Kill City (Paul Roughley) Interview
The Boy Hollywood
CHAMP: What's goodie Kill City what's everyone up to at the current moment?
Kill City: It's mental over at Kill City. We just opened our first store at 7975 Melrose in Los Angeles, working on Spring 09 production and developing our Fall 09 collection. It's the same craziness for everyone in the industry. You have to love it or you'll never survive.
CHAMP: Now for the hip-hop heads Kill City was an actual title to an album by Iggy Pop. Was there any influence between the album and your clothing?
Kill City: You bet! Drew Bernstein the owner of the brand was a hardcore Punk kid who played in the band Crucifix back in the day. The name Kill City certainly came about due to Drew's shenanigans as a Punk kid, his band, musical tastes and lifestyle. I've taken all of that rich history and added a contemporary twist.
CHAMP: You guys are based in LA. How's the clothing market out there and what inspired you guys to get into the business of fashion?
Kill City: I'm from England where I studied fashion design, after graduation I worked in the NYC garmento world for 7 years before moving out to LA. I personally believe that LA is the fashion capitol of America. LA is where you will find the creativity, it's a town where creating is three dimensional (Making patterns, utilizing dye treatments and washing denim). In NYC you either print tee shirts or sit at a computer all day emailing tech packs to China. There are a few exceptions (Rag & Bone and Rogan who still primarily work domestically for instance) and I love NYC, but LA is where you can really express your creativity in a variety of formats. I think that brands like Corpus, Endovanera and B-son haven’t received the recognition they deserve because they are Westside, if they were from the LES there would have been more fawning from the fashion press.
CHAMP: The clothing is definitely aimed at a genre specific to indie rock and electronica, however the urban genre has been tapping in to that genre and rocking your clothes. How do you feel about genres stepping out the box and trying your clothes?
Kill City: I love the blending of cultures. As a kid I was always inspired by the images of people from London and Tokyo you would see in magazines like ID and Face, mixing a tailored jacket, Nike sneakers, vintage band tee and an ethnic inspired scarf to create their own look. I like nothing more than fucking with different subcultures to attain something new and fresh. I'm happy to see that NYC is stepping up their game, it's taken a long time to get the street wear fella's to skinny up their jeans, if they still want to rock a Supreme tee and Visvim’s with a pair of Kill City's I'd be a happy man.
CHAMP: You guys also have an online magazine. If you could shed some light on that and where you're trying to go with it?
Kill City: It's another voice that promotes our aesthetic, taste level and showcases what inspires us. We don't have a marketing PR budget so this is our tool to speak to the people.
CHAMP: A lot of designers must be thrilled when they see a celeb rocking any of there clothing. Is there anyone you've seen rocking' Kill City clothing, and what was your reaction?
Kill City: We are anti celebrity; I hate the notion of using a "celebrity" to sell products. We are about the creative working classes and prefer to give clothes to the people that represent our voice. We have a marketing plan called The Kill City 100 featured on our web site. This is where people can contact us and get some free clothes in exchange for using a photograph of them on our site. We feel that a 100 regular folks we like represent who we are better than any B list celebrity wearing a Kill City garment. I've been more excited seeing Sean Burns BMX rider tearing it up on his bike in Kill City than the thought of someone from High School Musical (Dread The Thought) wearing a Kill City tee to Starbucks.
CHAMP: There's a lot of clothing companies these days, and with technology making apparel is becoming easier than it was years ago. Do you feel the market is becoming oversaturated?
Kill City: For sure, but everyone has the right to have a go. I’d rather see a bunch of people attempting something creative over trying to make a shit load of cash shoving mortgages and dodgy stocks down people throats. Unfortunately the market can only accommodate so many brands; the strongest survive which is ultimately good for the stores and customers.
CHAMP: What are some underground clothing companies you guys are into?
Kill City: I'm not so sure what's underground anymore because of the internet, blogging and global magazine distribution. A few of the brands we like though are: Hysteric Glamour, Nice Collective, Diesel, Acne, Ksubi, Rockers NYC, Rick Owens, Endovanera and American Apparel (For keeping me stocked with V-necks). The different taste levels within the company are quite broad as everyone has their own identity (Streetwear jp Hype Beast, Echo Park Goth Ninja, Grungy Mountain Man, Contemporary Punk and no style Art Guy) which I think is a strength and encourages the evolution of the brand.
CHAMP: Being from Toronto, are there any exclusively sold Kill City spots?
Kill City: The good people at Aritzia.
CHAMP: What collection are you currently working on, and when can we expect that out?
Kill City: Summer and Fall 09. As long as no one get's overly drunk over the Holidays we should have the collection to present by the middle of January.
CHAMP: What else can we expect from Kill City?
Kill City: We are continually refining our collections, an increased presentation for women, promoting the store, keeping it real and endeavoring to create our own path.
