Travis: Great and BUSY!
How are you guys? We’re getting the
store and the website ready for the Holidays while buying amazing new lines for next
Spring.
God’s Prey:
How do the streets of NYC inspire you to do what you do?
Travis:
Downtown Manhattan really inspires me. Our hood is so mixed – supermodels, junkies, eccentric old people, artists, musicians, Wall street bankers… the diversity is inspiring. People in Manhattan don’t usually have a lot of time to stop and linger for too long… everyday is a runway.
Travis:
My vision is simple – I seek to create a lifestyle. In blending art installations, events with live music, designer-curated pop up stores and parties, I am attempting the blur the lines between fashion art and music. If you check out our blog (linked at the top portion of our site) you’ll see a bit of where we’re going… although we’re still so new! Our style is complex, and it keeps evolving. The lines together seem to mix elements of streetwear, high end conceptual fashion, fine art object, and style snipets from various subcultures. Some pieces we stock are statement pieces, while others are more effortless and easy to wear. God’s Prey is a great fit for us – you mix elements of streetwear, punk, psychedelic 70s and early 90s pop fashion… a great mix of unique statement pieces and super easy everyday pieces.
God’s Prey:
What do you look for in the brands that you carry?
Travis:
Innovation, quality materials and construction, fair labor (starting SS11 we are not stocking any lines made in China), and exclusivity –we’re searching for lines you can’t find anywhere else.
God’s Prey:
When did you realize you had a love for fashion?
Travis:
My love for fashion began at a very young age. Between my leopard print hammer pants and my oversized NKOTB tees (IN THE 2ND GRADE), I’ve always had an eclectic sense of style.
God’s Prey:
What is your favorite art movement of the last century?
Travis:
This is tough. I’m most interested in the video art explosion of the 1980s/90s. Artists like Nam Jun Paik and Pipilotti Rist were most inspiring for me as a student, while now
I’ve become completely fascinated with the Fluxus movement in the 1960, an intermedia/performance post-dada movement.
When you stare into the sky (or catch a glimpse between buildings), what comes to your mind? The inevitability of death.
God’s Prey:
What role does music play in the way you see the universe?
Travis:
Music is so deeply ingrained in my consciousness that its presence or absence can greatly influence my mood. I am constantly seeking out new music. We’re currently featuring the Codecracker debut album at our shop.
Travis Wayne the MAN!!!
Check out www.conventnyc.com for a taste of our world.
Casey Veggies talks about his upcoming project “Sleeping in Class”, the tribulations of still being in high school while getting booked for shows in other states, & more!
2. What joy do you find in being a creative human?
TJ: Well I gotta say being my own boss has it’s ups and downs. It’s a lot more pressure to make the best shit I can, but if I fuck up, the only person I let down is me… I never in a million years would’ve thought I’d be able to run a company like Actual Pain. But in a strange way I can’t see myself doing anything else.
3. Do you feel connected to the interplanetary world?
TJ: Do you mean the other planets? If so I feel a connection with Saturn. That shit is crazy. Did you know there is a perfect hexagon shaped storm on it’s north pole? It’s true check it out.
4. What’s your take on the ancient faiths of the world?…do these faiths have any effect on the way you see the universe?
TJ: I personally believe that 99% of what the ancients believed in is allegory, or a beautiful way to explain science, mathematics, and astronomy. The last thing anyone should do is take religion literally. We all know where that leads.
5. Do you feel that there exists an universal creative tribe?…if so what kind of strength do you get from the tribe?
TJ: We are all born from stardust, literally. If you believe in how science explains the origin of the universe, our molecules that compose every part of our bodies, even the oxygen we breathe, was created in the giant gas furnaces we call stars, and spread throughout the universe through their dramatic lives and deaths. If that’s not an excellent argument for our connectivity, I don’t know what is.
6. What effect does music have on what you create?
TJ: In the past I was really inspired by bands that I loved but I have shied a bit away from the music element of my designs. Music still inspires me a great deal, but mostly in the mixtape series we do.
7.does your family overstand what you do?
TJ: I think my Dad is pretty confused about it but is still proud of me. He’s a pretty serious Christian. My Mom’s stoked, she always wants to help, so do my sisters. Yeah most of my family gets me.
What made you wanna become a designer?
SR: I have always found joy in creating, so I find peace of mind in designing.
Rockers is heavily inspired by music which you are obviously passionate about. What bands or genres inspire you to design?
SR: Right now, I really love dis-beat…the new generation like Dishammer, Depressor, Stormcrow and Sanctum. I was pretty lucky, I got to see Discharge on their 2nd tour, and I got to see Broken Bones on their 1st tour! Man, doom metal & weed are a great combination. And hip-hop, dancehall & early 80’s punk will always inspire me!
On the same tip, what music makes you want to shove a screwdrivers into your ears?
SR: Polka and pop-punk.
How do you feel about the current state of Streetwear?
SR: I think the cream is rising to the top…but I must say, I’m pretty over the whole preppy thing!
What other brands or designers inspire you?
SR: Swagger, Roc Star, Phenonmenon, Actual Pain, Maharishi, Stussy, Undercover, Raf Simons, Cassette Playa and God’s Prey.
What brands do you despise?
SR: I have respect for mad forms of creativity, so I can’t really answer that. It’s politricks!!!!
RockersNYC “A NEW DAY RISING” FALL-10.in.stores.NOW!!!
Photo by Yuri Hasegawa
1. You’ve come a long way in this industry my man. Lets get into your past for a brief minute. What inspired you to get into the retail business and how did it come about?
SR: Both of my parents played a role in my love for fashion. They were both fly in their own right, my dad was an OG stylist for the pro golfer Doug Sanders, so I come by it honestly. At an early age, growing up in Venice Beach formed my love for what’s now called streetwear…this term was not around when I was young, it was just they way we dressed. The first subculture in which I really started to express myself through fashion was in the early 80′s Southern California hardcore punk scene. I also learned how to silkscreen when I was a 13-year-old punk rocker, and then at age 18 I worked at the Na Na store in San Francisco. In my 20s, the Rasta movement played a major role in the way I saw fashion. I hooked up with Ash from Conart when he was wearing mudcloth pants, and I worked for Conart when it first started. I have held so many different jobs in the garment industry that prepared me to run my own brand, from working retail sales for Barneys on Madison Ave. to being the first director of marketing for Akademiks. I honestly feel that I was born to make clothing – I really love creating things & sharing them with the world!
2. When did you form RockersNYC and can you explain to us the philosophy of the brand?
SR: RockersNYC was started my cousin Marcus & I in the Lower East Side of New York in 2001. The motto for our brand is The Clashing of the 7s. 1977 was the year that a world wide musical rebellion took place. This was around the time that hip-hop was born, reggae & the rasta movement were king in Jamaica, plus in the UK you saw the birth of punk rock. All 3 of these subcultures are things that have shaped my life and they also shaped the brand identity of RockersNYC.
3. The RockersNYC Fall 2010 collection entitled “A New Day Rising” is now in-stores. It’s quite different from any previous RockersNYC drop we’ve seen these past few seasons… I guess “A New Day Rising” sums it all up! Can you tell us more about the creative direction of the brand and what we can expect in the near future?
SR: You’re right, it’s a new day rising!!! We are so happy with our new creative direction. I think for a long time we drew inspiration from the 80′s, but now we are drawing mad inspiration from the 90′s, plus staying on point with what’s happening in the market. At this point we really want to create classic American streetwear. The RockersNYC look goes far beyond any one decade, we are doing this for infinity.
RockersNYC SALUTES…OFF THE HOOK (KREW)…THE ILLEST STORE MONTREAL!!!
