Meet young creative Eric Lawrence

I know you got started in fashion because you approached Matthew Williams at a concert and the rest is history. Did you move from Dallas to NYC on a whim?

I interviewed with him when I was on vacation here. Then I went home for probably a month where I finished up my job as a waiter. I saved up a bit of money and dropped out of school.

Were you studying fashion?

No. I was just taking classes at a regular community college. I really didn’t want to go to school for anything except fashion, but there are no fashion schools in Texas. After I met Matt, he offered me an internship but I wasn’t living in NYC.

How long did it take to move?

After the interview, he said he would hire me - if I lived in New York. I went back home for a month, got my stuff together and made a plan to move. It took me three days to drive here! I packed my car and had it in the city for a bit, but then I sold it because I was getting a lot of parking tickets. My sister lived in NYC at the time, so it’s not as crazy as it sounds... I wasn’t living out of my car or anything. I drove here and I lived with my sister for a few months while I was interning.

At the beginning, it was only about one day a week that I came in, but I kept showing up all the time and I was always available for him. I quickly worked my way up and then he offered me a job.

What kind of job?

Creative assistant in a way. He would work with artists and musicians and I would assist him on photo shoots. Then a little bit later, when he started planning on launching Alyx, he wanted to solely focus on that, so I assisted him.

How did you adapt to NYC? Did you find it hard?

No, not at all. I started coming here when I was 15, about once a year. The first time I ever came, I sort of liked it but I never thought I could live here. Then I came back and had more fun, and suddenly I was vibing NYC. I kept coming back and I learned my way around the city. By the time I was 21, I was really comfortable here, and by the time I moved here it felt like home. Plus I had my sister here.

I remember when I was about 18, I was like, “this is the trip where I’m gonna meet someone and they’re gonna be my mentor!” I would always say that to myself, and it’s so weird that it actually happened that way a few years later. I met Matthew Williams at a Drake concert, and he’s the one that helped me make it.

And how did he help you? What did you learn from him?

I worked for him for 2 and a half years before he moved to Italy to work on his brand. He basically offered me a job when I had no experience. He always told me he could tell I had a good eye. He liked the way I was dressed the night we met. He said it was very natural. I wasn’t wearing anything crazy or loud.

He taught me how to look, how to research, how to go back in time and study past stylists and fashion designers. He taught me a lot about the history of fashion.

How did you get into vintage? Since your first release was made from repurposed vintage tees.

I wasn't always into it. My friends Kevin and Scout lived in the Lower East Side, and I would always be at their house. They loved vintage shopping, and they kind of showed me a different way of looking at fashion.

Some people are like, “250 dollars for a t shirt!?” You have to appreciate and understand the thought that goes into each shirt that I make. Some of the shirts were from as early as the 60s. It's wild to think about the life that t shirt has already had. And I’m giving it a new life.

What are the best vintage shops in NYC?

My favorite is Stock Vintage on East 13th street. The clothes there are from the early 1900s to 1970s. They have really amazing stuff. The owner has been collecting vintage since she was 10. She’s so passionate! I also love Procell and Metropolis for 80s and 90s vintage.

How much do you regularly spend on a vintage tee?

The cost always varies; the most I’ve spent on one is like 400 dollars, a Derek Ridgers x Morrissey shirt from ’91, which was a steal. It’s the story behind stuff that makes it more valuable, so I like to look for meaningful pieces.

Are the “Anger” tees a collaboration with Mr. Completely, or is that a different thing?

So first, I started printing “Anger” on vintage tees, and I would sell them on my website. I only made about 60. The designer from Mr. Completely bought one, and after that some people he worked with bought them too. Then he had some more people that were interested in buying them, and that sparked a collaboration. I’ve worked with him before all this though; I shot a campaign for him. It was later when he bought the t-shirt, and when his friends started being interested in buying my stuff, that he asked if we could do a full collection collaboration. It wasn't supposed to get that big!

The collaboration with Mr. Completley is cut and sewn in LA - hoodies, sweats, jeans, a woven hockey sweater, and some tees. We designed it together over email and by spending hours on the phone every day.

So, you also do photography?

