KUARTO was founded by two brothers, Raul and Diego Diaz, both born in
Guadalajara, Mexico. A modern take on the Spanish spelling,
the word"kuarto" translates to room.
The shop opened in 2016 and is treated as a case study of their lives’ work, as both brothers are involved in various endeavors, such as, interior architecture, photo & video, graphic design, branding and creative direction.
The shop aims to help declutter the noise we’re surrounded by in today’s consumer landscape by curating well designed hard and soft goods. They believe great design makes the objects we interact with daily more enjoyable and their mission is to source, highlight and create those objects.
KUARTO’s “objects for home & life” services the Long Beach area Tuesday-Sunday and 24/7 online at www.kuarto.co
The brainchild of Seattle born Mark McGinnis, The Incorporated is a Los Angeles-based contemporary brand built from a multitude of influences. Their eye-catching, eclectic style has caught the attention of many and has been seen on the likes of Jaden Smith and YG. McGinnis specializes in taking unique vintage fabrics and repurposing them with a contemporary twist. As we walk through his workspace we find garments made from random Santee Alley rugs to even an old fabric from his grandmother. This eccentric twist of fabric selection and nontraditional silhouettes is what gives The Incorporated its identity and fits perfectly with their aim to fill voids they see within the Menswear world.
ARTICLE BY: FRANCO ZULUETA
VIDEO BY:
LUCAS CHEMOTTI
PHOTGRAPHY:
JAYSON PALACIO
FRANCO ZULUETA
LOCATION:
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES
"THE INCORPORATED | MAKING GARMENTS WITH MARK MCGINNIS"
Born in Manila, Philippines Idris "Eyedress" Vicuña moved with his parents to the United States at a young age in pursuit of the "American Dream." First to Phoenix, AZ and then transplanted to San Clemente, CA where over half a decade later he first entered the music scene playing bass in a Crass-influenced crust punk band called The Liberal Underground and indie rock band, Claud Winter. After years in the United States Vicuña found himself back in Manila where he would connect with his friends Julius Valledor and Diego Abad who together would form the band Bee Eyes. Vicuña learned the art of sampling through Valledor by making loops and mashing them up on the software Virtual DJ under the name “Castles Made Of Rad.” As their band started to gain more popularity, their bassist Diego Abad suddenly decided to leave the band to pursue his studies in Spain, which left Vicuña with lots of downtime to pursue a solo project which would eventually become Eyedress.
The first physical releases of this project came out on underground French indie-pop/shoegaze label “Beko” and his first ever record titled “Hearing Colors” came out as a collaboration between Beko and Berlin based label “Mater Suspiria Vision/Phantasma Disques.” Soon after its release, blogs started to pick up Vicuña's music and eventually found him an official record deal with XL Recordings imprint, Abeano. They would soon re-release “Hearing Colors” as a free mixtape and a 12-inch EP titled “Supernatural” which was praised by major publications such as The Guardian and NME. Coincidentally running into King Krule while in the studio gave birth to collaborative tracks on his self released “Shapeshifter” album which features King Krule under his Edgar the Breathtaker alias. Eyedress also contributed to Krule’s 2017 record “Ooz” where he recites a Krule poem in Tagalog beneath melodic keys on the foreground.
Because of Shapeshifter and numerous supporting write ups from Noisey and The Fader, Eyedress’ music was discovered by legendary producer Prefuse73 who eventually got him a record deal with London based Lex Records.
Sitting down with the soft-spoken musician was both experiential and educational. Exposure to his improvisational creative process allowed us to see how his brain operates, especially while creating a rough draft beat exclusively for this occasion. So many artists operate on feeling rather than formulaic steps, allowing them to access their truest form of self- expression. Eyedress is no exception.
“You know you’ll make something and in one week you’ll hate it. You gotta let it pass the test of time…” Opting to create sounds through digital means as opposed to the “live” Eyedress is able to create continuity within his work, one reason he chooses to create sounds through drum machines and software as opposed to the traditional instruments.
During our conversation he reflects on his roots in the Philippines, where politics and the country’s infrastructure create an environment in which one’s fellow countrymen will sabotage your success in order to keep you from moving forward. This lack of unity and a proper support system is a common thread throughout the country. A lingering effect of colonial influences from decades of outside involvement in the country’s history. A flawed mentality he believes should be abolished, especially since experiencing greater Filipino love and unity in the United States.
Eyedress continues to create eclectic audio experiences accompanied by his own extensive visual repertoire. Over time the artist's creative portfolio caught the eyes of Brain Dead's Kyle Ng, Harajuku’s Big Love Records and London’s Boiler Room.
Known for his coveted shoe collaborations, Hirofumi Kojima, "Koji," is the head designer of Tokyo-based footwear retailer, Atmos. During one of our trips to Japan we sat down with Koji for a special impromptu conversation regarding the shift in sneaker consumerism over the course of two decades and how Japan helped shape what is now considered to be "sneaker subculture." Koji also sheds some light on what inspires his creative design process when developing a
product with with his collaborators.
ARTICLE BY: LUCAS CHEMOTTI TAK KATO
TRANSLATION BY: LEO KATO
LOCATION: TOKYO, JAPAN
"HIROFUMI "KOJI" KOJIMA: A CONVERSATION WITH THE ATMOS DESIGNER"
