May 2009

AESON

Occupation: Musician, music tutor, web developer
My style: It’s really music-influenced. Everything that I have has some sort of relation to music, my own music, and other bands that I see and that I admire. I’ll wear their clothing, or I’ll wear similar things to what they wear.
Hairstyle: I like it short. I used to have a big shag, but I like it short and spiky. It’s easy to manage.
Shirt: This is the band Killswitch Engage. It’s a band that I really like, especially their earlier stuff.
Wristbands: These I got for free. They’re Jägermeister wristbands.
Belt: It’s a studded belt. I usually have a ska belt buckle, but I’ve been taking that off recently. It’s been scratching the back of my guitar. I’ve got to get a better belt buckle.
Pants: They’re just fairly plain blue jeans. I wear blue jeans pretty much the whole time.
Shoes: Converse skate shoes. Comfortable, fits the style well. I wear a lot of black, so that’s why the black shoes go well. I have some brown ones, too.
Tattoo: I just got this a couple of weeks ago. This is Letterbox Black, my band. It represents my quest in life, and what I’m doing with my music. My best friend also got the same one, so it’s like a physical thing sort of bonding us together.
About Letterbox Black: We’re a duo. We’ve been playing since the end of 2007. We’ve been playing in this band together, and we’ve been in different other projects together. But we found acoustic music was the best avenue for us, because we have really lyrically-based songs, and it’s really easy to come across with lyrics when it’s sort of just you with a guitar.
How I became a musician: I’ve always done music. Even when I was three or four years old I liked playing with spoons and knives on my pillows and my couch. I started drums seriously in grade seven, so I’ve been playing for 11 years at that. I picked up guitar about five years ago. I also play a little bass and a little piano, and I rented a saxophone this month, so I’m trying that out, too.
Favourite music: I listen to pretty much everything. I don’t listen to a lot of country. I like more renegade country, like Johnny Cash and stuff — more acoustic. I listen to a lot of acoustic music. I also like death metal, punk, jazz, ska, reggae, classical.
Interests: Music is obviously my huge thing, so I’m doing that all the time. I’m interested in computers, so that’s why the web design stuff works well. I like sports. I don’t do it as much as I used to, but I love hockey, so I’m loving the playoffs right now. It’s awesome.
I can’t live without: My guitar. And a pad of paper. And a pen.
Goal: Playing more shows, and — eventually — getting known, getting big, and spreading a message of peace, encouragement, and understanding.

Check out www.letterboxblack.com for more info

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GEORGIE

Occupation: Designer (Retro G Couture)

How would you describe your personal style?
Eccentric.

Where do you get your style influences?
History. Dickensian, 17th century men’s fashion. Look in any historic period, other than the one we’re in at the moment, and men’s fashion was always the strongest. Tailcoats have been around for centuries. Oliver Twist – Dickensian story. Fagin… They all had tailcoats on. That kind of deal. Top hats. History.

How do you decide what to wear each day?
It depends what personality I’m in. I’ve got a lot of personalities. I’m a Gemini, so it depends who I am that day. That sounds psychotic, doesn’t it?

What can you tell me about your hairstyle?
I love blue. It’s uplifting. You look in the mirror and you look alive in the morning.

Your jacket?
It’s a bustle jacket. This is a military-style jacket, enhanced with a bustle and the Alice in Wonderland collage. That’s mainly what I do. Bustles or tails.

And underneath, we have a vest here?
Yeah, this is the gambler’s vest, with the royal flush playing cards on it.

How did you come to create this?
Well, vests go hand in hand with tailcoats. It works together, because the tailcoats cut away at the front. So, in the old days, they’d wear the vest underneath and it would just come out of the front of the coat. That’s the look.

What about your pants?
These are just generic jeans. I like to dress this look down. You can dress it up, but if you want to wear it everyday, wear it with jeans and some boots.

Your boots?
These are cowboy boots that I got on eBay. Great place for shoes. I like colour and comfort.

Is there anything you would never wear?
Yeah, sportswear. You know those running suits? What do they call them? Tracksuits? Yeah, never, ever.

How did you get into designing?
Used to be in the music industry. Worked for Mute Records. Best record label in the whole world, and it’s a rock and roll look. You know, this is rock star. They love this look, because it’s extrovert, it’s flamboyant, it’s almost like stage wear.

