keepitlite - Native Shoes

ISSUE 2.5
SPRING SUMMER 2016
FREE—FOR FREE MINDS
#KEEPITLITE
NATIVE TONGUE
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CONTENTS
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LESS DEBATING MORE CREATING
SHOOTIN' THE BREEZE WITH RYAN DE LA HOZ
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LETTER
FROM THE ED
A RADICAL RETURN TO THE NEOCLASSICAL
THE NEW-NEW PILLAR OF SPRING / SUMMER 2016
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NEW FRIENDS
ALEX SEGRETI / KELLY RAKOWSKI
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ED’S LOG. MIDDLE OF NO-WEAR.
13.458465876•, 267.231910293• 7:91 PM
THE THEORY OF LIGHT
BY JENNILEE MARIGOMEN / MARGHERITA PORRA
So it seems we’re at an interesting fork in the road. Bear with me here. I’m certain...
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Oh! BEYOND THE BROADCAST WITH TAKARA BUNYON
CAPTURED BY THE MADBURY CLUB
Hello fellow tongue-ists, didn’t see you there. I'm currently traveling in a private sector of Tibet and have just found a curious eating utensil, known as a 'fork' in popular
Western Circles, lodged in the path before us. Oh, and how could I forget, I’m here
with a grizzly bear companion I met two moons ago named Myrtle. But, that's neither here nor somewhere not here. Onward!
This time we’re doing it for the craftsmen and the artists—the ones who create
worlds with bare hands and experience them with ANYTHING but bare feet. A simple movement is characterized by nothing but styles and shapes and for that we
are indebted to the creators. So in the essence of liteness, we open the floor to you.
Ever wanted to build that go-kart? Well, do it. Ever wanted to paint that impressioninst painting? Go right ahead. Ever wanted to create an early 20th century sunflared
Art Deco marble ballpoint pen holder? Now's your chance. Ever wanted to host an
annual 5 and 1/2-person supper party on the back of a whale speed-floating down
the coast of Djibouti? Well, well, well, Let's not get ahead of ourselves. You're not
me, after all. ABOUT
The Native Tongue is part of the continuing study of lite
on Earth. The galaxy speaks and we just jot it all down.
This edition of Native Tongue is quite special. It features yet another look at our
offerings in the product realm. Whereas, before we've taken you to some oh-so-precious Lunar landings and things like that, now we're jutting you right into the heart
of craftsmanship. First hand look at the products and how they work. No frills, just
the creations. Like our conversation with Ryan de la Hoz, who turned out to be quite
the co-operationalist, considering the rather grueling question structure we forced,
erm, placed upon him. Ah, no less. Me and Myrtle are glad you could join us for yet another ride, however strange it
might be. Expert wanderers are we at Native Shoes and you'll find that with a few
simple steps, you can be quite the wanderer, too. Literally. Har-har.
This Log is now ending. Farewell Galaxy-goers! And remember,
Keep It Lite. Best,
Ed
THANK YOU’S
THE MADBURY CLUB, REIGNING CHAMP, WINGS + HORNS, PARKER BIRD, JUSTINA, KYLE NG, IAN LANTERMAN,
TAKARA BUNYON, CHET BRINKWATER, MARGHERITA PORRA, JENNILEE MARIGOMEN, AND THE ZULU NATION.
ALL THE EXPLORERS, ALL THE FOLK AND ALL THE FEET OF THE WORLD.
THANK YOU AND PLEASE REMEMBER TO KEEP IT LITE.
NATIVESHOES.COM
#KEEPITLITE
EDWARD VON NEWTONHAMMER,
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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RYAN DE LA HOZ
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LESS DEBATING
MORE CREATING
SHOOTIN' THE BREEZE
WITH RYAN DE LA HOZ
I first met Ryan De La Hoz while curating an art show in Hollywood#—#at a gallery
I built for $200 in a random dude's storage space. At the time, Ryan was going
to art school and ditching class, so he could make art. This was both my first time
curating an art show and Ryan's debut as an artist. Ten years later, Ryan's unique
artistic style has evolved to incorporate paper cut outs, puzzles, marble, minibasketball hoops, fake rocks and everything else under the sun. He has garnered
respect from the art world and has invested time in creating Cool Try: one of my
favorite brands of tees and art objects.
I was fortunate to catch up with him as he was installing his latest solo show at
Mishka’s art gallery on La Brea.
