Interview

MWM: What up Lex? It’s been a couple months since we’ve seen each other, what have you been up to lately? I keep seeing your work everywhere!

LEX: Firstly, I want to thank you for inviting me to this conversation. Definitely unorthodox but I’m hyped to do this crossfire interview. It’s just like we’re catching up—which is way overdue anyways. Bet! So, It’s been a busy summer, but I had an even busier Q1 this year. Jumped around from Barcelona, to Lisbon, to Paris, to Seoul, to Tokyo and back. Spoke at the OFFF conference this year along with my partner and KDU CAPO Dave Gensler (or as I like to call him CatManDu, pause). We were at Bread and Butter in Barcelona this year as well, where we previewed our upcoming SVSV collection and we also handled creative direction for the massive “Sport and Street” section of the show. I was then out in Asia, in both Korea and Tokyo, spreading the KDU gospel, and meeting with old friends, new friends, magazines, boutiques, artists, designers and the like. Really had an amazing time. We’ve steadily been pushing the boundaries with URB magazine which we took over creative direction for late last year. And the summer months were somewhat of a sweat-drenched blur… Full of work work work, and then some…

LEX - Design + creative direction for Bread and Butter Barcelona 09.

LEX: So, my question to you is: WHAT HAVEN’T YOU DONE THIS YEAR? It seems like you’ve touched every major project, show, and product this year— great to see the returns on all that hard work come back ten-fold. Tell us about it!

MWM: It has been a tornado of a year for me too, lots of fun client work and a bunch of gallery shows here in The States and abroad. I left Burton in February and moved from Vermont to Boston for the spring and summer to pursue MWM Graphics full-time. Then in August, I moved back to Portland, Maine. It is great to be back in this area, especially this time of year. I had a great summer of travel also. I bounced around Europe in May and had my “MWM 20/20” Solo-Show at ROJO Barcelona. Then in July, I was back in Spain for Bread and Butter where I saw your work for SVSV and BBB. Nice work! Then I returned to The States and got busy on a new series for another show at Revolve LA in August. This show was a ton of fun and I had a great time exploring Los Angeles. Currently, I am preparing for my show at Threadless Chicago in November.

MWM - 20/20 Expo at ROJO Barcelona. May 2008.

MWM: Lex, Tell the people about how The KDU has expanded this year. It truly is a worldwide takeover. I am honored to be a core member, and to know so many amazing designers from around the world. What’s next?

LEX: My partner David Gensler and I have been working together for nearly three years and have recently been formally focused on the consulting division of The KDU where we offer the Business and Design acumen of our Core studio team all backed by the vast wealth of talent our network encompasses. We currently have over 500 members worldwide and we’ve developed our network into a proven talent-aggregate which is something wholly unique in it’s own right. Right at it’s inception we partnered with Behance to introduce many of our members as founders in the now sizable network. I think key to our studio’s creative philosophy is the idea of collaboration and network—we view them as facilitators and fertile grounds for creative synergies.

LEX - URB Magazine total creative direction: 2008 Covers.

LEX: I think it’s great that you’ve been able to have your work take you all over the world, and be able to apply your craft across so many different mediums. I know that you’re stepping up your gallery game and have been and will be showing at quite a few exhibitions. How do you balance your personal and client work? And do you feel they influence each other?

MWM: I think it is just as much me balancing the two creative realms as it is them balancing me. I am definitely a believer in cross pollinating ideas, and channeling the momentum from one project into the next. Sometimes it is a discovery made in personal work that would work well in a commercial project, other times it is an idea that didn’t fit into a commercial job that I still wanted to explore. In the past few years, everything has been spinning faster and tighter. I’ve been blessed with more opportunities, and simultaneously, the commercial projects I get are closer and closer to my personal work. Client work is always my first priority, none of this would be possible without the lights on. Most days start with commercial endeavors and then the end of the day is playing and exploring with personal work in my art studio. It’s fresh because I have it all in one studio now. I literally can’t leave my desk without walking past tubes of paint, brushes, and various half cooked projects on my workbench. Always in sight, always in mind.

MWM - Busy in the painting studio.

MWM: Tell me about what you have been working on with your personal work lately. I’ve always loved your calligraphic works. How has that series evolved? What direction do you plan to explore next?

