What do you make/create? What's your medium?
I'd like to my think of myself as a modern day renaissance man, but in reality I am probably more of jack of all trades and master of none. I make a little bit of everything. I tinker in the kitchen, on the canvas, behind the camera, but my main focus is clothing design. The goal is to make this (Delmonico) a global brand and use our platform to create positive change.
What inspires you? Where do you go for inspiration?
Walking around the City, handsdown... The people, the architecture, the barrage of wheat pastes everywhere you look, the tagged stalls, it's like a shared canvas that 8.5 million contribute to intentionally and coincidentally. One of my favorite walks is up/down Ludlow b/w Houston and Delancey. I'd also have to say my business partner and life-long friend Alex, it's so fun going back and forth and building on each other's crazy ideas to come up with a shared vision.
Who is your audience/ideal eyes for your work?
Anyone that is looking to discover their purpose, create tangible change, cares about what a brand stands for and is genuinely interested in the future of our planet and the people on it.
What is your mission/ what do you try to achieve or tell your audience with your art?
We think creativity is what unites us as human beings, it allows us to individually discover our passions and our potential, but the end result is something that is shared among a group of people and ultimately is what bonds us.
When did you begin your art journey? What led you to where you are now?
I got the bug from my mother who is an artist. By third grade I had already won a school art contest, but I left it on the back burner to focus on sports my entire youth. It wasn't until 2011-2012 that I really started exploring my design eye. I come from a long line of hard-working, creative, and risk-taking entrepreneurs. There was this inherent motivation to create something. That, coupled with my interest in fashion design, naturally led to building the brand. But, I think the biggest catalyst was the lack of depth I felt from a lot of larger brands back then. I was frustrated that there wasn't a lot of attention to the positive impact they could be making on their audience, rather a focus on the bottom line / quarterly returns which often materialized as a lot superficial ads and borderline disposable products - so we set out to make a brand that cares about and unites people. I will say, it's great to see the tide is slowly turning away from fast fashion / mass consumerism. I think brands and people are both seeing the bigger picture.
Advice for up and coming artists and young creatives?
Stop scrolling and do something tangible, taking an idea and making it a reality or learning a new skill is 1000x more gratifying. Don't worry about making money, or what others think about what you're doing. Do it to learn and just experiment - It will inevitably take you on a journey you'd never have imagined.
What is your go-to music while you create?
I love making playlists, I'd say the go-tos for me are my 'SoulTown' and 'French Day Dream' playlists - I usually use the latter when I am trying to be more productive and the former for finding that creative rhythm.
Who was your inspiration growing up? Was it an artist? Actor? Musician?
I'd say probably the action sports guys from my childhood - Dave Mirra, Mat Hoffman, Bob Burnquist, Bucky Lasek, Tony Hawk, etc... I was never an unbelievable skateboard (we didn't have a skatepark in my town), but I was 100% the kid lining up 3-5 kids to jump over with my bike using the old X Factor ramps or whatever we could rig together.
As for the inspiration of my creative pursuits, I'd have to credit my family, both my parents, older sister, and twin brother are all wildly talented. At times they question the feasibility of trying to grow a brand, but I remind them it's an eternal art project and it will always be a creative outlet for me and Alex.
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