BY KYLE NG
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MORE CREATING
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RYAN DE LA HOZ
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MORE CREATING
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KN: Hey man, it's been a long time since your first art show. Can you explain what
kind of art you were doing when you first started and how it has evolved? RDH: Ten years in fact! Essentially my work was figurative and sort of fantastical. It
definitely evolved very slowly over time so nothing shifted forcefully. I think that all
has to do with simply growing up and experiencing things. If your work is a reflection
of you it is bound to change over time.
KN: When I met you, you were at art school in San Francisco. What was that experience like?
RDH: I went to art school for one semester. I majored in Illustration and it didn't
take long to realize that it was not for me. For one thing, I am no illustrator. In my
mind I can hardly draw. I also realized early on that I just didn't need the art school
experience to make the things that were popping into my head so why spend the
money? The best thing about art school is that it got me out of the suburbs and into
the city. I’ve been here in San Francisco for about nine and a half years.
KN: Your works seems to be really inspired by your childhood.
RDH: I tend to try and keep a somewhat innocent, overly optimistic stance on life
and I think that connection to childhood makes its way into my current inspirations
without me giving it much thought. It just happens. I moved to the Bay Area when I
was 3 years old. I grew up in Fairfield, CA, which is half way between San Francisco
and Sacramento. I lived across the street from a creek so I have distinct memories
of building tree houses and dirt bike tracks and watching too much Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles. A typical 80's suburban upbringing I'm sure. Living near two major
cities really jump-started something in me once I got my license. As soon as I found
out there were "young" musicians and artists making things that I could relate to,
my life became all about skateboarding and making art.
KN: I see a lot of references to movies, music, and pop culture in your work. What
is their significance to you? RDH: In my efforts to analyze our current state of affairs I tend to lean towards relics of the past and current pop culture to try and frame the times. I think that pop
culture helps me grasp where our society is so I can convey a serious message in an
easily digestible way. An example would be the rainbow tie-dye motif that reoccurs
in my work. It was born out of a counter-cultural movement in the 60's that had a
very serious undercurrent (Vietnam War) of real emotions from young people that
needed to be addressed despite conservatives writing the movement off as a nuisance from lazy freeloading "hippies". This motif is now considered kitschy or even
recently trendy. It's important for me to remember the importance of dissent in our
culture. Society eventually needs a wave of young radicals to change things for the
better. The punk/hardcore scene, which rose from a stagnant late 70’s period and
Reagan politics, is similar to this.
"SOCIETY EVENTUALLY NEEDS A WAVE OF YOUNG
RADICALS TO CHANGE THINGS FOR THE BETTER"
KN: You use many different types of materials and techniques in your art practice.
How did you evolve into making mixed media art?
RDH: It was always something I was interested in but I had a self-made wall built up
that told me I could not deviate from my determined medium. There was a period
where I was making paper cut work exclusively for about five years and I was afraid
of incorporating more ways of making things into my practice. It was a slow and
natural occurrence but I started to strip away my fears of change and embrace my
vision. That attitude prevails today and I simply make things the way I want when I
want. It shouldn't be more complicated than that!
KN: I love the way you are able to transform a previously functional commercial
product into a material for your practice#—#for instance turning your collages into
puzzles. There is a freedom that you seem to have with the mixing of consumer
products with your fine art. Can you explain where you were first introduced to
these ideas? RDH: The puzzles began as another way of looking at image manipulation rather
than directly thinking about consumer products. I do not know how to manipulate
things with a computer and all my tweaks are done by hand. I started thinking about
how puzzle pieces can be removed and repositioned especially if the puzzles were
identical in their shapes. Nowadays there has been an increased presence of consumer products in the work and I think that grew out of my
excavation of current culture and my clothing / houseware
brand, "Cool Try", that I have been working on for almost six
years now. It ultimately comes down to doing whatever I need
to do to get my idea across the best I feel I can. PAG E
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RYAN DE LA HOZ
LESS DEBATING
MORE CREATING
" I SIMPLY MAKE THINGS
THE WAY I WANT WHEN
I WANT."