LEX: I think my personal work has always been just that, extremely personal. I feel that the process of creating those calligraphic works is as important as the end product itself. It’s somehow a cathartic process. It’s a meditation, it’s an introspective reflection. As such I think it’s always a matter of making something highly personal, visually relatable and communicative to the audience at large. Recently, I’ve been experimenting more with the concepts of “Repetition” and “Scale” in my works. I want to see where this language can be taken; I really view these works as a continuum—almost as dialect or language with which ideas can be expressed and communicated visually. I’m hoping that over the coming months, I’ll be able to share more of these works by participating in more gallery exhibitions and shows.

LEX - In studio images: Calligraphic works in progress.

LEX: Let’s take this back to the streets, or freight-yards for a minute. You came up bombing in the northeast, correct? I’ve known quite a few graf-heads turned designers over the years. I myself used to piece-up spots in Miami and Florida. How did your graf background influence your design work? I think I can clearly see that progression in your works—but enumerate that for the readers here.

MWM: Yeah, for sure. Graffiti was the first discipline that I truly immersed myself in. As I’m sure you know, it can become an obsession. Always seeing new spots that would be fun to paint, doodling new ways to freak the letters. For me, graffiti is a lot about community too. Planning elaborate projects with crew and motivating each other to go bigger and stronger. The graffiti aesthetics and work ethics carried over into my early design years, and it is great to hear that some of the spirit is still alive in my current work. I still paint graffiti and murals often. Less ninja missions, but more large scale stuff than before. As I’ve aged, it has become more about quality than quantity, but I’m still up in choice spots. Some of my best friends are graffiti cats, so it is great to catch up on Sunday afternoons for some spritzing, and maybe a little bass fishing and cold beers too.

MWM - Barn Burner Mural 2008.

MWM : Tell me what’s been going on with SVSV (Serum Versus Venom) this year. I saw the preview at Bread and Butter in Barcelona and the new line is awesome. I love the geometry and rare textiles and materials. Fill the people in on the history of this incredible brand. What can we expect in the next line?

LEX: David and myself have been carefully building the collections and brand perception over the past few years. I think we’ve been almost obsessively methodical in our approach to constructing an ethos around our brand. It’s a painstaking process, but it’s definitely one of the most rewarding and engaging creative endeavors I’ve ever had the fortune of directing. We debuted a small preview capsule collection at Bread and Butter Barcelona this past summer. It was mainly focused on our new outerwear collection, for which we spent a lot of time sourcing traditional outerwear fabrics both from generations old manufacturers in the UK and here in the North East. Our garments are all proudly produced locally here in New York—save for our cashmere collection which needs to be produced overseas in Mongolia to be termed true cashmere (long story…). We pride ourselves on the quality of the textiles we use, and the craftsmanship and detailing on the garments. The silhouettes are traditional and austere (think Military meets Loro Piana), but we’ve balanced that with an acute attention to the finishing and linings of the jackets, really Saville Rowe inspired. Alongside the outerwear we have a full collection of Woven Intarsia Cashmere with our signature Geometric patterns, most of which I custom designed for the line. I sincerely love being able to design garments. Dave and myself have some big things in the works for the brand, we’ve steadily been expanding to incorporate home and lifestyle offerings as well as pursuing strategic partnerships with certain retailers. It’s all under wraps right now, but we’re forging ahead and are looking forward to really taking the brand to the next level with our upcoming offerings.

LEX - Serum Versus Venom SVSV Third Collection campaign.

LEX: Matt, you’ve probably designed at least 100 t-shirts over the past year or so. What happens when a designer only wears shirts he’s designed (Is that ironic?)? Does that make them a hipster?

MWM: Haha. Yeah, I’ve had a ton of fun stuff in the street-level fashion realm this year. Not a hundred tees, but dozens for sure. It’s always fun making stuff that will be worn. Much of “streetwear” has such a bold persona. Big, huge, bright, and fun. Lots of my funky stuff works well in this market. As far as actually rocking it… I definitely wear every tee I design, and my wife rocks the female tees, but my personal style is more tame. You know, I’m in Maine… this ain’t the L.E.S. It doesn’t take much to light up the sidewalk up here in the sticks. A couple days a week of flare and the rest of the rotation rocking blank tees. To answer your question though: Yes, I do think it is ironic if a designer only wears their own stuff. Kinda like a musician only listening to their own music, or a chef only eating food they have prepared. I am all about representing my friends and supporting their companies.

MWM - X Tank Theory F/W 2008 Tee.

MWM: You’ve been getting busy in fashion this year too Lex. I saw the 3Sixteen tees you did, Fresh! Fashion wise, is there anything you’d really like to try your hand at designing that you haven’t done so yet?

