AN INTERVIEW WITH

EMPYREAN STREETWEAR

The following is an interview of streetwear brand Empyrean’s owners Destin and Jake , conducted by Cole Tikulski. All are members of the international artists collective known as 404 incorporated or 404 for short.

Cole: Who are you and what do you do?

Destin: My name’s Destin Kennely and I handle the website, designs, and finances of Empyrean Streetwear.

Jake: My names Jake Lee and I handle promotions, public relations, and offer design inspiration for Empyrean Streetwear.

Cole: Why do you do what you do?

Destin: To be honest, I’ve always just been a jack of trade and try my hand at whatever I want to. I got into fashion and making my own brand because I noticed a lot of streetwear now is just wacky logos and some random phrases slapped on a colorful shirt for $50 at Zumiez or Pacsun. I set out to switch things up and make things more minimalist and unique.

Jake: I do what I do because I enjoy integrating my own ideas into my work and into life in general. I’ve been interested in fashion since I was about 13. I always analyze what can be fixed or improved upon, no matter if it’s an essay, piece of clothing, or even a mindset in life. Authenticity is my goal in life.

Cole: What got you guys into streetwear?

Destin: Ever since I was little my parents dressed me in streetwear from the early 2000s and late 90s. I used to have a lot of vintage sports coats and jerseys along with lacostes and sean don. As I grew older I lost taste in it, but was inspired by reddit to branch out when I was in 8th grade.

Jake: I’d say I got into sneakers/streetwear around 7th grade and was inspired by Uzi and other big icons at the time. I wanted to dress like them and be cool like them.

Cole: How did the idea of Empyrean Streetwear come about?

Destin: In our friend group, we tried creating a clothing brand called Ethereal, but it didn’t work out due to differing ideals and lack of income to fund it between all of us since we were in high school. However, I was still determined to create a brand. A close friend of mine (VVSilas on twitch and IG check him out!) gave me a good distributor for me to print my clothes and connect to the website that I built, and I launched my first drop October 31st.

Cole: Why the name Empyrean?

Destin: The Empyrean is defined as the highest space in heaven, and I find it fitting due to my hopes that are brand eventually get to the very top of the streetwear brands. also, it fit into the existing idea of mixing Renaissance religious art with streetwear, which can be reflected in our first and second drops, which included Demons and Angels. One of my good friends Amani Kanaan (@amoneyart) on IG had a few drawings on her page of an angel and we immediately asked her if we could use it.

Cole: How do you work?

Destin: I normally have lightbulb moments about an idea or phrase and then immediately go to photoshop to get my outlines and arrangements. Sometimes I’ll get an existing graphic and warp it and discolor it for a more unrecognizable and unique aesthetic.

Jake: I work through things I’m interested in, such as anime and abstract art. I work to integrate these ideas by straying from what brands normally do, like making ugly clothes.

Cole: What’s integral to the work of an artist?

Destin: I feel that originality is integral to an artist. Even if there is a basic phrase or design, it can still be original and unique through coloring, effects, arrangements, etc.

Jake: Authenticity is the most important part of an artist's work. A good piece of work doesn’t mean anything if it doesn’t stem from an original thought.

Cole: What role does the artist have in society?

Destin: Artists have the role of entertaining and provoking either separately or simultaneously. The best art stands out and can be thought-provoking, emotion-evoking, or just simply nice to look at.

Jake: An artist’s role in society is more complex than just creating things. An artist has the potential to influence an entire generation, whether it be positive or negative, and artists are especially important today as our youth is very impressionable.

Cole: What has been a seminal experience?

Destin: A shaping experience for me in this line of business was seeing how many people rely on others' opinions. At first, our order pool was super small, but as we gained more followers and designs, more and more people that were already seeing our stuff started buying and asking us questions.

Jake: A seminal experience for me at empyrean was realizing how little people support your business when it comes down to it. Before launching the business there were a lot of people encouraging us and telling us that it was a good idea, but following our first drop, it made me understand that the people encouraging us at first really didn’t support us at all.

Cole: What art do you most identify with?

Destin: I really like landscape or renaissance art. I like looking closely at the details or the dark colors of the oils and paints they used.

Jake: I identify most with abstract art. The authenticity of it appeals to me, along with the vibrant colors and interesting take on art.

Cole: What work do you most enjoy doing?

Destin: I enjoy the designing part and seeing the final copy on the pieces.

Jake: I most enjoy seeing the final product and not feeling as if somethings missing.

Cole: What themes do you pursue?

Destin: For the brand, I try to follow minimalist and out the box themes (hence the different themes for each drop). As a whole though, I like keeping elements of mythology and religious imagery in at least one piece each drop to callback to our namesake.

Jake: A theme that we pursue through our brand is recalling moments from history or shows and installing it onto our clothing.

Cole: What’s your scariest experience?

Destin: I almost got jumped by two drunk dudes after seeing black panther, but eventually they offered to buy me a drink and then left. Maybe not scary, just weird.

Jake: I low-key got lost at the airport when I was a kid.

Cole: What’s your favourite artwork?

Destin: I have a lot of favorite artworks for different reasons, but currently I like “Nighthawks” by Edward Hopper because I really like art deco and vintage designs.

Jake: My favorite piece of art is “Fallen angel” by Alexandre cabanal. I favor this piece because Lucifer was an extremely prideful angel and I relate to his determination.