Yes. I got into it around the time that Alyx launched. Matthew wanted me to shoot girls wearing the clothes to put on the streets. I was going out looking for cool girls and setting up shoots, and that’s when I got into it and kept doing it. From there, I bought my own cameras. It’s also the easiest form of a creative outlet. Making clothes is hard. With a photo, you take it and get a product right away.

Did you take any photo classes?

I just picked up a film camera. I can do a full studio photoshoot now though with lighting and all. The lookbook I premiered on W I shot myself with a digital camera. I knew how to do it because I would assist photographers on photoshoots.

I did take classes for Photoshop and Illustrator because no one can tell you how to use that. You have to sit down and learn. But I never took any fashion classes. Everything I’ve learned so far is first hand from designers and stylists I look up to.

Do you know how to sew?

No but I know how to pattern-make. I actually got hired at a pattern-making studio. They make samples. I don’t work there anymore, but I went in there to work on my collection with Mr.Completely. I brought in a pair of sweatpants that I wanted tailored. The next day the studio called me and and told me they liked the way I worked. They offered me a job as the manager of the studio. I was like, “I didn’t go to school for it!” And they were like, “You’ll learn!” And they just kinda threw me in there.

I think patternmaking was really important to learn because Matthew taught me how to research clothing, but I didn’t know how clothes were put together. When I worked at the studio I would see the designer’s path, from the sketch to the runway, and I saw that firsthand.

Are you working on another project right now?

Yeah. It’s really in the beginning stages. But I’m really excited to roll it out when the time is right!

And since I’m not in school, I wanna keep learning from people that have mastered it. I wanna keep working with people like that.

Do you have a day job?

I was working at that studio for three and a half months. I’ve been getting a lot of freelance jobs piling up, and I just started an internship at Alexander Wang.

I jump around a lot. Working with Matthew was the most consistent job I’ve had, but even then I was assisting stylists on the side. He always encouraged that. I jump around and work with different people in all different areas of fashion. I love doing that. I worked at the pattern making studio but it got repetitive. I was ready for something new.

So you’re basically creative directing?

That’s my dream. Not to contradict myself, because I did say I want to have a clothing line, but it’s also a dream to be a creative director for a brand that’s already established.

Yeah brands always need a fresh take on things after they get a little old and boring.

Yeah! Look at all the brands that are doing it like Calvin Klein with Raf Simons and Gucci’s comeback. It’s happening everywhere. All these brands are hiring new creatives and freshening things up. I think that’s really cool, too. These funny brands that were relevant in the 90s are coming back, like Juicy Couture and Kappa.

I may or may not start a new fashion line but I do love working for other companies, use them as my canvas. I think that’s a good angle for me right now.

Culture

The Club Is Coming to the Stage

We enter and make our way to what is approximately front left of the DJ booth, where we’re accustomed to dancing at clubs in New York. “So is this a techno club or a dance performance?” yells an uncertain participant in my boyfriend’s ear. He laughs, bouncing along to Ben UFO, and yells back, “It’s both!” The club has long been a hot topic in European contemporary dance but it is only now making its way into New York performance venues, largely through transatlantic tours. R.O.S.E. follows recent examples like Michele Rizzo’s HIGHER xtn. at MoMA PS1 (May 2024), (LA)HORDE’s Room with a View at NYU Skirball (October 2023), and Gisèle Vienne’s Crowd at BAM (October 2022).

Do these performances compromise the club’s spirit — a space idealized for its anonymity, dark lighting, and thundering music? The notion of the club as a utopian escape is admittedly just that — an ideal — because of how its intense conditions can create barriers to entry. Still, the club remains sacred for many, a place to forge connections and embrace an alternative state of being. Looking at how performances transfer this spirit to new settings reveals what aspects of the club are essential and those that aren’t.

Sharon Eyal, R.O.S.E. 2024. Photography by Stephanie Berger, courtesy of Park Avenue Armory.