LEX: Fashion has always been a key form of expression and identity for me. I was fortunate to have studied fashion design whilst at Pratt and then put that knowledge to use in co-developing collections and campaigns for Serum Vs Venom (SVSV). I’ve also been blessed by having the opportunity to collaborate with a few great, modern street-wear brands such as 3Sixteen. I really feel a kinship with what Andrew Chen and the rest of the 3Sixteen team have been building over the last few years. I’m really hyped about their latest offerings and am extremely glad that I’ll be able to continue to contribute to their collections. Back to the question at hand; in terms of what I’d like to try my hand at designing? Honestly, women’s Heels! I know that sounds crazy but to me, whoever was the first person to put girls in heels is a genius, and I’d bet you anything they were a dude! If you look at them as design objects you can begin to understand why they are such lust-worthy items for girls. I’m just saying if I was ever given the opportunity to create a pair or a collection, I’d definitely design something that would have all the stylish girls flustered.

LEX.SVSV Cashmere collection Textile Pattern Designs.

LEX: Yo Matt, I remember you telling me you used to tour with the jam band Phish. Was it all the hallucinogens that got you started on that intense mandala/vectorfunk style?

MWM: Well, all I can really say is… It all adds up. For sure. I did travel for a few years after high school. Real budget style. Couch surfing, camping, selling tee shirts in parking lots, hitch hiking, festivals, and a bunch of Phish shows. All of the people I met, the places I saw, and crazy experiences I had on the road really charged me up creatively. This chapter of my life was crucial. Like, Huck Finn X Siddhartha X On the Road. Good times. Lots of great memories.

MWM. Revolve “Vectorfunk” Series.

MWM: While we are on the topic of what got us to where we are now with our aesthetics, tell me about some of the life experiences that inspired your aesthetics?

LEX: Great question. Growing up I was always encouraged to follow the arts and creative pursuits. It’s just something that I picked up from a really young age. My father is a creative type as well and I guess that when he saw that in me, he gave me free reign to follow my artistic pursuits. I remember taking calligraphy classes and photography classes at this small private arts school when I was a kid. As I got a little older I got into writing graff and bombing. One of the greatest influences on my approach to design and aesthetics was my time spent living and working in Tokyo. I really felt in tune with the tenets of the Japanese aesthetic traditions. I remember immersing myself in their design history and thinking that “Damn, design is like a religion here – it permeates every aspect of life.” I took to studying the Eastern tradition of calligraphy whilst there in Tokyo, and have been enamored by it ever since.

LEX - BEAMS T Tokyo campaign images.

LEX: I remember when we first met in person out in Vegas almost two years ago, you came out to chill with the KDU. How do you think being involved in The KDU has changed things for you and vice-versa?

MWM: Man, it has been a good two years, it seems like longer than that. As you know, being a part of something so powerful on a global level is really exciting. I’ve had the opportunity to meet and collaborate with some of the best designers and illustrators of our generation. The KDU set is top notch and I am honored to be on board. It is really nice having a strong community of creative people to bounce ideas with, and be inspired by. It’s also really satisfying to be able to help other members with whatever I can do. Sometimes projects come to me that would fit with another member better, so I pass it to them. As the world turns, and the boomerang flies, it always comes back.

MWM - "Silent Partner" illustration from B&W B:4 Book.

MWM: So Lex, I hear The KDU is undertaking a massive photo-documentary book project, “NY: State of the Moment.” I’ve heard a lot of people talking about it… tell us more.

LEX: “NY: State of the Moment” is a photo-documentary book project, which to my knowledge is the largest of it’s kind ever assembled. It’s definitely one of the larger projects I’ve ever worked on and it’s shaping up to be a massive and definitive tome. The KDU has set out to painstakingly document the entire creative cultural fabric of this great city of ours. We’re working with Rolling Stone photographer, the ever-amiable east-ender Phil Knott to create this monograph of works. We’re shooting portraits of everyone who’s anyone in NY’s creative culture. We’ve shot everyone from artists like Ron English, to icons like Ralph Lauren, to all of the brands, designers, agencies, boutiques, galleries and characters that make this city the creative capital of the world. To date we’ve shot over 400 portraits and are still going strong. It’s not something that will be coming out anytime soon, but expect it to hit with massive force when it does drops. It’ll definitely be something that makes waves and let’s everyone know that “New York keeps on making it, and the world keeps on taking it!”

Credits:
Images courtesy and copyright of Aerosyn-Lex Mestrovic and Matt W. Moore.