KN: Can you talk to us about "Cool Try"? What’s the concept behind it? RDH: The concept behind the brand started as somewhat of a homage to mall
kiosks that I encountered in the suburbs where you could get large photo graphics
printed in rectangles on shirts, mugs and even made into plastic cut out sculptures
of you and your family in matching outfits (hopefully). I have a pretty big button
with my giant face on it and it says "I LOVE YOU POP-POP" from that era. I must
have been 8 and my "Pop-Pop" is my Grandfather. It is now stuck into the wall over
my desk where I work. The overarching theme being that none of these designs are
particularly polished and do not have a graphic design look to them. "Cool Try" is a
positive state of mind, an inside joke, and if you want in you're in!
KN: This idea of consumer products and art has always been a bit taboo. I have always loved artists who release products or some type of broadcast because I think
communicating creativity is the most important thing#—#it's beginning to look like
an evolution from DIY culture.
RDH: I think technology has a lot to do with how people can produce essentially
whatever they want. The more technology progresses the more production gets
streamlined and it becomes affordable. So yes, if DIY culture started when people
realized they could release music and zines themselves then it has evolved into
more products. Another aspect is the fact that as a child from the 80's I was lucky
enough to grow up in the wake of this DIY/Punk/Skateboarding thing and some of
it is as simple as the fact that I started making shirts because of my love for graphic
skate tees of my youth. Skateboarding is a huge component of the way I think in
that it introduces you to an entire new way of looking at the world and architecture
not to mention the fact that the design sensibilities mirrored the people involved
so they were bold and original. I've really made an effort to not think about any
taboos when considering making anything. I figure I should make whatever I want
when I feel like it. KN: What defines an artist and a designer in your eyes?
RDH: I don't come from an academic background and I think that creativity is something that is inherent. So to me, an artist/designer is someone who makes things.
It's as simple as that. Less talk - more make. FIN!
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SPRING / SUMMER 16
A RADICAL RETURN TO
THE NEOCLASSICAL
A RADICAL
RETURN TO THE
NEOCLASSICAL
THE NEW-NEW PILLAR OF
SPRING / SUMMER 2016
A neue age is dawning for the liteweight individual. From art on the street, to art on
your feet#—#we're bringing Neoclassical to the forefront of a full-on future footwear
revolution. Geometric forms come into play with symmetry and naturally luxurious
styles. Pop colors against pop colors create a global patina that balances fun and
daring materials. What a beautiful symphony of shape, line, dot and texture.
Champion your art with Native Shoes this season.
BY D.O. N .T
The incontestable canon of foolproof footwear.
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A reverse descent into future liteness.
SPRING / SUMMER 16
A RADICAL RETURN TO
THE NEOCLASSICAL
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SPRING / SUMMER 16
A RADICAL RETURN TO
THE NEOCLASSICAL
Face to face to face with the odd philosophy.
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SPRING / SUMMER 16
A RADICAL RETURN TO
THE NEOCLASSICAL
A polygonal portrait of the newfound standard.
Making major headway en route to enlitenment.
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SPRING / SUMMER 16
A RADICAL RETURN TO
THE NEOCLASSICAL
All paths lead to absolute absurdity.
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NEW FRIENDS
ALEX SEGRETI /
KELLY RAKOWSKI
NEW
FRIENDS
ALEX SEGRETI /
KELLY RAKOWSKI
New Friends is a weaving, textile, and houseware design collective made up of
Alex Segreti and Kelly Rakowski. Before meeting each other, the two curated
personal blogs showcasing their unrivaled taste in design, art, fashion and everything rad. Alex's blog was entitled Weird Friends and Kelly's Nothing is New. I was
amazed by their similar aesthetics#—#it was almost as if they were living parallel
lives or sharing a creative brain. I should've seen it coming when I heard they had
come together create New Friends.
In the early days of New Friends, I met with Alex while she was still working for the
home goods department at the Urban Outfitters headquarters in Philly. We discussed everything from bootleg Disney jewelry made by the Zuni tribe, to fashion
and design. That's when Alex pulled out a piece she and Kelly were working on—a
small weaving made out of yarn and 3M reflective tape. I had never seen anything
like it. Their sense of modernity mixed with craft was something that really set
them apart.
A few months later, Alex resigned from UO to pursue New Friends full time with
Kelly where they continue to incorporate locally sourced plant dyed wool with
man-made metallic threading. Their sense of freedom and playfulness combined
with post-modern perspectives has enabled them to add a touch of future to
traditional weaving.
BY KY L E N G
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NEW FRIENDS
"SO MUCH PARANORMAL PSYCHIC ACTIVITY!