Eyal’s dancers make their entrance. The lighting shifts from roving blue to yellow spotlights as Ben UFO’s tracks transition to more melodic beats. Clad in deconstructed lace Dior lingerie with dark red tears painted on their faces, the dancers move cautiously in a tightly maintained pack, slicing paths through the horde with hoof-like steps and jerky leg extensions. After around ten minutes of this controlled choreography, the dancers vanish as the lighting shifts back to blue and Ben UFO picks up his dubby beats. The club, as we knew it, resumes. This cycle of tightly executed movements and free-flowing club-goers repeats several times, each time emboldening the dancers to plunge further into the crowd.

Clubbing in a building once built for the U.S. Army National Guard on Manhattan’s Upper East Side turns out to be surprisingly successful — at least for the audience. What starts as an awkward, scattered group searching for their non existent seats gradually gels into an engaged, bouncing crowd that erupts in cheers each time the dancers enter and exit. Performance patrons who might never step foot in a club find themselves swept up in its potential for communion, moving in unison with fellow ticket holders. But it isn’t until the very end of R.O.S.E. that the dancers finally break free from Eyal’s choreography and join the fired-up audience in a brief moment of improvisatory movement with the music. By keeping her dancers at arm’s length, Eyal seems more interested in the club as a backdrop for her signature movement style than wholly as a space with meaningful stories to be told.

Michele Rizzo, HIGHER xtn. 2024. Photography by Cameron Kelly courtesy of MoMA PS1.

Back in May, I attended Wire Festival, a multiday electronic music event at Knockdown Center that had no shortage of organically united dancefloors. It attracted a crowd of seasoned ravers who were eager to celebrate the start of spring as they danced alongside DJs who played well into the daylight. I left Wire in an afternoon daze to see Michele Rizzo’s HIGHER xtn. at MoMA PS1. My sleepless euphoria only deepened as the performance unfolded, starting with a lone dancer who looked plucked out of the festival.

The dancer, dressed in sneakers, baggy jeans, and a tight tank top, shuffled slowly into the gallery, perfectly in sync with the looping bars of an understated electronic melody. Soon, other dancers, clad in the same staple rave uniform, joined him — each having traveled from Europe for the U.S. museum debut of HIGHER xtn., which premiered at the Stedelijk in Amsterdam in 2018 and quickly became a fixture at kunsthalles and festivals across the continent. As the score’s tempo climbed, the choreography locked into a 16-count sequence, which the dancers executed with precise synchrony. They remained intensely focused, never making eye contact with each other, as they sought release in the endless repetition of synthesized beats. Once the dancers reached their limit, they stopped the sequence and exited the gallery, one by one.

HIGHER xtn. used the focused daylight of the gallery to highlight the meditative release found in the repetitive movements that dominate dark dancefloors. The performance’s restraint brought more consistency and intentionality than Eyal’s all-encompassing club construction in R.O.S.E. Yet both performances offer enticing entry points into club culture for those who may not frequent raves. Rizzo’s ecstatic, hypnotic repetitions reveal how the club can mirror other meditative practices, while Eyal’s interpolation of performance and clubbing helped hesitant audience members blossom by the end. Still, both works overlook one of the most underappreciated aspects of clubbing — its potential for individual expression. HIGHER xtn.’s pristine uniformity especially risks promoting the outdated techno trope that there’s a “right” way to dance to electronic music.

Maybe this shortcoming is, in fact, a benefit. For habitual ravers jaded by one too many sunrise sets, it’s a reminder to return to the club with more intention. If you pause and peer through the darkness, you’ll see hundreds of people moving to the same beat, each with their own subtle variations. This collective choreography is a ready-made spectacle that doesn’t need validation in a theater or museum. And when the music shifts slightly, you can watch the ripple effect sweep through the crowd while feeling the new beat in your body. Maybe this small bit of magic is best left on the dance floor.

Culture

Real Slick, Jack: Psyche Organic Arrives in New York

Shop Psyche Organic at Happier Grocery and Dimes. Coming soon to @citarellagourmetmarket @unionmarket @gourmetgarage @deciccos @fairwaymarket plus many more.

