Introducing Allister

Allister describes his home in Toronto as “one large physical pinboard or moodboard that is reflective of my archival work and interests”, and as soon as you walk in, you can see exactly what he means; the furnishing and finishings are basic, and it’s not so much “decorated” in the usual sense of the word, but the walls and shelves are covered with interesting pieces that he’s picked up from the “dusty old stores” that he loves to explore. Old stationery (a collection of black markers), hardware, books, records, clothes and any old or interesting products or ephemera that he uses for design and product reference in his job as a multidisciplinary graphic artist and creative problem solver.

He loves nothing more than exploring the various Chinatown districts around the world, wherever his work takes him, anything that syncs in with the multiverse of random interests and visual concepts that he has in his head: a Sony Sports Walkman, vintage flip-flop slippers, coin-operated kids rides from a trip to Shanghai or from Photocopy Xerox stores in Mumbai. We tried to keep our eyes from wandering as we sat down with him to talk about a life of collecting and his passion for making lo-fi, quick-turnaround creative work projects.

Let’s start with having you explain your style to us, Allister...

Distressed to Impress ? I wear High and Low price point/Mix-And-Match styles in one outfit. Even when I try to look nice, I probably am a bit scrubby. All my nice things eventually get a stain on them. I wear a baggier fit – less tailored – so even when I am wearing “a nice shirt and pants” - I'm rolling the sleeves, it isn't ironed too good, my shirt is untucked, and maybe my fly is down and my trousers are slightly baggy and then also I'm wearing sneakers that may be slightly dusty but comfortable.

Would your friends describe your style any differently do you think?

They would say I'm low-key and selectively stylish.

Thinking about your friends, what’s your ‘style/fashion role’ in the group?

I guess I'm just hanging out in good company? I'm not wearing the latest season stuff/sneakers/contemporary brands/trending looks – but it's varied, would indicate that I am familiar with that world, and I look comfortable. I don't roll deep like we used to. I don't judge my wide spectrum of friends on their fashion choices.  I am probably a leader or inspirational amongst friends that are more conservative. If I'm rolling with a crew of industry folk friends then I'm probably not as kitted out as them but nobody cares. I think I am probably known as stylish/stylish adjacent in my general peer group. Like, I care to a degree and have nice clothes and taste – but I'm not overly curated or projecting in my appearance.

Who inspires you style-wise?

Sometimes old Asian people I see randomly on the street ? Like they'll be wearing baggy navy dress trousers with a wide cuff and a neutral color polo collared-shirt and some sort of camera vest, and a black hat that says “Classical FM 96.3” but then somehow also Michael Chang Reebok Pumps.  They carry themselves with an air of “just going about my business” but have all sorts of cool personal style. So I guess that'll be me when I am old.

In the public eye, whose style do you admire and are influenced by?

Junya Watanabe – Simple personal comfortable style, restrained and  functional, detail oriented, with hints of quirk. Inspiring as a designer.

Present Day Nigo / Human Made – comfortable well researched classic silhouettes. Americana as interpreted by a team with a different perspective.  Inspiring as someone that makes things happen and is able to surround himself with talented people to fulfill his vision.

Kurt Cobain / Eddie Vedder – consistent look. They actually dressed themselves I think as opposed to having stylists. It's less about the brands they are wearing and more about the overall layered signature look and styling – or lack thereof. I wasn't a particularly big fan of either bands when I was a teenager, I guess I am inspired by people that just do what they do in a genuine way.  Its interesting how disruptive grunge was at the time but now they play Nirvana  and Pearl Jam on Classic Rock stations – and yeah – it fits. So I guess the connection is timeless clothing style and fashion should feel disruptive and energetic for the youth RIGHT NOW but also age well and hold up over time to be seen as classic.

If you could ‘steal’ one person [in the public eye’s] closet, whose closet would you steal and why?

Riccardo Tisci. I really like Burberry under his direction.

Where are the other places you’re getting style/fashion influence from?

I guess just brand websites/social accounts of brands I am already familiar with. Sometimes I will look at Dover Street Market or SSSENSE to see what people are making. Traveling I guess – popping my head into places and doing the shopwalk and seeing what different brands are doing. And then lastly, Instagram friends – if they are into something or involved with something I'll check it out.

When it comes to Streetwear right now, what’s the exciting stuff happening in the culture?

