Give us the Father Figure elevator pitch.
All clothing will eventually wind up at a yard sale, estate sale or thrift shop. I try to make items that will make people happy to find on a rack in 50 years – quality goods, funny goods. While in this pursuit, I connect ideas and cultural nodes that should have been connected long ago … or that should never be connected! For me, these are typically hyper-specific references pulled from the cultures of both upstate New York and the more populous namesake city, filtered through an online lens.
The Five W’s:
Who is wearing Father Figure?
Friends, creatives, musicians, athletes, drug dealers, office workers, brokers, truckers, influencers. The most fashionable people in small towns who’ll self-conscious about it in Tractor Supply Company [a chain store that serves farmers, ranchers and landowners]. The matcha barista that you presume is cold and cool but when you talk to them they are a sweetheart.
What is Father Figure’s main message?
That we should have fun. Comedy can be employed in this fashion space (sometimes) tastefully. I never should have been here anyway, so I'll see how much I can do while they let me wander around.
When did you launch Father Figure?
I launched @lilfatherfigure, my meme page, in 2017. Father Figure the brand came in 2021, after a couple of years of posting art projects on my current page, @byfatherfigure. I started full-time in 2022.
Where are people wearing Father Figure?
New York City accounts for over half of the brand’s total sales, while the rest of New York accounts for another 10-15%. The love from home is really the only reason I can continue creating. Both coasts have kept busy, mostly LA and Florida. The sticks and swamps of the States are also highly represented, as is Canada, but recently we’ve been getting a lot more attention from Japan, Australia and France.
I connect ideas and cultural nodes that should have been connected long ago … or that should never be connected!
Why was Father Figure created?
No reason at all. I wanted somewhere to post my creations. Needed a creative outlet while working a job I hated. I now encourage people to post everything they make, as you never know what can come from public interaction. It’s also great as a personal archive.
"We should have fun. Comedy can be employed in this fashion space (sometimes) tastefully. I never should have been here anyway, so I'll see how much I can do while they let me wander around."
About the Brand:
What was the spark that prompted the creation of Father Figure?
I was working an office 9 to 5 doing graphic design and marketing for finance events – think those random conferences in Marriotts everywhere. I was on meds, depressed, anxious and desperate to do anything else. I started editing videos for my abandoned meme page, from which the guys over at Market Studios, primarily Wahlid Mohammad, gave me a shot at making memes for them, which I routinely did for about four years. That was my introduction to the industry.
What was the first thing you made for Father Figure?
Like a lot of brands, my first-ever product was a bootleg that I just made a few of to give to friends. It was a Bass Pro Shops parody that said “I Don’t Fish,” making fun of the popularity of the fishing retailer's trucker hats. The “I Don't Fish” hat got more online attention than expected, so I ordered 50 patches. When those sold in about a week, I figured I was onto something. The “I Don't Fish” hats continue to be my best sellers, but the knit vests are getting close.
When did fashion design become your passion and an intended career path?
It’s not specifically fashion, but some of my earliest childhood drawings are designs of planes, cars and secret headquarters (primarily for Sonic, Knuckles and Tails.) I still have "schematics" for a hoverboard I drew in fourth grade on a USB. I believe my design goal is still vehicles, venues, and larger ventures. However, I like spotting trends, and fashion is a never-ending game of prediction and requires follow-through on those predictions.
Fashion as an intended career? Never [laughs]. I have zero formal education or experience in the fashion space. Until I was 17, I thought Air Force 1s were the most expensive shoes available to civilians. In Monticello (New York, not the nice ass one in Virginia), most people wore their parent's clothes or shopped at Walmart. I got a communications degree at Cornell, where the Canada Goose/Bean Boot cartel introduced to me the idea of "pieces" and how clothing can speak on behalf of the wearer. I wore construction boots with gym shorts for four years straight.
"I connect ideas and cultural nodes that should have been connected long ago … or that should never be connected."
How would you define Father Figure’s style?
Elevated lowbrow. A beautiful red wine reduction of NY and internet culture. But if you mean my personal style – chronically online fisherman. Dad's old closet. I only wear clothes found at salvos and garage sales near my parents upstate.
What style codes or eras inspire you?
I’m more inspired by delivery drivers on mopeds than by eras of fashion. The only styles I can authentically draw from are hunting/fishing, secondhand and internet culture. However, I lived through the ‘00s mall era, the “RAWR” era and the dubstep swag era, which are all similar and iconic, and from which I find myself drawing recently. I dig the Tommy Hilfiger rap period (before Tommy caught on) a lot right now.
What’s on your current mood board?
Spencer's art from iCarly, pre-1940s stuff from the Baseball Hall of Fame, MySpace, fire protective gear, Harry Potter and Ivy League athletics. I think my time there influenced me a bit more than I care to admit.
How does New York City play a role in your designs?
I walk around for an hour in this city and I get a dozen ideas. I'm a fourth-generation New Yorker whose parents moved upstate when the reality of twins hit. I grew up in the woods while staying deeply connected to the city. I think two hours is just far enough away where the city retains magic and the slight separation probably leads to idolization. I haven’t outgrown my love for Mets games and sneaking SMACK DVDs.
It really is New York for life. Whether it be in the city or upstate, I will never live anywhere else. My products and promotions constantly reference the city and state and use them as a backdrop. The internet is a second location, perhaps a dimension above geography, that I have also inhabited for years. I think New York has this distinct online persona derived from movies, music, the ouroborus of social media, etc. and it’s fun to exist in and manipulate. Only in that space would deer antler Yankee fitteds be given time for discussion.
"Elevated lowbrow. A beautiful red wine reduction of NY and internet culture."
What makes a good graphic design?
Still trying to figure this out. Originality and readability? Communicate the point you're trying to make or subvert as directly as possible. I ♥️ NY works for a reason!
What’s been the biggest challenge in building Father Figure?
Until six months ago I was ironing on patches with my mom’s old iron and using her sewing kit to create original pieces. The education and equipment bell curve has not been steep. I like to think money would solve these challenges but in reality, learning how to do things the hard way is.
Second, due to finance and space restrictions, I can only purchase about 20-30 pieces of each product I make at a time. I have these huge grand ideas but I also have rent to pay. I think anyone who creates has a few big ideas that we know require a BlackRock sponsorship or something.
What are some of your favorite pieces you’ve made?
The Yankees graduation hats are my favorite piece the brand has ever produced. They have a board and tassel that detaches so you can throw it in the air when you graduate and still have a hat. I rarely hype myself up over the execution of an idea, but that is the one [laughs]. In terms of what I rock myself, the cable knit jerseys and denim shirts are what I wear most. My favorite accessory ever is my personal bag: my identifier, I use it every day, made from 54” x 28" Carhartt pants and over a dozen patches that I collected for a few years. My favorite art piece is the lifeguard chair I made from abandoned police barricades. Free, taxpayer-funded materials can be found all over the city!
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned since launching Father Figure?
No one is going to do it for you. Each day, if anything at all needs to get done – from shipping orders, restocking boxes, sending emails, posting on Instagram, trying to find time to design – I need to do it. No one else will. This mentality bleeding into the rest of my life has saved me. For like six years depression and anxiety used to keep me in bed, spiralling about anything and having panic attacks weekly. I got into the habit of telling myself that it is the same with going out and living life – no one is going to do it for me. Get out there. It's much harder. But there is literally nothing else.
Why should people care about Father Figure?
I just want to put my stuff out there and hope that people like it enough to care about it. I think I'm making a cool combination of clothes, accessories and art that is very different from any other designer in the space and perhaps one day will be considered a small part of this weird online art and fashion era.
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