Nash, California
What defines you?
I believe that what defines me is that I live my life with intention and also use my humor as a way to convey how I feel, I also feel like fashion is also a very big part of me. Growing up as a kid I was very quiet, I was very shy, and as I got older, even in high school, the first way that I learned to express myself was through clothes. So I would say what defines me is intention with whatever I do in life to make sure that whatever it is that I’m doing is to benefit myself at whatever goal I’m trying to achieve. My bubbly and humorous personality, as well as fashion is a really big part of me.
Is your body your perfect dress?
Is my body my perfect dress? I would say, at the moment absolutely not. I guess as a person my body has pretty much stayed at this equilibrium, there hasn’t ever really been any huge fluctuation in weight or anything of that sort. I guess you could say that technically my body is my perfect dress, in a sense that I am able to embellish it however I would like, if I wanted to get a tattoo or piercings, I could do that. Or if I want to change the color of my hair, if I want to dress it up or dress it down, if I want to just be casual or if I just want to take it down to the bare necessities and just be naked. I don’t know. I guess like, my body is not my perfect dress at the moment because I know that there is a goal as to where my body I would like to be. But for the time being I think that’s the perfect vessel in order to do whatever it is, and I’m grateful for my body.
Do you remember when you first felt your sexuality?
I think that it was… I guess I was always attracted to those male stars, even in cartoons, but at the time I didn’t know that I was attracted to guys, nor gay, I was just like - oh wow, I really like how that guy looks, oh wow I’m attracted to that person. So I guess I can’t really remember… but I guess whenever as long as I can remember.
How do you identify your gender?
I identify as a male, but then again there are times where I just feel like sometimes maybe I’m non-binary, guess I don’t really feel like I don’t relate to every characteristic of a male, and then again I have a lot of mannerisms that are feminine, and I don’t ever get offended if someone went to say‚ she‘ or he‘. I don’t know, at the same time, when I do shoots or work with people, they always tend to gravitate towards androgyny, which I don’t mind, I love the gender bend. But for the most part I do identify as a male. And I do have very masculine features, mostly my face, but then my body is very feminine, because it’s slender, and I do have a feminine body I guess.
What do you love/hate most in the concept of clothes?
What I love the most is that there are no limits in clothes. Like when you think that you have seen it all, there comes a designer or somebody that shows a new way to modify or some new textile or some new design. That’s what I really love about clothes is that there is a shock to what people are able to create with just pieces of fabric, and I love that about clothing. What I hate about the concept of clothes is that I hate that it is very gender-specific I guess, just mainstream-wise, unless you’re in a very liberal open-minded city. Like I live in Los-Angeles, and so wearing pieces that come out of women’s section is not so outlandish and unheard of. But right now I’m back home in Hawaii and, say, I just ordered these swimshorts that are women’s swimshorts, but I like them because they just fit me better, because I like things that are tighter and smaller. Anyways. My parents are like, wow, are those girls’? They are very short. So in a sense I hate the idea that clothing has been so ingrained in society that I must be male or female, or suits are masculine and dresses are feminine. I don’t like the fact that items are given pronouns, I think that’s what makes it very hard to get over the fact that guy can wear a dress, a guy can wear a skirt, and women can wear pants and a suit, and that doesn’t make them any less feminine or any less masculine.
Would you rather exist nude or dressed up?
Dressed up. I would like to be dressed up. Even though I live alone, but for some reason I don’t really care to be nude. I mean, if I walk out of the shower, like in bed, like of course! I don’t know, I just love dressing up. Even if it’s just in sweats and a t-shirt, you just get to the minds of like cozy and relaxation, and then when you dress your best shirt, suit, jacket, pants, trousers – the whole thing, the whole getup, then you just have a whole different mindset. So I don’t know, I would like to dress up, because dressing up you get to become a character, and you get to become this persona that you have in your mind and you get to show off to the world.
Do you wear skirts and dresses? If not, why?
So I have worn skirts and dresses, but I have only done so on shoots. Why don’t I do that outside, in my daily life? I don’t know, I guess I’m just a little too scared. I would definitely do it. Like a little tennis skirt and a cute little tank top, bomb shoes. Wow, I have so many ideas in my head. But for some reason, I don’t know, it’s just really hard for me to wear it in public. I guess I’m scared of getting the crap from others, then again why should I care? I’ve always had this idea of «why should I care what people think about me or what I wear», if it’s just not affecting you, only me, but… but I would definitely wear skirts or dresses. I don’t see why a guy shouldn’t be able to.
Should there be male and female fashion, or all unisex?
That’s an interesting question. I think that there’s male and female just because physically male and female biologies are made up differently, so, in the crotch area, obviously for men you need to have a little bit more fabric, so that they’re able to cover up, you know, the balls, versus females – and vice versa, with like tops, women obviously need more fabric at their chest area to accommodate boobs, but aside from that I think that most basics, clothing items that are made should just be unisex, because I don’t see why clothing, even branch should alienate the whole demographic just because you label it male/female. And when it’s unisex, it’s interesting because you get to see how that one piece is worn by a variety of different people. So just seems like a crew neck that is unisex will be worn differently by a male and a female. So I think things should be unisex in a sense that there’s more creativity, more fun, you’re able to not li sit yourself behind those labels.
Name your favorite kinds of clothes.
I think that my favorite type of clothes would be jackets. Jackets have always been a staple of mine, it was just because growing up I was very ashamed of not being muscular, being very slender I always wanted to cover up, so I was always wearing a long sleeve, you’re able to still see, like when you’ve got some scrawny arms, but with a jacket you just make a statement, you can really dress up in your standard outfit. You could put on a denim jacket and go for the day and be really cool, easy-going, and then at night throw on a leather jacket on an all-black outfit and put your best boots on and stomp down the street, like you’re walking down New York Fashion Week, and you’re like the baddest bitch. And I just think that with a jacket there are so many possibilities. There are simple, cropped, long, oversized, different fabrics, embellishments… I don’t know, I really love jackets because jackets can really make a perfect outfit just like shoes can.
Do you express yourself through clothes, or you don’t give a fuck and just wear something on?
I go back and forth because there are times when I’m just sick of the clothes that I have, and I would just be like: OK, I know that these pants fit me, I know that these shirts work so I’ll just throw on whatever and just hope that an outfit comes together. But when I want to look my best, I love to express myself through clothes. Like I said previously with other questions, I just think that dressing up you’re able to embody this character and persona, your alter ego, with dressing up you have a bolder ego, like there’s an alter ego for me who thinks I am a top model flying around the world, walking down the street, becoming incognito, and I have outfits where I’m like: oh my god, don’t take pictures of me paparazzi, I’m like a big celebrity. And there’s other times when you want to dress up and you’re going to society and people are like: oh wow, they’re intelligent… with clothes I just like to express myself because you have one life and one body, why not express it through different mediums, and I think fashion is an excellent way to show people how you’re feeling, and also how you want to carry yourself, and I think that clothes has that power behind it, so just express yourself.