: Spending as much time as possible at the aforementioned cottage. Find wifey. Roast a goat. MARC BEAUGÉ Get corn rows. Journalist, style writer, launching a brand, Larose Grow tomatoes. Lives in: Paris Buy more underwear. Personal Style: A pair of used APC jeans with something lame Go fishing in a clean lake. Style Mantra: If people turn to look at you in the street, you are not well dressed Wear boat shoes on a boat. Favorite City: Scopello, Sicilia Throw a crab and scrimp boil. Favorite Restaurant: Le Bascou, Rue Réaumur, Paris Learn the true meaning of love. Favorite Book: Les Particules Elémentaires, Houellebecq Smoke a doobie with Danny Brown. Favorite Hotel: Not Chateau Marmont Go camping with #menswear dudes. Favorite Gadget: An electric razor for cashmere sweaters, very pleasurable Learn a word that’s cooler than doobie. What do you love about Capsule? The beards! Throw a sandwich across the room and yell YOLO*! Have my YOLO lifestyle sponsored by a beer company. SAMI RAHMAN @OnceMusic Kenyan Lewis Kazumi Senshu BonnichonLucas Simon Hogeman Convince the youths of America to just stop it with dubstep. Creative Marketing & Special Events Manager for Thompson Hotel LES, NYC Answer dumb questions with HELL YEAH, FUCKIN’ RIGHT. Lives in: Tribeca NYC Enjoy an evening at Pumps, Bushwick’s premier gentleman’s club. What do you love about Capsule? The creativity is an inspiration Go to an A$AP Rocky show and not get punched in the eye this time. Favorite City to Visit: London Favorite Book: Damn Good Advice by George Lois Favorite Hotel: Thompson LES and Thompson Belgraves Summer Plans: Visit my mum in India and Radio Head show Coveted Item: Vintage fender amp from 1966 *YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE AISHA SPEIRS Bureau Chief Americas at Monocle Lives in: West Village, NYC What do you love about Capsule? Bumping into brands and buyers that we know alongside new ones. Favorite Restaurant: Le Cabanon, Cap d’ail. Simple, home-cooked food served up under trees lit by fairy lights on a small cliff above the Mediterranean Favorite Book: Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino. Summer Plans: Regular trip to my family in the South of France and time with the other half’s fam in Vermont. Lawrence Schlossman Chicanot Nikky Jen Mankins Vincent Camille Favorite Possession: My passports KENYAN PARIS LEWIS @fakebykenyan LAWRENCE SCHLOSSMAN @sartoriallyinc Prop Master Talks about men’s clothing on the internet Lives in: Accord, New York Lives in: Hoboken, NJ which is embarrassing so let’s say NYC Personal Style: At any given moment I’ll rock a 40’s, 50’s or 70’s Dad look Personal Style: Refined casual What do you love about Capsule? The love that people share for Design & Fashion Style Advice: Wear whatever the hell you want to Favorite City to Visit: Springfield, Ohio Favorite City: Florence Favorite Thing You Own: 1950 5 Window 3100 Chevy Pickup Favorite Restaurant: Extra Virgin POSTCARD FROM Summer Plans: Sending time with my gals antiquing and hitting the swimming holes Favorite Book: Flannery O’Connor’s collected short stories Favorite Possession: Father’s vintage Heuer watch KAZUMI SENSHU @peikazu What do you love about Capsule? You guys find the best brands before anyone else RAMBLERS BONE Designer, Thousands of Autumn Summer Plans: Outdoor aggressive cocktailing Lives in: Kamakura, Japan A spring/summer road trip is the perfect plan for expanding What do you love about Capsule? Pre furnished including hangers and free breakfast! NIKKY CHICANOT @lashmagazine one’s personal experience and enjoying nature at its most Favorite Place to Visit: New Mexico Founder and Editor in chief of Lash Magazine, lashmagazine.com Favorite Restaurant: Otafuku in Torrance, CA Lives: Between Paris and New York exciting; and photographers Mikail Kennedy and Sean Sullivan Favorite Hotel: Hazu (Okumikawa in Japan) Personal Style: Androgynous gothic with a twist of couture are on a monthlong journey across the American West Favorite Possession: Homemade Hawaiian Quilt Favorite Book: Less than Zero, Bret Easton Ellis sponsored by Wolverine, which they call Ramblers Bone.