...WE'RE ALMOST ALWAYS ON THE SAME PAGE"
ALEX SEGRETI /
KELLY RAKOWSKI
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KN: While you weave, do you sit together in pure silence, or do you guys listen to
music? If so what would be on the New Friends playlist?
NF: We definitely listen to music. It's usually The Smiths, hip-hop, or rap. Last month
we listened to that Dej Loaf song, "Try Me" on repeat every time we came to the
studio. Our playlists look more or less like this: 2Pac, Ciara, Adina Howard, Ja Rule,
Bone Thugs, Sissy Nobby, Ying Yang Twins, Janet Jackson, Cassie. KN: There has been a resurgence of folk craft and DIY design in our culture. I'm guessing
it sprouted from the idea of heritage and the farm-to-table movement that has been
going on. The interesting thing about your work is that its very modern and I feel like
the only thing that connects you to folk craft is your technique. KN: After following your blogs for so long, it was like the stars aligned when I heard
you two met to form New Friends. How did you first meet?
NF: We started emailing because we admired each other's visual tastes and interests.
At the time, Alex lived in Philadelphia and Kelly lived in Brooklyn. Before we met we
came up with a project to do together. We sent each other yarn so we were working
from the same palette and determined the dimensions of the weavings. We eventually
met 2012 in Philadelphia to put our weavings side-by-side and really liked how our
work looked together.
NF: That's actually a huge compliment to us. We love weaving and the history of
weaving and old textiles but we try not to make work that feels too nostalgic. You
really get us, Kyle!
Soon after, we took a trip to Washington, DC to check out the Brian Jungen show. We
barely knew each other and all our friends thought we were crazy.
KN: That sounds like the ultimate bonding experience. What made you guys realize,
“Hey, we should keep making things together!”
KN: Cheers! I'm curious about your upcoming collaboration. Can you tell me about
the collection and how you are scaling up your production?
NF: We started making these little weavings very casually as a fun project to do
together. People responded really positively to them and we kept getting new ideas
we wanted to try so we just kept going with it.
NF: Yes! We are making rugs and housewares for Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters.
We have been experimenting with this technique called Lightning Weave. It's a Navajo
technique for creating complex zigzag patterns by weaving in small wedges. We were
really excited about how the pieces came out so it just made sense to develop our
experiments into the rug collection.
KN: It seems like this new friends brain trust was evident from the first meeting. Do
you guys ever find any paranormal psychic activity happening between you two?
NF: So much paranormal psychic activity! Aesthetically, we're almost always on the
same page and I think our design inclinations happen in tandem very naturally... but
supernaturally.
Some of the rugs and pillows from the collection are direct derivatives of small
weavings we sent to a manufacturer; others are a combination of woven swatches
and computer manipulation. We are also talking with a women's co-op in Rwanda
about developing a basket.
KN: I like to think that New Friends is similar to Super Friends. The idea of you guys
weaving by day fighting crime by night. Who would play you guys in the New Friends
movie?
Kelly: Jodie Foster
Alex: Coco
FIN!
KN: Your references and inspiration seem like a post-modern combination of the past
and the present. Do you take two ideas or references and Frankenstein them together,
or is it a very calculated process?
NF: We like to pull inspiration from all over. When we begin a project we first go
the library at the Fashion Institute of Technology and pull books from the shelves at
random. We take techniques from the past, like Indonesian ikat, and strip the idea to
its core. We often have an underlying style reference that is like the type of work our
blogs used to reference and also pull in inspiration from art we see at museums. We
aren't very formal in our execution, but the ideas are well thought out.
KN: How do you split responsibilities or tasks when all your pieces are hand woven?
NF: We come up with ideas together and divide the job of weaving accordingly. It
doesn't matter too much who works on which project. Our style and vision is so similar
that we don't spend much time discussing division of labor. It's a seamless work effort. PAG E
THE THEORY OF LIGHT
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JENNILEE MARIGOMEN /
MARGHERITA PORRA
THE THEORY
OF LIGHT
BY JENNILEE MARIGOMEN /
MARGHERITA PORRA
As the sun shines and a brilliant spectrum of color dances across our path,
we find ourselves drifting in a forward motion towards the theory that ‘light
is time’ and the observation of the weight or weightlessness that it has on us.
The notion of light speed is romanticized through the sprinkling of stardust.
In contrast to the stillness of light, energetic bursts of light speckle our chosen canvas as if it’s a cluster of shooting stars radiating from our creation.
