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featuredCurtis Williams | 40Physics Harris | 52

Frank Cook | 18Matthew Russo | 14

Kostennn | 6Klan Life | 34

Young Dreamers | 28

dear society,

never lose yourself when chasing the come up.

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kostennngarfield, new jerseyphotographer

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“I HIT UP NEW YORK EVERY FEW DAYS AND JUST SHOOT WITH THE HOMIES. I LIVE FOR ART AND HOPE TO MAKE A CAREER OUT OF IT.”

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13@kostennn

matthew russojohnstown, pennsylvaniagraphic artist

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“i remember spending months and months of nothing but watching online tutorials to help me learn how to make art and six years later, here i am, designing for other companies all around the

world plus designing stuff for my own company.”

@mafoohy

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“the biggest influence to my art is the people who say that i will never make it anywhere in life. i think this should be the biggest influence to anyone, no matter what it is that you do. take those words and prove that person wrong and move on with being successful.”

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Meet Frank Cook, former Wish ATL men’s buyer and sneaker curator, whose ded-icated to shaping the culture for quite some time now. Since parting ways with Wish, The Cooker has been stirring the pot with his very own brand, “Cooked Up” and thus far, he’s partnered with several credible brands including, unyforme and Pintrill.

What were you most compassionate about before your involvement with the in-dustry? I was always into shoes and music. I think that street fashion and music go hand and hand. I was influenced by classic albums from 2pac, Biggie, Dr. Dre and Snoop. The mid 90’s was such a good time for both and especially basketball shoes. This is where I found most of my inspiration to be in the industry, I am blessed to be able to be to do what I love today!

How did Wish create a platform for your individual brand? How have you evolved since then?Wish ATL was very influential in my career, they took a chance with me being a lead men’s footwear and apparel buyer at such a young age. I am so appreciative of that opportunity and I pay homage to those that made it possible. To be able to have that type of platform and having the chance to build some of the greatest relationship in the industry was just so awesome. I have super evolved since leaving Wish, I am on my own, so you have to hustle to make things happen! I’m just so blessed to have people praying for me and supporting my ideas, it’s so cool, and I can’t wait for the future.

Before any of us knew who “Frank Cooker” was, what was your ultimate goal in this industry? Has that focus changed since then, in anyway?I have kept the same focus since day one and that is to make product that has a purpose and functionality, also to be able to think conceptually to tell a story that people can emotionally tie themselves to. I just want to make product that makes people feel good, and that has longevity and not just fade out with the trends.

What is to come in the future for your brand “Cooked Up?” I really can’t shed too much light on some of the projects because they are confi-dential... But just know that in 2015, you can expect some really good footwear collabs that will not disappoint. I just want to thank everyone who supports my vision because I would not be able to do any of this without them and God!!! Keep him first and it will all work out!

21PINTRILL X COOKED UP

23COOKED UP X UNYFORME

tha reigners

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“i grew up in southwest atlanta (dill ave. to be exact). we were just some broke kids with big dreams. me and my crew always rocked underground brands. we’ve been de-signing shirts since we were like 15 with sharpies & iron-on prints. when we were in school we started hustling - selling xans, robbing people, stealing cars, etc. for money because we were trying to start a brand. eventually all of us got locked up. it was 4 of us. me and ant got out & started young dreamers while the the other two partners served 10 years for a lot of crazy shit they were involved in. now we’re just some kids

with a dream trying to push our brand.”

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33GNARCOTIC WINTER COLLECTION NOW AVAILABLE

GNARCOTIC.COM

klanlifeBEHIND THE BRAND

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“Klan life clothing came about 2 years ago, it was founded by Nate Tiggs, and created by his two younger brothers Nasym and Nyvon. Before Klan life could even get started, all three of us were sel-lin fake shoes in the flea market. We needed to earn money just to produce these sample shirts which ended up being the Og Klan life tee.”

Is there a specific meaning behind “KlanLife?”There’s really no specfic meaning behind the brand , the word “Klan” just happens to look DOPE as shit on product. It actually urkes me when people try to go so deep into the meanings of their brand because at the end of the day you can have the illest meaning be-hind your brand but still make the corniest gear. I’d rather just let the product talk for itself instead of coming up with a inspirational speech.

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Is there a specific meaning behind “KlanLife?”There’s really no specfic meaning behind the brand , the word “Klan” just happens to look DOPE as shit on product. It actually urkes me when people try to go so deep into the mean-ings of their brand because at the end of the day you can have the illest meaning behind your brand but still make the corniest gear. I’d rather just let the product talk for itself instead of coming up with a inspirational speech.

How does the brand represent the voice of street culture and musicKlan life represents the kids. They are the future and we try to show them that you can try new things and have faith in positive end results - It’ll all be worth it.

What is your overall vision for Klan Life? To just keep making dope product and make people feel apart of something special.

