The Empty District

Through work ethics like none other, and despite all of the adversity that these best friends have struggled through, Wish Me Luck is a testament to empowerment and a belief in yourself and your goals.

office had the opportunity to speak to both of these talented individuals and speak to them about their individual passions and how they ultimately got to the point of creating Wish Me Luck.

Continue reading below.

How are you doing today? What have you been up to, working on anything cool?

SAM— I'm great. I feel like the last few days, I've gotten the amount of sleep that a human being should, so I'm feeling pretty sharp. I'm plotting out my week and getting caught up with the things from the last couple of weeks, as well as touching base with Alex on the brand.

ALEX— I'm doing great. I am up to many things, you know, production and future projects, we have a lot of projects coming up. First, our first full Autumn/Winter collection, and we're also working on this project with Dialog Cafe, one of my favorite breakfast spots, of course. 

Sam, you recently released Yours Truly. I was able to flip through all of it and everything is just really ethereal and captivating. What was your inspiration behind the book?

S— Well, first of all, I want to say thank you, because I feel like there's a list of adjectives that you hope to hear from people and ethereal is definitely one. So it's always nice when somebody takes from it, what you're hoping they would take from it. I'm not sure if I could say that there's a direct inspiration for the book, I think it was more of what felt right to me. A lot of it was just looking at what felt good, what made sense, or what told a story without directly telling a story. But the inspiration I think was making a book that made people feel those adjectives. I was inspired to make a book that felt captivating, and felt surreal, mysterious, and even sort of voyeuristic.

What are some challenges that you face, especially when it comes to being in a sort of work environment where seniority really takes precedence over things?

S— I think when I was a little bit younger, whether I realized it or not, I had a lot of people question what I was capable of, or my level of responsibility. Now, I think it doesn't happen as much. But in a lot of ways, I wonder if maybe I get taken as seriously as people who are older. I think a lot of them weed heavier to an older group of people which is annoying because the whole industry preaches empowering the youth. I feel like that's all talk and they don't actually work with as many young kids as they should. Outside of that it's been pretty solid. With my age, I kind of use it as another selling factor. I want to do something and impress people where even if I was 40 they'd be impressed and then be like, "Oh, by the way, I'm 22." I'm trying to have that be the finishing touch and the cherry on top.

When was sort of a pivotal moment when your photos really started taking off to where you are now? Did you know that you always wanted to be a photographer?

S— Subconsciously it was something that was always there, but I just didn't really realize it. When I was 14, I was in photo video class, and that kind of lit the fuse. It sparked the interest and it progressively picked up, but it only was something I looked at as a hobby from like 14 to 15. By 15 I was like, "This is what I want to do for the rest of my life." Then by 16 and 17, I was working professionally. I feel like there have been a lot of pivotal moments, but maybe the first one was when I was really young. I met a lot of people that integrated me into the city, and then kind of opened my doors to work with a lot of people that really pushed me. So, for a 16 year old, it was a pretty pivotal moment.

How did you and Alex meet each other and come to a decision where you wanted to start Wish Me Luck?

S— Well, pretty simple. I'm a photographer and Alex is a model and we both met on a shoot we both got booked for. Ironically, in Lake Tahoe of all places, and we were bucked up in the cabin together for two days, and we loved each other. I thought Alex was the coolest kid I've ever seen and we stayed in touch. He was a part of this whole world that was much more foreign to me, like the New York fashion scene and everything. He came out to LA, moved here, and we ran into each other. My roommate had just moved out and he happened to be looking for a place. And so on the first day here I was like, "Do you want to move in with me?"

A— I think at the time Sam was making merch, and he asked me to come over and help him with the Shopify stuff because I had been doing it for a while. And one of the quotes that he used for his workshop was really cool. But I was like, "How can we make it fun? How can we make it stand out more?" And we were like, "Yo, let's make hats." So we started off with a hat and a hoodie that said, "You Can't Find Love in Hollywood." We spent a whole day delivering it to a bunch of influencers and we ended up selling out.

It's kind of like divine timing between you two, and especially working in an industry where all of this stuff sort of overlaps. How do modeling and photography play into your design work for your brand?

S— I would say placing the design work from just the standpoint of being immersed in the industry and culture. As a model and photographer, you're a hired resource to all these other businesses. And I've said from the get go, as Alex, from the moment I started getting booked at 15 one of the things I love the most is I'm getting to work hand in hand with multi-million dollar companies, and listen to their conversations. See what they do, how they move, and how they use their employees.

A— When I first started modeling at the time, it was a passion, but overtime I outgrew it and decided to focus on the brand more. However, modeling does go hand in hand nowadays. I've learned a lot behind the scenes and bring it into Wish Me Luck. 

Sam, I know you're a West Coast person and Alex, you did modeling here in New York. How do you guys tie in both places where you're from, into your work?

S— I can't tell you how many times a week Alex would be like, "Bro, that's way too LA. How do we make this more New York City?" It was never about not being LA or being New York, it was always like, "okay, here's so many strong influences from this city and so many from this one." We always try to maintain a balance.

I think you guys do a good job, though. You can see people wearing your hats walking in the Lower East Side or sitting on a beach in Malibu.

A— That was something from the jump that we were trying to balance. I see a lot of brands out there that try sometimes to be too cool, and it doesn't work, and I see our brand for everyone. My first piece that I've made actually ended up being a cardigan, while everyone's always ends up being a t-shirt and whatnot. At the time I really connected to this Basquiat quote, "Life is confusing at this point," and it was a time in my life before I was a signed model trying to figure out my future. There was a prominent youth fashion culture in New York that I kind of markted to and that was sort of the start. 