New people doing their own thing and creating their own audiences and movements is always exciting. The barrier to creating and sharing with peers and community is low. I might not like everything I see, but I am excited for all the people just doing things and seeing what happens and creating things with friends. It's cool to see some of the people with actual talent and ability that have been behind streetwear brands get tapped and recognized towards larger opportunities. Brendon Babenzien/NOAH as J.Crew Creative Director comes to mind. It's kinda cool to see “streetwear” rise up to permeate and influence UP – all the Luxury Brand adoption of talents and styles and silhouettes. But also to see it permeate MIDDLE  – affordable Futura and Kaws Tees at Uniqlo.

What are the things happening that frustrate you or cause friction?

Lack of creativity, cult of personality vs actual skill and talent. Creeps in the industry. Abusers and s**theads shouldn't be tolerated, affiliated or get the co-sign. Boys Club. Sidling and positioning. Lack of cohesive messaging or meaning behind brands - other than buy stuff look cool.

Where are your three favorite stores to shop in for clothing/apparel?

Uniqlo – physical + online

Burberry – physical + online

Nike Outlet Outlet – physical 

What is it about these stores that make them your favorite/preferred place to shop?

Uniqlo  - easy, intuitive and familiar. I really like Uniqlo for the price point, design point-of-view, diversity of product range and availability in cities across the world. I can pack light and hit up a Uniqlo and always know my size and my go-to styles while having options to go high (blazer/collared shirts/pants) or low ( plain white tee + jeans ) 

Burberry – I like to look at everything and appreciate how it all sits together and is made.

Nike Outlet Outlet – it is where stuff from the normal Outlets end up – so it's actually cheap. You can find things like Gyakusou and ACG pieces and artist collab stuff like Cody Hudson at cheap prices – often in the middle of the current sales season. So a Gyakusou tee will be $225 at the retail cool guy store but simultaneously at the outlet for $45. There is a lot of stuff that I think is just well designed that I will buy because of the price point, for physical archives.

Does the experience of those stores matter to you too?

Experience somewhat matters. I don't want anyone to be rude to me. I can appreciate a good interior and merchandising. 

UNIQLO has a good store environment for retail of that scale and in comparison to like-retailers. It somehow makes sense even with that many SKUS on the floor. It's comparable to going to a nice grocery store I guess. It's a low pressure, wide open, wander-at-your-own-pace place.

Burberry – it's quiet when I go in there and I can look at stuff. It is pleasant. 

Nike Outlet Outlet – it's like digging for records or comic books at a garage sale but at a clothing store. Sometimes you find gems. The environment is what it is. You're going through racks and shelves, but things are more or less merchandised and sectioned.

What other stores/spaces are you shopping in and why?

Sometimes I'll buy something online or physical from a friend/friend's brand/friend's shop. It's nice to check in and see what people have been making and support what they do.

I'll do the general department store/shopwalks sometimes but rarely buy anything unless it particularly stands out. I like looking at buildouts and what people are making.

I'll go to vintage shops/thrift/flea market things and shop. I like finding interesting things and styles you might not see in traditional retailers – or if you do it'll look too new or purposefully on the nose of a trend. Or really expensive for no reason like RRL. It's a bit of a discovery in there – like the merchandising is similar to traditional retailers, but there is a feeling of uniqueness or seeing things in 1's and 2's instead of a huge rack of the same item. 

Beretta on Madison Ave. High perceived quality for excellent price point. Not a part of the streetwear conversation – so it is low-key and not a lot of eyes are on it. 

There are a bunch of places I visit but don't shop – just to look at product ranges.

Moncler – Excellent retail buildouts and store feel although for the price point and brand-to-brand comparison at similar price point – I'm not buying / don't buy into the value proposition. I think the brand has engineered the look and feel very well from the beginning – as non-performance luxury brand North Face on the experimental fashion side.

Hermes – Superb windows. Great curation of space. Consistent. 

Skate Shop – Local spots wherever I go just to see what people are making.

Department Stores (Nordstrom/Holt Renfrew etc.) and multi-brand stores that profile as independent (Dover Street Market/Haven Toronto/Nomad Toronto/International) - Just to see brand assortments and concessions and how the individual brands sit within the space. Seeing who actually stands out.

Then REI/Mountain Equipment Co-op - for the same reasons above but for the active lifestyle outdoors demographic.