Do you anticipate any future collabs?We’ve actually had a conversation about LagoodaKlan with Physics but that never went fur-ther than that. We’re cool with plenty of brands that are killing shit right now so you never know what to expect.

Can we expect more music from Guerilla Klan as a collective?Of course Nate Tiggs and 6$cooby got something in the works.

we all have different roles...Nasym, 1/3 of klan life, usually brainstorms ideas which is gathered while sitting in a rather dark room alone without music probably listening to a Warren Buffet interview or something.

Nyvon (NAPALM), 2/3 of klan life is responsible for creating the blank clothes and giving Nasym dope ideas.

Nate Tiggs who’s the founder that decides rather or not a product gets released.

Shot by Johnny Nunez

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curtis

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there’s something about curtis

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Before heading out to meet up with Curtis, I grabbed a box of Dutch masters and a case of cold Stellas per his request. It was only right that I vibed to Half Forgotten Daydreams while in route, and since I had the hard copy of the tape, I put my favorite track, “face it,” on repeat and zipped through traffic. Finally, I had arrived to the heart of east Atlanta, just a few blocks from lil five points, where I struggled to gather my cam and other goodies that I decided to bring along, shot Curtis a text and waited to be greeted by he and a few other two9ers.

I was invited into a cozy space where I settled and briefly chatted with Curtis and waited on the a few other parties to join the scene. About a half hour in, two9’s in house producer Dylan Tran and Bomani made an entrance and immediately the tone was set. The gas was present and there was a package of dutches waiting to be stuffed.

While Stellas were being pooped and cigars were rolled, Curtis hopped on his mac and played Schoolboy Q’s new album for us, starting with “break the bank.” Smoke quickly filled the room and before I knew it I was franticly shooting every moment of this kickback. Not wanting to catch a contact, I stepped into the doorway to get odd angles of the crew together, where I dis-covered a giant American flag hanging from the wall. I immediately knew shooting the cover there would be badass and Curtis agreed. Blunt still hanging from lips, Williams squatted as I snapped away and about a half hour in, we chose the perfect flick for the job.

this cover was so random...

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“10 Years from today, i’ll be all over tmz doing drugs and getting shit faced drunk with my wife Lindsay Lohan.”

“My top five musicians would be Daft Punk, Pharrell, Wiz, Jay-Z, Kid Cudi”

“My favorite beverage is makers mark whiskey... And my favorite weed strain, KK”

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51@thatboycurtis

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When we think of creativity, we think of clever displays of our imaginations at play but when we think of genius, we think of models like Physics, a guy who’s rising slowly for surely amongst the street fashion culture. Inspired by anime and heavy pop graphics, Fiz has captured our attention with a rather different technique of imagery. The concepts behind his two street brands Lagooda and GBA surpass the standards of what streetwear truly is. He showcases functionality, durability and uniqueness in every piece created and you’ll surely never see anything else like it on the streets.

who is fiz?

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Describe process of building your brand thus far.Wow! It’s been fucking crazy! The journey since 2007/2008 has been everything you can possibly think of- from trial and error, to relationships being broken, to being taken ad-vantage of. But truly, it’s all a lesson to me and I’m learning about myself because it takes the soul of superman or goku to do this. Lately, it’s just killing and knowing that I have my weapons and the voltron squad with me so there’s no stopping our vision. I know I’ll be where I want to be soon because I’m doing this interview right now. And thank you to all of who truly support LGDA/GBA.

What have you sacrificed in order to fulfill your vision for your brands, LGDA/GBA?LORD. That’s my favorite word actually. I’d say the sacrifices of folks’ expectations. For example: Me going to college and just living out the normal life. Really it was my dad who wanted me to do basic things but shout out to my mentors and folks who believed in my vi-sion that kept me with the “FUCK THAT I’m going to make it” mentality. Another famous sacrifice would be time. Hell, time at this current moment isn’t even 24 hours anymore, it’s really 4th quarter everyday so I don’t mind sacrificing- it’s all a part of creation.

What would define the peak of your success?At the peak of my success I would have achieved creating my own creative agency, where people are designing, directing, and being the powerhouse for a lot of major brands. I slick have this vision of revamping a lot of old brands and giving them that fresh feel again. As far as my brands, they’d definitely be worldwide. I envision Asian kids running around with LGDA/GBA backpacks on, taxi cab drivers with scented LGDA trees hanging in the window, or the dad who just hit the GBA golf ball- It would be a total lifestyle to the point where it’s everywhere around us. That right there is a peak to me. Where I am at right now is nothing. And although I have a long way to go, my ultimate goal is send my Grandma back to Korea. She’s always been in my corner and never denied helping me. And for that I gotta turn up, help her retire and have her chilling up in the hills!”

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GBA WINTER ‘15