Check it out now, and then go buy your camping supplies before it drops on Thursday March 29th.
Images courtesy of Supreme
Simon Rasmussen — What's going on?
Guillermo Andrade — Right now we're just setting everything up.
So, what are you doing, is it a party?
Well, I kind of felt universally forced, right? Because 4/24/24, I was just like, I don’t really have a choice here. The stars also just kind of aligned, so to be honest, I got this settlement that came with a bunch of clothes so I had this idea to give back to the kids who fuck with us by allowing them to buy our shit first. Not handing stuff out for free, but to do it in a way where we could skip the middleman of the industry, so to speak, and not allow clothes to disappear into the abyss of Farfetch or whatever else. So what we’re going to do is a sort of warehouse sale, which we’ve never done before so that was really exciting for me. I didn’t want to do just another warehouse sale, so it’s like a sample sale turns rager. We teamed up with Adidas and a couple of other sponsors, then drinks, DJs, and a performance.
Sick, I love it.
Yeah. My dream sample sale. Also, it’s not just hoodies and t-shirts here in there, it’s proper collections from the past three seasons. I’m also not picking and choosing, trying to make it accessible, like this was the only way I could afford to buy shit when I was a kid, bro. Sample sales were the thing I looked forward to the most.
I feel you. In New York, there's the annual CDG sale, which is when I used to cop all my CDG.
The only time I could afford Rick. I flew to New York once for a Rick sample sale and I was like, Wow, I can't believe I got invited. And it was mental. I still have those pieces. I will never sell them. Not even because I got 'em cheap. It was also just really fun. Even on the flight to New York, I was like, I can't believe I'm going to New York for a sample sale, what a fucking loser I am. But it was like the adult version of when I was a kid and I was like, Wow, I can't believe I'm 20-something and I'm still doing the thing I was doing in high school. So I hope we can create moments like that for kids here in LA.
Yeah. I love that. It’s important to connect with them; they’re essentially creating the brand. If you don't have them, good luck.
I mean, yeah. Fuck, bro. It's cool that we've been around for this long. I mean, it got a little rocky there for a second I think, for all of us. So coming out of it, tomorrow is a celebration. And it’s like an odd day of the week. It's a Wednesday, super random. And now that we've set it up, the homies are all like, Yo, I'm coming. I'm coming. Let me jump on stage, let me do this, and that's really what it's always been about. It's not some other strategy to get likes on the internet.
That’s how the best things happen, you just couldn’t help yourself. It was intuitive.
Yeah, it all came together in a really nice way.
Would you say that’s how 424 started as well? I remember we met in like 2010 on Fairfax and I was visiting with Rasmus…
Oh bro, it’s probably the time when I started the branch… do you remember Cecilia from Black Dakini? She’s the one that introduced me to CIFF and honestly, I didn’t even care what she was doing, I was just like, I’m coming, I’ll go with you. She said she’d give me half of her booth and I said, Awesome count me in. At the time, I had just gotten my green card and I wasn't allowed to ever leave America, so Copenhagen was one of the first cities I went to when I could finally travel. I mean, you see what we did at CIFF bro? It became our fucking hub for half a decade.
That was a moment for sure.
I remember the first account I got was Antonioli, and he came super gangster, being like, You're going to sell me these clothes. And I was like, bro, I didn't come to sell clothes. I'm just kind of catching a vibe with my homie and I made these things. And he's like, No, you're going to sell it to me. And then I was like, Oh my god that’s Claudio Antonioli. So then I went home, I googled wholesale, and figured that shit out. [laughs]
[Laughs]
Like you said, I couldn't help myself, but I didn't just make t-shirts and hoodies either. I was really on my Rick wave, so I made my version of the Rick things. It was that meets like The Boondock Saints, because I'm still a little bit of a Cali bro, sort of rock kid, but not really. I like hip-hop, but I like the way the rock stars look. I like the contrast. I thought it was cool. After that, I just never stopped.
It was clear to me when I first met you that you were onto your own thing in LA. It made a lot of sense, and it was so cool. It was before 424 was its own brand; you just had the store and this really cool curation.
It was all my shit, bro. I was very, very invested in sharing all of these things that I was finding from all over the world, like Astrid Anderson. She was one of those designers at the time, so important to 424. The connection to Copenhagen specifically for me was huge. I had a big fan base there. It was incredible. And then here in LA, we were sharing the things that we were a part of and finding; it was still the early days of Fear of God, Rhude, Martine Rose. A lot of these brands, we were the first store to ever sell it — we were selling Hood By Air on the West Coast.
