When you started Paradigm 12 years ago, where did you envision it going?
PARADIGM started with no particular vision, it was my escape from the corporate rat race I had found myself in. It started as a channel to question my life and the existential dilemma of that time. What began as a blogspot, then became an online magazine. I was unhappy with creating content for the internet, it felt so impermanent. And not that making books is any less temporary, given that only 4% of antiquity has survived but it felt necessary. I met Christopher van Auken who shared my deep love for printed matter. He designed the visual language of the brand, the logo and the physical aesthetic. He was a true journeyman who showed me how to navigate the operation manual for spaceship earth. North Philadelphia was the genesis to print the first book manifested through the Les Blank's film Burden of Dreams. An entire book could be written of the last decade and where PARADIGM ended up going ... from Volume I to Proof of Existence, it truly has been a journey with no destination.
You’ve lived and worked in both New York City and Copenhagen; what was it about the communities there that attracted you?
From my early years skateboarding in Ohio, to working at La Colombe in Philadelphia and traveling to the deep corners of the world, community was something that I saw truly bonded people. I also believe that sense is something inherent in my DNA. Creating community in New York City was natural. It is a city of micro-villages, neighborhoods, and street level functioning. A megalopolis where people need community to feel a sense of belonging. From our early events at DSM NY to the iconic Nice Size Sunday's party we were hosting downtown it was always about family and inclusivity. Copenhagen and more specifically Denmark is notoriously suspicious of outsiders and I am an outsiders, outsider. When I opened up my first olive oil showroom and café on Jægersborggade in Nørrebro I didn't try to fit into any boxes. Just community around the same values and style that I learned on the east coast.
In the 12 years of running Paradigm, what are you most proud of?
What makes me most proud is that Paradigm stayed true, it didn't sell out (excluding the Adidas collaboration because that corporation printed LIFE BEFORE). Quality remained the base line identity. We launched countless careers. We created a printed bloodline. First edition only monographs. A worldwide family of friends and collaborators. No regrets.
What drew you to throw this final goodbye party in Tokyo?
Tokyo and Osaka have been part of our brand's bloodline since meeting Koki Sato and Shimpei Nakagawa in 2017. Then Teruaki Niguchi and Yoshi Kodama pushed that connection further and we've been doing drops and releases here ever since. I am grateful for all the love we've received in Japan and it only seems fitting to say goodbye to the brand here in a country where quality reigns supreme.