Andrew Lee
invisible:man
What's it like being back in NY? Have you moved back up from Cali to live, or is the new i:m store just an outpost?
It's nice to be back doing things other than hanging around. The shop is a nice base in NY.
I live in California, but plan on spending more time here... bicoastal i guess.
I still hate California, but i can't rip my kid away from his school and crew at this point, so i have been trying to make the best of things while I'm here... stores, bar opening soon etc.
Did you ever fully adjust to life on the Westcoast? Or is the weirdness factor still alienating?
I absolutely hate it here. For all the reasons you could imagine, but it's great for my son... until he is ready for 4th grade, then I think he needs to start learning about reality, back home in NY... I dont want him like these walking zombies.
To those who came in late, can you describe the invisible:man aesthetic and attitude? What do you think makes your brand unique? Where does it draw its influences?
I make what I'm into- skate shit, old crappy motorcycles, bmx, metal, punk rock, a lot of music influence- the news, just the horrors of life... the realness, booze drugs, just the world's outlanders man...
..I dont think invisible:man is as unique anymore.. there's lots of brands making punk and metal and blood and Satan and porn shit left and right these days, new brands making shit I've been doing for ages, and I don't mind, its actually cool to see other like minded people, even tho they do seem to try a bit too hard...
But I'd like to think I'm a bit more tasteful and clever than the others.
What will people find when they visit your new NY store? It seems to have a stripped back, simple vibe. 'Simple' not in a self self-consciously minimalist way either. Rather than being just another sterile, empty concrete bunker your store looks like it fits in with the neighborhood around it. What did you want the fitout to say about you and your brands?
What's cool is I've come full circle in a sense, I used to work at a store called Swish waaaaay back when and that was on St. Marks, directly behind my new store, which is on 9th... It's good to get back to the block.
In the store you'll find invisible:man which I've decided to bring out again, tees and a few things for now with a small collection coming soon, and Bastard Squad brand along with Bounty Hunter, Medicom toys, T-19 brand, Clawmoney, and a few Commissary tees.. It's a tiny shop,but there's no sense having some big extravagant store these days, just a cop-n-go spot.. I kept shit minimal and bright since it was such a small space.. fuck the store, let the products speak for themselves.