Culture

Porsche SCOPES Brings Art, Music, and Design to Toronto

The festival was a full immersion into Toronto’s dynamic creative energy. Day one set the tone with DJ collective Living Room, followed by an experimental performance by Claire Rousay that captivated the crowd. Jewelry designer Steff Eleoff unveiled her Porsche Taycan 4S art car installation—a bold fusion of automotive and wearable art inspired by her Sedona ring—while OVO Sound’s Naomi Sharon and DVSN wrapped up the night with powerful, genre-defying performances.

We witnessed SCOPES Toronto bridging underground and mainstream with day two’s lineup. DJ Korea Town Acid’s set paved the way for Angelphroot and Dameer’s debut of BASSMATI, a track blending South Asian influences with bass-driven sounds. Chippy Nonstop’s return to Toronto and Richie Hawtin’s extended set were milestones of the evening, proving that the city’s underground scene has a global resonance.

The final day featured standout performances from local pianist Harrison, Indigenous artist Tia Wood, and hip-hop visionary Sean Leon, who elevated his set with a live choir. Moonshine Collective’s film and musical performance explored themes of African utopia, showcasing art’s power to bridge culture and technology. Rising Toronto star SadBoi, who paused her tour to perform at SCOPES, further underscored the festival’s commitment to nurturing local talent.

Throughout the weekend, we experienced installations from artists like Mitsu Mitsu and culinary creations from Bar Mordecai, capturing the multifaceted creativity Porsche SCOPES brought to Toronto. This milestone 10th edition, open to all, allowed Toronto’s vibrant arts scene to thrive, underscoring SCOPES’ mission to celebrate local talent while connecting it to a global audience.

office had the chance to connect with rising star SadBoi ahead of the event. In our conversation, she shared insights into her creative journey and reflected on what performing and growing up in Toronto means to her and her work.

How are you, and where are you at right now? You told me you were traveling.

Um, I’m good, I’m feeling really good right now. I’m traveling back to Salt Lake City. I had a show yesterday in Seattle. I’m on tour right now with Coco and Claire.

How is touring life treating you? Do you like it?

I love being on the road. To be honest, I feel like I don’t know—like I’ve had good experiences and bad ones—but this time it’s really fun, especially with the people I’m surrounded by. It’s also the longest tour I’ve been on; I have about four more weeks to go. I’m trying not to think about how many days I have left.

Do you feel homesick?

Yes, because when I start thinking about how many days are left, I start to miss my dogs. I’ve just been trying to stay in the moment—I don’t even know what day of the week it is, to be honest with you.

Oh, sweet! What are your dogs’ names?

Jillian and Winston. I know, they’re crazy names.

You’ll be performing at SCOPES in Toronto, which is where you grew up. Do you feel like the crowd is different when you perform in Toronto compared to other cities?

Yes, I mean, Toronto just feels different because it’s home. Every time I come back to perform, something in my career has changed. The last time I performed in Toronto, people just wanted to have a good time, and I’m excited to perform back home again to see everyone’s reactions. I know it’s going to be different from the last time. It’s exciting to see your own growth. Toronto is a tough crowd, though. If we’re with you, we’re really with you.

So, they’re super picky? You have to gain their respect, or what is it?

I think Toronto people are in their own world, but when something really connects with them, they’ll lose themselves in the moment. But it takes something to bring them out of that. Toronto crowds are tough because even if they like you, they won’t show it outright until they’re really vibing with you.

It’s like a vibe check, right?

Exactly. They’ll enjoy your performance, but it’s hard to explain. When people visit Toronto, they often say, “Oh, you guys are so nice,” and I’m like, “I don’t think we’re that nice, we’re just polite.” Like, you can walk down the street, and no one will say anything, but it’s just our mannerisms.

You mentioned Toronto can have a moody energy, especially at night, and that the underground night scene there really inspires you. Can you talk more about what makes Toronto's nightlife so influential for you?

Absolutely, Toronto has this unique energy that comes alive at night. Similar to New York, there are the popular clubs everyone knows, but you need to find your niche—the people who know where the real parties are. I remember going to raves in high school yards, sneaking in because I wasn’t old enough. Events like Baby, Jerk!, and Yes Yes Y’all were pivotal, exposing me to DJs blending dancehall with EDM—something I hadn’t seen before. Toronto nightlife is moody and intense, but when everyone’s out, it’s like the whole city is alive.