Well as I stated before, from the 18th of April to the 25th, I will be in LA. Well my first task was to hit the Crooks & Castle party but due to flight delays, I did not make it out there on time. But I think I came home with something a little more valuable for me being that I am an outsider trying to get in. Well I had the chance to sit down with Kairi, a streetwear guru, and learn a valuable lesson. He also allowed me to sit down and interview him. Check it out...
WHAT IS YOUR FULL NAME?
Kairi Scott
WHAT IS YOUR OCCUPATION?
Everything dude. I am a store owner, designer, and so on.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DESIGNING?
I have been doing graphic design off and on for 10 years now.
WHAT IS YOUR PASSION?
My passion is clothing, design to be exact.
REASON FOR GOING INTO YOUR OCCUPATION?
I felt the game was missing something, so I decided to bring my own flavor which is more on a mature level.
WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION FROM?
Well I get my inspiration from a few things which are the ocean, colors, and music.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO ELABORATE MORE ON THEM?
Yea, I don't mind. The ocean to me is so unpredictable, super gourgeous as well as powerful. Also watching it makes me want to move and when I say move I mean step up a few more notches. Then colors can dictate a mood. They set a tone instantly. Music in some way is the same as colors but it is more for the word play. Word play is powerful.
WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?
I am very open minded when it comes to music I listen to. I like genres like reggae, punk, hip-hop, jazz, and 80s rock just to name a few.
SO WHAT INFLUENCES DOES MUSIC HAVE ON YOU?
I like how music can cross different boundaries. Me myself try to design the same way. I want all my pieces to be accepted by everybody from the young skater to the more mature adult who is still into the street wear game.
OKAY, SO WHO'S YOUR FAVORITE OR MOST INFLUENCIAL ARTIST?
I would have to say Bob Marley because he stood for so much and his music touched all races and genres.
ALL RIGHT, I AM GOING TO THROW A FEW WORDS OR PHRASES AT YOU. I NEED YOU TO TELL ME THE FIRST THOUGHT THAT COMES TO YOUR MIND.
Okay, shoot.
SUPERSTAR...
I will have to say Kanye West. I am not really a fan of his work, but to me the way he makes people hear him and the things he talks about stand for much. He just knows how to bring stuff to the table.
SO WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT KANYE BECOMING A DESIGNER?
He has good taste. I don't see him as a designer, maybe more of a stylist. He as a good eye at picking what is in from different fashion trends and putting them together.
OK, WHAT ABOUT THE WORD UNIQUE?
Everybody feels they are unique. I tell you being unique in my days was not cool. You had to fight cause of it. The thing with being unique today is that everybody is doing the samething to be unique.
DO YOU THINK IT IS BECAUSE THE STREETWEAR GAME HAS BECOME FRONT PAGE NEWS?
Yes, I can definately agree with that.
LIMITED EDITION...
(laughs)That word still sounds nice to me. It builds up hype. I don't believe anything is limited edition. Maybe if you put it out to the mass then over a certain amount of time you hank it back, then maybe you can say that is a limited edition.
OKAY, NIKE...
Man, the best. Always at the forefront of the sneaker game. They are a bit money hungry. Wish they would slow down a little bit with their releases but I have always had a love for them.
ADIDAS...
When I think about adidas, I think about the Forum Hi. They are pleasing to the eye but not very comfortable.
PUMA...
The black sheep brother to Adidas. Only have love for the Clydes and that is it.
SUPREME...
They are OGs in the game. I really respect their hustle. Created the hype for streetwear. They introduce LA to NY street wear. They was not the first brand though.
STUSSY...
As west coast as it can get. They were the first to bridge the gap between skate and street.
UNION...
They brought that Supreme vibe to LA. I heavily dig them. Wish they had more range. If it was not for then I would not know what Supreme was.
IS THERE AN UP AND COMING BRAND THAT YOU FEEL WILL BE THE NEXT HIT?
I can't say, I really don't know. I have been looking hard and do not see it yet. Maybe it is me changing, I don't know. I would like to see more cleaner lines, silhouette, less graphics and more details.
SO IF YOU WAS ABLE TO CHANGE ANYTHING IN THE GAME, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHAT WOULD YOU REPLACE IT WITH?
Less bright colors. It will be more about the details. I am more drawn to the threading or the buttons on the pocket.
WHERE DID THE NAME OF THE STORE COME FROM?
The name of the store is Kingsbury and it was something my partner utter one day and it just stuck with me. Then it just fit because street dudes like to be the king and bury sounds mature. So it fits both worlds of the consumers I am attracting.
I LIKE THE WAY THE STORE IS SET UP, WHO CAME UP WITH THE CONCEPT?
I did the layout myself and self constructed the store by hand. The concept of the store was to make sure it is appealing to the young consumer as well as the older one. So for the young, I made sure it still feels like a skate shop, and for the older, it is something like a bar and a lounge. It is not just for your shopping convience, it can be a hang out spot too. We have bar-b-ques, there is beer, you can watch t.v., bring your laptop and just sit back and kick it. That was very important to me.
WELL YOU DID DO A GOOD JOB AT THAT, THE STORE DOES HAVE A CHILL VIBE.
Thanx.
LAST QUESTION, WOULD YOU RATHER HUNT FOR SNEAKERS OR ORDER THEM ON-LINE?
I rather hunt for my kicks. I am the type that likes instant gratification.
THANX FOR LETTING ME INTERVIEW AND YOU ARE OFFICIALLY OFF THE JUST OUR STYLE HOT SEAT.
(laughes)
Here is a few pics of his store...
So if you are ever in the Beverly Hills area, take a trip to 3rd Avenue and visit Kingsbury. Tell him Rell sent you. And for us New Yorkers, the Kingsbury family will be opening up their first New York City location in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Kai, if the New York store is anywhere near your current store, it will be definately be an hit. Good luck on your future endeavors.
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