You had Rick as well, I remember.
Oh yeah. It took me a long time. But I got Rick, bro. By the time I had to close the store on Fairfax, I already had a Raf Simons account. I had reached my ultimate dream. It was really all the stuff I wanted to wear at the time. It was dope. The best of the best.
We had an office magazine newsstand in there as well.
Oh yeah, we did! I came to visit the one you had, and I was like, Yo, I got to bring this whole fucking thing over here. But yeah, in LA, after two days people forget you exist, but everyone’s been super supportive. We’re all 10 years older now. We've been around forever at this point.
It can be dangerous to take those breaks when you’re figuring shit out, but there’s something very genuine to this comeback you’re having.
Thank you, thank you. We’ve been in and out of those fucking showrooms in Paris for long enough. I've been in and out of these factories for the past 10 years of my life. We had to figure something out. And I think now really diving in, being in Italy full time and being there to develop these products over time, I think that the whole thing just really shows the suppliers respect you more. The people who are making your goods understand why you're making them. And I think now I finally got to the place where I'm not making Italian things, I’m making my clothes, I'm making Cali-centric shit, but with that European technicality and execution. With this Fall / Winter collection, it clicked.
So what’s the vision for the next year? What are you manifesting?
I'm just fucking relentless, bro. This is the way I want to live my life. Now that we are more aligned, more prepared, and have more experience, moving forward it is just more of becoming a fully functioning company that can provide and create opportunities for all of the people around me. We’ve been operating just on instinct for a long time.
Sustaining a business is scary, trust me I know.
Scary as fuck, dog. I just opened a store next to Bottega, bro, and it’s like what am I even doing? You have to just believe in the thing you're doing more than anybody else.
100%, and it seems like that’s what you’re doing.
And fashion’s kind of a competitive sport, as much as people don’t think it is. We can reach a certain level without losing ourselves. My biggest ambition at the moment is to create something that, when you leave one of our neighbors you come into our place you don’t feel that the level has been sacrificed at all. And it’s not easy.
Definitely. I wish I could be there tomorrow.
Thank you, bro. 10 years now. You’ve always shown me so much love. We have to do a booth or have the office part of the next 424 day. Shit let’s do a 424 day in New York.
That would be sick. Let's do it. I'm here. Let’s catch up soon.
Next season’s right around the corner so I’ll see you in Paris.
Yes, see you in Paris and Happy 424 day!
No Earth Day celebration is complete without action, so here are 10 local NYC-based initiatives you can get involved in to preserve the planet we all share.
So, how are you?
I'm good. I'm going to tell you now, I have the worst desert dust cough in the entire world, so I'm going to try and not cough.
That's annoying. Does that happen every time you go to Coachella?
I think I just may have smoked one too many cigarettes, unfortunately.
Oh... I’ve been there. How was the weekend though?
It was a lot, but it was amazing. I'm just happy to be back, but I'm kind of a crazy person, I may be going again tomorrow.
Round 2?
I can't, if I go, I'm only going for a day.
Ok so chill. How old were you at your first Coachella?
I want to say my first Coachella was in 2017 or 2018.... It was either a year or two years before I graduated high school. I'm going to say 2017, I was like 16?
What was the energy like this time compared to then?
Oh my gosh. Very different. It wasn't as packed. It was very mellow, you could walk around and bump into so many people because there weren't that many. You could just see everyone. I feel like the first time I went to Coachella, it was such an intense experience because if you lost any of your friends, it was an immediate freakout, there were just so many people. But also, I feel like when I was 16, I was just such a degenerate. [Laughs]
Have you ever run into an ex, enemy, or crush during Coachella?
Oh my God, I ran into my ex this past weekend. And crushes all the time. Maybe one or two this weekend, nothing too crazy.
That's not too bad. Tell me about the GUESS JEANS compound. What was the vibe?
It was amazing. One of my best friends, Nicolai, just takes care of everyone. He's the most incredible person. There were, of course, a bunch of houses on the compound, but in my house, it was just me and my best friends, which was incredible. And across the street was one of my best friends, Devon, and her sister Sydney and like all of those people so that was really nice. And it was also very tight knit, there wasn't a lot of people, it was just a very buddy vibe, you know?
That sounds ideal. How were the parties?
