424 x Hoorsenbuhs

Josh Grunfeld has referred to this collection as being made up of “pieces that feel like future heirlooms,” and the campaign featured Balthazar Getty and his family. What does inheritance mean for you in this collection?

I think the ambition with the collection was to really not hold back when it comes to making pieces that are ultimately the dream version of the product. A lot of times, due to financial constraints, you can't use a certain fabric, or you have to adopt methods that are a little bit more production-friendly. With this partnership, the ambition was a little different. It was to create a type of piece that you just want to keep forever, and you don't want to sell. With something that is made artisanally by hand to such a degree, you kind of grow attached to it. And when you grow attached to something, either your kids want it, or your wife wants it. Someone can't wait for you to not want it anymore so that they can adopt it into their lifestyle, and keep it in the family. So, I think the spirit is a lot about not giving in on anything. It’s kind of like the beginning of the story. We want these pieces to be appreciated and worn and to age with the people who buy them.

How do you feel about trends? Does an urban streetwear brand need to keep up with trends? Should they?

Once you follow a trend, if you follow it correctly and it works for you, then you have now created a cycle for your business strategy where a part of your market is now expecting you to follow trends. The market is now going to consume you in that way. And I have never wanted to lose touch with my own products. So actually, that's the thing I fight to keep the most. I think that you can read the room, so to speak, like you understand where the general zeitgeist of the creative community is going. And most of the time, with the color or the texture, it does repeat itself through different collections. There are times where it just genuinely happens. Because I think to a certain degree, we're probably all experiencing the world now at the same time, we’re so connected. So it would not be far-fetched to think that two creative people might arrive at the same idea. But, I’d rather die with my own shit. I'd rather stick by the things that I like and ultimately can stand on. Because, you know, even if it is on trend or trendy, it's still something that’s connected to me, and in which case I can own it.

What initially drew you to working with a brand like Hoorsenbuhs?

I started out making jewelry when my journey began. Jewelry was the first product I took to market. So I've always been really keen on it. I really like the accessorizing of a look, and I think the right bracelet or necklace or earring can add an extra little hit. And over the years, I think I landed on Hoorsenbuhs being the jewelry brand that I would wear personally. I was a fan of the products. And then when I met Josh, the lifestyle director, he was just thinking of ways that he could work together. It's a very, very particular, particular company. They're not just out here collabing; they're very reserved. So even that process, you know, took about a year and a half to make this collaboration come to life. The family is very important to them. The way that the brand is protected and represented is also deeply, deeply important. And I can totally relate. So I think that they saw how much I put into my work, how much I respect and how much I love to try and make the best products I can. And little by little, I think we both started to gain some trust in each other. I think this is probably my favorite collaboration to date, because it's just so fucking lux, you know. And it doesn't look like any less 424 or any less Hoorsenbuhs.

The Rub-Off Leather Pants are designed to allow for a natural aging over time. In the era of botox and synthetic fabrics, it feels like visual beauty in society is becoming so focused on preservation through artificiality. What does it mean to you to design clothing that is intended to wear, soften, and reveal its memories rather than hide them?

I think it’s a two-part answer. On a personal level, I find things that live to be more beautiful. I think that when something is natural, and it’s just in a kind of raw form, I find myself to be more attracted to it. Not just with products, it applies to people. It applies to friendships, relationships, business relationships. I like things for what they are. I like it when they age, and I like it when they're new. The whole cycle of it. Over time, I think I just realized that when you are interpreting a tangible good that people can digest, and it's intended to be a luxury good, perfection is overrated. I think that making a perfect black leather pant and then protecting it and always putting it in a garment bag and never wearing it, just looking at it, is quite boring, and I actually find it to be anti-luxurious. To buy something and then preserve it so that you can stare at it or resell it later. That's very counterintuitive to enjoying the work, which is, in fact, the luxury of it, right? What makes it is that you are able to engage with this type of product, wear it, live in it, and then if you need a repair, you can just go to a shop, because it's great leather. It's meant to last forever. 

The Lambskin Leather Trench transforms itself and can be worn as both a coat and a vest, adding a layer of modularity. Why was it important to have pieces that can adapt and evolve? 

You know, honestly, that is just because I see how Rob dresses. Rob is the owner of Hoorsenbuhs. And he's just psyched out. You gotta give someone like Rob options to get freaky with the clothes. And also, I just think at the price point, why not go all the way? Plus, LA is not a cold place. There's only so much use you'll be able to get out of that shearling on the inside. So I felt like making it detachable could be a little fun, and you could have a little weird Venice, Boho moment with this kind of leopard giant vest. And for me, the more options I have to enjoy my clothes, the better.

Having immigrated from Guatemala to the U.S. at a young age, you’ve noted feeling like expression was vital to your sense of identity. How did those early moments of self-expression shape the lens through which you design today?

I think it's just very closely tied to individuality, you know, like you want to really feel like you're really repping yourself. I'm deeply proud of who I am, where I've come from. And I don't like waving a giant poster that says I crossed the border under a tunnel, but I do like to project out an image of strength, and I feel that self-expression in a creative way in making such products is rebellious. It is the statement. It’s important to make powerful statements with the product, first and foremost. And then, you know, once you peel the layers back, yeah, you'll get to know me. And you might be surprised. So I think my approach is a bit different in that I'm a very product-oriented person. The fact that I spent half the year in Italy going in and out of all these little factories, just to try and make the best thing possible. And I was born in Guatemala, and I immigrated to America, and I lived in America as an illegal alien for over 20 years. I think the fact that all of those things are true is what makes it special. It's the full formula. Everything that I make for people to digest is a culmination of my life story until today, and where I see myself going in the future. It's kind of a sliding scale. I may or may not be drawing inspiration from when I was 10 years old in Guatemala, or where I want to be 10 years from today, you know. So in a way, all of the products, the collections, the themes are just sentiments. It may be inspired directly by my childhood, or cultural nuances that only people from Guatemala would understand, that only Latino people would understand. But then there's also stuff that is deeply inspirational from where I grew up in America or Japan, or Italy, where I spent so much time. So I'm really like a big soup of all of these things.

Lastly, you’ve never shied away from using your brand to comment on the political climate, with past pieces that addressed topics like police brutality. Is there a societal issue you see yourself bringing attention to in the future? 

I don't think I will ever shy away from being myself. As a human being, living the human experience that we're all going through, if I see something that I just deeply disagree with, I tend to say something about it. Now, I actually do something about it too. And it doesn't always have to be for public consumption. I think you know who you are as a person, and how you act and live out your life is equally as important as the things that you scream out loud for the world to see.