Lululemon/Arcteryx/Fjallraven/Patagonia/North Face - Just to see what people are making. Their mainstream looks are a little more fashion forward but rooted in conservatism.

Going a little more specific, what are your top five favorite brands?

UNIQLO: Perceived innovation and fashion-forwardness. Ability to create fast-fashion at good price point with perceived quality. Consistent sizing and quality. They merchandise and develop really well. A retail chain of that scale that still makes a chunk of their $ on printed graphic tees at affordable prices ? That's streetwear 101. They collaborate with a wide range of people. Exposing mainstream audiences to a range of contemporary artists at affordable prices is really cool. Futura and Kaws stuff for example. But Tommy Guerrero, Girl Skateboards, Billie Eilish x Murakami, Street Fighter, etc too.  It's cool to see people buy their things because they just like the design sometimes. Accessibility and affordability. And they're not even making full lines with shirting, jackets, accessories, fleece, etc with some of this licensed product or artwork. They still have room to grow. UNIQLO could do MUJI-like products and accessories and lifestyle goods and furniture and it wouldn't look out of place. They could develop a separate UNIQLO furniture store – and make a play at IKEA – and people would understand what it is immediately. They could open affordable boutique capsule hotels. Make a line of fragrances and hand creams and such.

MAHARISHI: Nostalgic brand for me. I guess just being wowed at their HQ on Kingsland back in the day still resonates. They were doing a lot of clever stuff and still do in spurts. I generally like the color palette and detailing and styling. 

CDG/JUNYA/VARIOUS SUB-LINES CDG HOMME ETC: Brand story and designers. Consistent levels of quirkiness and multiple points of reference balanced with traditional shapes and design details. 

BURBERRY: Tisci brand direction is on point for me. It's a version of what Junya is doing – overhaul of traditional old world stuffiness – incorporating fun design details and embellishments – mixing up the experimental with the traditional. There is still a bunch of expensive for expensive sake stuff – but there is a lot of innovative and interesting pieces that marry brand cache and design to make me feel I am getting some $ value with  individual special pieces when I do buy things. And then there are things that don't make sense at all like a $400 hat and the power of the brand makes me really want to buy it, but I don't.

NORTH FACE/PURPLE LABEL/UE HK/STANDARD etc. Some great stuff going on. There are a lot of good technical feel subtly fashion-forward pieces. Pant game strong. Again – classic styles and silhouettes and points of reference – clever design details and consistency – there is the right amount of “starch and rigidity and freshness” to their stuff when it is sitting on a rack in-store. It all feels solid. Purple Label/UE HK/Standard specifically. They have their product lines and retail and mood and feel down solid. Normal North Face hasn't figured it out yet. The board is too conservative, reluctant to change and adopt the look across the board for their own international retail program. They are still jamming everything up into a space to look like a North American big-box sporting goods store because that's what they know.

What are your top priorities when it comes to buying new items of clothing?

STYLE

COMFORT 

PERCEIVED QUALITY 

BRAND  

PRICE POINT

And why do those things matter to you in the order they do?

STYLE is the first thing that attracts me. Then I try it on. Then I raise my arms and jog in place.  Then I take it off. Then I look at stitching and other design details and embellishments and features. Then I think about all that in context with the Brand that it is, and how much it costs – and then see if it's something I will buy.

How many pairs of shoes, any shoes, do you own?

20+ pairs of shoes

If you had to split them up into categories and write a percentage next to them [what, math!] what would that look like?

80% sneakers 

20% other – dress , boot etc

What type of shoe would we typically find you in, if you there is a ‘typical shoe’ for you?

Sneakers

What are the most important things for you when it comes to buying your favorite kind of shoe?

Design.

What about your favorite brands for shoes? Who do you always end up going to and why?

Nike. Because brand nostalgia, familiarity, good design, great marketing.

Nike/Nike Outlet Outlet 

I might look at sneakers online – just to see what is being made – but do not shop online.

What about your favorite shoe stores, again - on or offline? What makes them your favorite stores?

These days I don't need the exclusive hot sneakers – their product range and accessibility and markdown practices ensure that I can always find something I like at a below retail price.

 Is there anything else you want to add?

Banana Republic shouldn't make shoes if produced at the same existing quality. All sorts of quality control issues. If they do – Cole Haan back when they were owned by Nike – would be the goal.