The parties were pretty amazing. The party on Sunday was Metro Boomin and the whole XO crew and all of that. It's funny. I normally am not a trap scene kind of gal. I just can't get into it some of the time, but I was having the time of my life. It was absolutely amazing. I was on stage with fucking Metro and NAV, dancing and jumping around and moshing like a crazy person. Everyone was dancing on tables. Everyone had a bottle in their hand.
That sounds so fun.
It was 10 out of 10, then we went straight from that party into our house and ended up having a party that was like a full-on rave and our friend Hayes DJ'd, which was awesome.
Any messy moments?
I could tell you there were a few messy moments, but at the end of it, you're also just like, you know what? It's Coachella, it gets messy. But once it's over, all the mess, it's like, Oh, it was just at Coachella. It’s over now.
What happens at Coachella stays at Coachella.
Exactly.
Was there anyone you were looking forward to seeing perform?
This year, all the headliners were super sick, but I didn't really catch any of them. I am like a big techno baddie, so I was in the rave and I mean, it was incredible. There was Gesaffelstein who was amazing and Justice, Peggy Goo, Michael Bibi, Honey Dijon, Green Velvet, like I saw a bunch of people that I just absolutely wanted to see and died.
Then there was Khruangbin. I listen to them all the time in my house 24/7. I watch their live studio recordings and all of it. It was an amazing moment just for me because I've listened to the music for so long, and finally being able to see them on stage and watch their whole set, it was super magical and with all of my friends just right there, and it was an amazing moment.
I was almost going to miss it because I was so defeated. I was like, “I'm leaving Saturday. I can’t do it guys. I have to go. I have to leave.” But all my friends were like, Girl, just go back to sleep. And I went back to sleep and I woke up on Sunday and went straight into Khruangbin and I had the time of my life so it was worth it.
Did you hit up Brutalismus 3000?
No. What is that?
It's this electronic music duo from Berlin that's pretty cool, they started making music in 2020.
Sick. No, I didn't see them, but I'm going to have to check them out. Oh, but I also saw Boy Harsher.
Oh yessss, I love Boy Harsher.
Yeah, that was incredible, 10 out of 10. The speakers were definitely blasting and it was just so awesome. They're husband and wife, they were just on stage ripping together. It was just so cool to see, and they were having so much fun.
Okay so Chella Do's and Don’ts. Hit me with a few.
A do, definitely: bring a fanny pack. If you're carrying a purse at Coachella, you're doing it wrong — or just don't bring anything.
What do you always keep in your fanny?
If you go to Coachella without an ID you're screwed, like you need it to get alcohol. Hand sanitizer. Maybe a fan. Oh, sunglasses, chapstick, hair tie, like all the essentials.
Sahara tent or main stage?
Sahara all the way. Although I don't even think I saw one fucking thing at the Sahara tent, maybe Peggy Goo and that was pretty cool, but I was mostly in Yuma, the outdoor stage or the Quasar stage, which was incredible.
Drink of choice?
Vodka-cranberry. I was getting vodka cranberries every other second or Heinekens, because that's what was there. There was so much, I think they work with Coachella. I had a shit ton, and water babe. You have to stay hydrated. It's so gusty and dry out there.
So do water, don't be dehydrated...
Yeah, do water, don't be dehydrated, do… fucking… sneakers, not heels — actually cowboy boots, do cowboy boots or combat boots, not heels. You're in the trenches out there, you never know what's going to happen. Also don't leave your buddies. Do not leave your buddies. You'll get buried. You need your buddies at all times. It was like me and three to four friends out there which was fun.
Did you have a favorite look you wore?
Ooh, favorite look... either my Friday or Saturday look, I wore cowboy boots the first day and combat boots the second, shorts, a belt and a baggy tee, super shishi and super ravey. But it was so crazy and I was just talking with my friend about this, like when we were walking back to our sprinter to leave, there were girls out here in these teeny, tiny bikini tops and I'm just like, I don't know how you guys do it, but I salute you because it is so cold and so windy. I don't know how these girls are doing it, but they're doing it.
I guess, if you have a vision…
Yeah, if that's is your vision, then complete it, go through with it. No backing down.
What won't you do this weekend if you end up going again?
It's not about fashion this weekend. It's definitely about comfort. I think I'll probably be in sweatpants. I was pretty comfortable last weekend but definitely going in there way more chill. If I go back, I'm going to see the same people, but I just think I need to be a little more present. You know?
So no vodka cranberries is what you're saying?
Well… who knows?... Who knows? We're vodka-cran girls. [Laughs]