In a sort of tinted mystery, light is the only way that time actually stands
still. There's a preciousness in time's scarcity#—#this is the source of our
inspiration. Follow along as we study the beauty in light and lightness, if
only for a single moment.
With these musings in mind, we embark on a study of the union between
time and weightlessness. The proved notion that light has no mass seems
almost magical when we see the brilliance of colour that it can paint. It is
weightless in nature, shape shifting as it floats to create, what we call time.
Light speed and star dust. We each experience the lure or dismay of how
time can fly during the most joyous of moments or drag in the dullest of
times. Light is the exception. It stands still. The closer one gets to light
speed, they will experience a slowing of time. It is said, that if we were to
travel to some distant point in space and travelled faster and faster, only
then would we approach the speed of light. Only then, would we know the
effects of suspending time.
In a space where heavy things seem light and light particles join to create
forms. We explore and play with colored odds and sods. What we find is
illusionary. What appears to be one thing, is often not. Particles seem to be
settling or building a form or perhaps they are floating away even though
nothing is moving#—#blanketing the moment with a mood of awe. It is the
ultimate sense of time slowing down and catching up with us through light
and weightlessness#—#a marriage of contrasts.
A still pool of water, a moment frozen in time and linger of a happy memory
—#these pockets of stillness in our life, illuminate our thoughts and invite us
to pause. When we lean in to explore and study the connectedness of these
beautiful breathes, we observe color and light reflecting in a quiet dance.
Serving only to highlight the beauty present within our days.
So maybe, just maybe, the key is to catch up with light… if only so that we
can slow down just enough to see the beautiful spectrum of color that is
already infused into our life.
WR ITTEN BY MAR GHER ITA POR R A
The Jericho — Illusionary Luminosity
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JENNILEE MARIGOMEN /
MARGHERITA PORRA
The Jefferson — An Experiment Around Every Corner
The Jericho — A Slight Drizzle Of Lite Fragments
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THE THEORY OF LIGHT
The Jericho, Miller, and Verona — Suspended In Time
JENNILEE MARIGOMEN /
MARGHERITA PORRA
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The Jericho — Encapsulated In Pure Awe
JENNILEE MARIGOMEN /
MARGHERITA PORRA
The Apollo Moc Embroidered — A Sprinkle Of Star Dust
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JENNILEE MARIGOMEN /
MARGHERITA PORRA
The Venice — Spun And Wound But Never Bound
The Jefferson — Fly On By
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THE MADBURY CLUB
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BEYOND THE
BROADCAST WITH
TAKARA BUNYON
A VISION QUEST INTO THE MIRACULOUS
WITH THE MADBURY CLUB
We hop right into the Nativerse mix with a peculiar friend and one of his most
peculiar quests to date. Chet Brinkwater, roving reporter and seeker of adventure,
traveled to California to uncover the legend of Takara Bunyon, an oft meditating
monk who’s discovered the secret to inter-dimension travel through use of a rather
special pair of shoes. Feeble narcissist? Expert wanderer? Devoted genius? Man
with the key to higher being? Homeless weirdo with a stick? Chet was on his way
to find out.
We simultaneously caught up with the Intergalactic Madbury Club as they filmed
Chet & Takara on-location in the depths of California’s Mojave desert. Unincorporated land-based geodomes were the hibernation chambers of choice and Tecate
was the primary brew. By those standards of typical hooliganism, it seems the idea
of inter-dimensional travel isn’t so far-fetched after all.
PH OTOS BY TH E M AD BURY C LUB
BEYOND THE BROADCAST
WITH TAKARA BUNYON
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THE MADBURY CLUB
BEYOND THE BROADCAST
WITH TAKARA BUNYON
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THE MADBURY CLUB
BEYOND THE BROADCAST
WITH TAKARA BUNYON
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THE MADBURY CLUB
BEYOND THE BROADCAST
WITH TAKARA BUNYON
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THE MADBURY CLUB
BEYOND THE BROADCAST
WITH TAKARA BUNYON
FIN!
SWEET FEET!
CANDY COATED FEET SWEETENERS.
NATIVESHOES.COM
#KEEPITLITE
D.O.N.T
DEPARTMENT OF NEW THOUGHTS
OFFICIAL DOCUMENT FROM THE NATIVE DEPARTMENT OF NEW THOUGHTS