I was traveling back and forth from New York, meeting a lot of cool people, you know, like the ASAP crew and other young creatives in the Lower East Side and Soho area. As I was handing out these cardigans, it got to a point where I even got some interviews with Oyster Magazine and Milk Studios, but it was never as structured as Wish Me Luck. 

You guys are also so involved with so many different things too. And traveling and working on photos and modeling and stuff so how do you guys find the balance to do all of this stuff?

S— Oh, man. I'm still trying to figure it out. You don't sleep, but it's still the lifestyle I choose. And I don't make it any better. There's a lot of nights where I do have the chance to get rest and I've had a crazy week, but then I'm so excited and I want to go be around life, people, and music. That being said, I'm still working on making work even more efficient. But it's been a challenge for us. There's been times where my involvement in the brand isn't nearly what it should be, because I'm so wrapped up in photography. And then also the same thing with Alex. And I think as of recently, this is our baby and we're gonna figure out how we'd raise this child of a clothing company together. You know, it's such a funny comparison, but it's so true. We both got to be hands on and figure out how to manage the other parts of our life, but then sit down a bit, right, let's raise the kid. Like, let's get the brand to continue to grow, you know?

A— I think you've answered that for me as well.

You can really see that translate through the work that you guys do or even back to when we were all out together and Complex posted a photo of Rihanna wearing it. And just the excitement that you guys had from that you can see that you are so passionate about this.

A— This is such a funny story because, long story short, Matthew Henson and I have been friends for about five years now. He texted me about coming to the office and picking up some hats for a project that he was working on at the time. Fast forward a couple days later I was getting tagged in a bunch of posts with Rihanna wearing our hat and I couldn't believe it. 

S— There's the excitement where you blurt out what just happened and then there's this excitement where you just start making noise.

A—  And when my friend sent me the photo, I was like, "What is this?" I did a double take, and I was freaking out. When I was modeling, I would walk up to a billboard, look at it, and I'd be excited for five minues. It wasn't as fulfilling as seeing someone wearing your product in public. 

S— It reminds you why you do it.

A— Yes, and that feeling is amazing. I can't wait to do that over and over again.

Where do you guys get your inspiration behind your designs?

S— I feel like dive bar culture has a huge influence. Even the western stuff, Americana, western dive bar, and then like pool tables. Maybe the main thing would be vintage. We now are both very vintage obsessed. So trying to figure out how do we take vintage and give it a modern twist?

Sam going back to your photography, you also teach your own workshop classes. How's that? How important is it for you with the knowledge that you have to teach other people what you know?

S— I would say it's probably the most gratifying thing that I do. I do think that I have a lot to say where I can really help somebody, or at the very least put some sort of fire under their ass. It gives them the confidence that they're capable of whatever they're capable of. That feeling alone is incredible. Not to mention, I think you learn a lot through teaching. I think in order to teach, you have to be pretty analytical of yourself. As you're having a breakdown and are like, "Okay, what have I done? What haven't I done? And how do I relay that message to 30 people in a room or 500 people online?" I think going to school and pursuing a proper education for photography is fantastic, but with that being said, I think there's a lot that you can't learn in school. I wanted to create a class that can address from a young person in the industry firsthand, in modern day and time with Instagram, and how to build a business as an artist. I'm not sitting there teaching people, "this is what makes a photo a good photo, or this is how to take pictures." Art is so subjective, and at the end of the day, I'm going to just teach people how to find themselves and figure out what they like, and do your own thing. And then how to build a business around that.

What kind of advice do both of you guys have for people who are wanting to create something new? Has there been sort of a secret to your guys' success, either in modeling, photography, or even having your own brand?

S— I think my biggest advice for anybody starting a brand would be commitment. Don't do it unless you're ready to really commit to doing it the right way. Don't go into it being like, "I'm going to try to make a quick bag." If you want to actually build a business, go into it with the mindset that even if it takes me five years, I want a multimillion dollar enterprise. And that's where my sights are set. When Alex and I started it, it was both of us designing on illustrator, both of us shipping packages, and then both of us doing our customer service. We did everything.

A— Just being structured and stuff like that, because I've seen brands come and go, and have potential, but lack effort. I've seen hundreds of them. So I think it just comes down to having a passion for it. I don't think you should start a brand if it's not in you. 

What's next for you guys?

S— We've made shirts, hoodies, sweats, but our focus is our hats. But, Alex and I are excited to really lean into doing capsules where we make all sorts of garments from pants, to sweaters, to accessories. I would love to make a pair of glasses or shoes one day, and getting the brand to that place. Alex and I have such extensive taste and with any piece of clothing, we could put on anything from a ring on our finger to a pair of socks, Alex and I know exactly how we want something to fit or to look like. I think that the biggest goal that we're leaning towards is getting to a place where we have the financial resources and ideas to create our perfect ideas. We've always loved the idea of collaborating with people that maybe other people wouldn't have seen coming and making it something really cool. We have our first one coming out soon, as Alex mentioned earlier with a local cafe.

Oh, that's so exciting. I feel like you guys are on this upswing, and you're continuing to do more on an upward trajectory, which is really great to see.

S— I will say although Alex and I are proud of ourselves, I think we're both just dipping our toes. We're taking our time and we've found ourselves in the past rushing into things that we weren't ready for. Let's take our time, let's be precise. But you know what, there's so much we want to do. I don't even know where to start.

You have that hustler mindset, and you can apply that same sort of mindset to creating your own brand and starting something else that you're really passionate about.

S— Yeah, of course. Alex, even much more than me, but we both came from small towns. I mean, Alex, you're from Connecticut.

A— That's definitely a drive for me. I was just home recently and I asked one of my buddies to drive me around Hartford, Connecticut, where I'm from, and I was so thankful to be able to come back in a different place than I was when I was living there. It keeps me going.