Backstage at Kenzo Spring/Summer 2018

Upon expanding to apparel and collaborating with various artists such as DJ Dick by Air and rapper Cash Cobain, Whensmokeclears has received praise from A-list celebrities and continuously sells out of its products. Their embellished leather pants and button-down tops have been seen on Usher, Fabolous, Fivio Foreign, Swae Lee, Tyga and more.

After moving to Atlanta for four years, K$ace and Thermal are finally back in New York City to take the reigns for the city's fashion heads. This past summer, WSC launched their most recent collection, 1-800-WHENSMOKECLEARS, at MADE x PayPal's cultural fashion event at Brooklyn Bridge Park's boardwalk along the East River. The message behind the 20-piece collection portrays the need for communication as a form of survival. The duo incorporated themes of telecommunication technology such as calling cards, phone cases, harnesses and their signature Radiant Heart logo and World Boss Pants.

That viral moment (one of many for them), inevitably caused for a high demand in a re-launch after quickly selling out on some of the 1-800-WHENSMOKECLEARS pieces. Since then, WSC has frequently posted teaser looks and slowly releasing a few pieces at a time. After a long-awaited journey, K$ace and Thermal got a new showroom and are anticipated to drop a new collection at the end of March.

How’s everything going since returning to NYC?

Thermal - We just got an office. We were based in Atlanta for four years. It feels good to fully be back in New York and our neighborhood where we started. It’s kind of nostalgic and surreal at the same time. Things began to change in Atlanta. Our main supporters were YSL members and we used to hang out with them all the time. When all of that legal shit happened to them, it hurt and fucked us up.

Why do you call your brand Uptown Couture?

Thermal - The brand is in proximity to everything that we represent–we’re from Harlem and the Bronx.

K$ace - We also wanted to steer away from everybody thinking we’re from Atlanta. There’s a misconception because we were so heavy in the A that people thought we were from there. We had to bring it back to our roots.

A lot of celebrities have been wearing your clothes. What’s the feedback been like from some of these A-listers?

Thermal - When we make our clothes, we don’t take shortcuts. It’s not a big jump for people who are used to European fashion and luxury fashion houses. For example, Usher was recently at the Louis Vuitton show in a full Louis Vuitton outfit. He then returned to his Las Vegas home and put Whensmokeclears on right after. It didn’t seem too few and far in between. We’re happy to see people perceiving the brand as we do. It’s uptown and it’s couture.

You’re very tapped into the rap scene, which is also why people probably think you’re from Atlanta. How has that tied in with the success of your brand so far?

K$ace - We’re affiliated with a bunch of big artists, but also tapped in with the younger generation of drill music. I think people look at the clothes as more of an upscale brand. Us being in that bracket helps a lot in that sense.

Thermal - The idea of a musician’s wardrobe is in line with what musicians are inspired by – that usually comes from street culture and the persona that a lot of these musicians are trying to create. We meet at that place where it feels right every time they look at our clothes.

You have a strong use of flags and cultural representation throughout your designs. Why do you use these designs?

Thermal - We’ve been doing this for about seven years; from the beginning. The flags represent unity in which we believe in and what we want to be on the forefront of why we’re making clothes. Fashion definitely brings people together…especially in New York. People have made friends over certain outfits and shoes. There’s a unity that comes with just being yourself. I think the flags are a representation of how that can be as micro as a New York community or global existing on one piece of clothing.

As you grow as designers, it seems like a lot of your designs have elevated. Tell me about the evolution of your brand and where you think it’s going.

Thermal - We started with a necklace, and that snowballed into the full Whensmokeclears look. When we chose this specific textile story, we kept landing on leather because it feels long-lasting and that’s what our brand is.

K$ace - We want it to be like rockstar luxury. We want people to wear these pants every day. 

What do you think makes you guys different from other brands?

Thermal - Everything.

K$ace - Just look at us… I’m kidding!

Thermal - I think that the path we chose to get to where we are now is very different. We look at the brand as a documentary and we are the characters in it and we’re just building this brand before people’s eyes. I think that’s why a lot of people gravitate towards it because we started from nothing and turned it into something by visiting all of these countries and spreading the word. A lot of it has to do with nightlife, which is where me and K$ace met–so shoutout to nightlife.

K$ace - When people see us outside and in that environment, they really start to understand where we come from and that it’s not just a brand, but a lifestyle–from the things that we eat to the way that we speak.