“I feel like it comes easy to me cuz I have this kinda dual way of thinking,” said Moon, 34 year old Designer and owner of two clothing lines: Apt.4B and Third Eye Visions. “I think what I find more challenging is to just think in one direction.”
Moon’s upbringing serves as a major source of inspiration for Apt.4B. “For me Apt.4B is really that street essence that I grew up with in my teenage years being in New York. Being around a lot of street dudes and ya know just hanging around on the corners and traveling the city. Apt 4B is where I can express that anger we experience from being in the hood and wanting to get out.” He likened the 90s role in progressing street culture to the 70s effect on pushing Rock & Roll forward. Third Eye Visions represents his current life and a more conceptual direction.
Both brands were born at the same time. “It’d be hard to say one came first then the other. I had accumulated all these designs and graphics and I noticed that they were two different ways of thinking.” Design ideas and concepts for each brand come to Moon on a daily basis. He explained some days are more geared to one brand, but eventually attention to each is equally distributed. Apt.4B is in select stores and Third Eye Visions is sold directly to consumers (but may be sold in stores if Moon chooses).
In Los Angeles, Moon has an installation set up in the popular 90s wear shop Tried & True (see pictures). He briefly described how this showcase came about:
“Well, I had another brand a couple years ago called BGRT (pronounced Bo-gart) and I did the installation in 2013, the Apt.4B installation in Tried & True. After doing the installation things happened and BGRT kinda disappeared. After doing the installation, the idea came to do a brand that was born from the installation but also still spoke that street message. And at the same time I still had this Third Eye Vision way of thinking, so I was like how do I do both brands at the same time? This idea came into my head about splitting the room. Splitting this one single space to almost be like the Scarface cover or Two-Face from the Batman movies. To have this one dark side and this more progressive side.”
Thus, the two-sided showcase emerged. The Apt.4B side is filled with 90s memorabilia and artifacts such as cassettes, VHS tapes, Rap vinyls, and a projection TV. The Third Eye vision half is black with graffiti covering the wall.
This the Apt.4B side of the installation. It’s filled with 90s memorabilia.
“Everything has a story behind it and there’s always something that I love,” said Moon. “I did this Jesus piece hoody with embroidery. That came out really cool.” T-shirts and shades are also part of his collection.
“I have this collaboration with Fila coming out and I’m really excited about that with Third Eye Visions. I think that’s something big for me because I’m also a fan of the culture. I’m still a fan to this day. I think collaborating on a shoe with a company like that, Fila, that I loved as well growing up. That’s something really big for me. A good friend of mine is over at Fila. I approached them with it. I wanted to collaborate with them and a few other companies. I’m not afraid to approach companies. I think you have to. If you want something, you gotta go out there and get it.”
This is the Third Eye Visions side of the installation. This side is more modern.
Next week, Moon is opening his own store on the block in West LA (the block is a district for streetwear shops). The grand opening is Friday, November 6. He has also seen a powerful reaction to his brands with individuals from Europe and Asia visiting LA. “When they see it, it’s just like a ghetto time machine and they almost feel like they’re there in that moment.”
Since the original interview, the Fila’s Moon designed have dropped as a limited collection.
Moon wanted to share this advice with all aspiring fashion designers. “I tell a lot of young heads [to] ask questions. Always ask questions. If you don’t ask, you won’t know. Prior to making the mistake, just ask.” He also stated that the world of music and fashion is full of fun but requires hard work as does anything else. “I think it’s more fun chasing your dream. It is a risk you take. There’s fun in failure too, as weird as that sounds. There is something just from the learning experience outta things from failing and winning.”
@apt.4b instagram
@thirdeyevisions instagram
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Original article appeared at Dreamer Loop. Reprinted with permission.
Photo credit: Dreamer Loop