How did you transition from music to designing?
I transitioned to designer because I had a kid, and once you’re a mother the music business is not a good place to be in. And I’ve always made stuff. Always.

What do you enjoy about it?
Everything, because I never make two the same. I get up and I enjoy work. Yeah, it’s great.

Any final words?
Wear your clothes; don’t let them wear you. Always be in charge of what you’re wearing, and then you’ll feel cool.

Check out www.myspace.com/retrogcouture for more info

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RYAN

Occupation: Fashion designer (Plastik Wrap)

How would you describe your personal style?
A little bit dark, technological, and comfortable.

What influences your style?
Anything from music, to technology, to sport.

What can you tell me about your hat?
The hat is just a hat I picked up and did some detailing to. I labeled it, because I like (this) reflective label. I airbrushed it with a silver ink. And then, I also screen-printed it. It took three days to dry.

Your shirt?
The shirt’s part of our collection from about a year ago.

How long did it take to make the shirt?
The pattern took probably four hours. Sewing it, I’m not sure.

Do you do the sewing yourself?
Originally, I was doing a lot of sewing. Most of my time now is spent doing all the detail work.

What can you tell me about the pants?
The pants, again, are part of the collection from a season ago. I’m not wearing anything new today, because today was (a set-up day at the show). But the pants, we source a uniform-grade material that’s tested for industrial wash. So, it holds up for years. Maybe we should use something less durable, so that we sell more pants…

Shoes?
The shoes are Tsubo. I got these because I picked up a few other pairs of shoes from the same brand and liked them a lot. These ones weren’t as funky-looking, but had a really solid soul and a lot of rubber around, and they’re fairly waterproof for the winter.

When did you get your start in fashion?
I guess I started in fashion in the early ‘90s, just making outfits to go clubbing or to parties. Went to school for fashion, went to film school, got into new media, and that brought me to Toronto. Met Adriana (co-founder) and we decided to start a label together.

Is there anything you’d never wear?
I’m not into plaid.

What do you think is the next big thing in fashion?
Steampunk.

What are your interests and hobbies?
I like to go clubbing and dancing a lot. I’m from Vancouver originally, so I like to say I do a lot of snowboarding, but I haven’t done as much since moving to Toronto. I still do some off-road mountain biking.

Where do you go from here?
The plan is to build our distribution. Right now, we sell pretty well around the world. We need to do a lot more work, mostly into the U.S. We’ve got one storefront, here in Toronto. We want to open some more stores in major Canadian cities to start, and see where it goes from there.

Check out www.plastikwrap.com for more info

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ROB

Occupation: Graphic designer (nun)

How would you describe your personal style?
Casual street style.

Where do you get your style influences?
Vintage looks, pop art, and everything in between. A lot of my influence comes from my background in art and design. As a side note, Andy Warhol’s been a huge influence on me, in terms of colour and repetition.

What can you tell me about your shirt?
It’s a ringer tee from American Apparel. I use a lot of American Apparel in my design. The quality of the shirt is excellent for screen-printing. I screen-print t-shirts, so it’s great for that.

How about the logo?
The logo is “nun”, and that’s my design company. I don’t actually sell these. It’s just for promotion for the show.

Your pants?
They’re old Levi’s. I’ve had them for a long time and they’ve worn really well. You can’t go wrong with a pair of Levi’s.

Shoes?
I’ve always loved the Converse All Stars. I got this current pair at Value Village for five bucks, and I couldn’t believe it. When I saw it, I said, “OK, this is for me.” And they were in almost new condition, so it was a great deal.

Is there anything you’d never be caught dead in?
Tommy Hilfiger.

How did you get into graphic design?
I’ve always been a creative person. I’ve always been attracted to visual things. And that’s sort of where it led me.

What do you enjoy about being a graphic designer?
For me, it’s a creative outlet. I’ve got lots of ideas always spilling over in my mind, and this is just a way for me to put it out there.

What are your interests and hobbies?
I love the outdoors. I teach snowboarding. I’m a snowboarding instructor in the winter. I do lots of running in the summer, and a bit of biking. I enjoy lots of indie music. I manage a band. So, yeah, I keep myself busy.

Any final thoughts?
I think people should keep using whatever outlet allows their creative juices to flow. If you have an idea, go out there and pursue it in whatever form that manifests itself.

Check out Rob’s designs at www.nuninc.com

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