Just as the internet was beginning to bloom, a rag-tag group of passionate anthropologists started chasing new perspectives. The essence of these newfound perspectives just happened to be woven into tees and hoodies instead of binding in a book. And because of that, you could identify your people in the unlikeliest places. The head nod as we took in and confirmed each other's stylistic choices. It was like we had a direct line into each other’s frame of mind, more efficient than the words I type now. 

Before we handed over our dopamine receptors to tech companies, knowledge in this sector was hard to find. Merely putting in the time and educating oneself was a statement unto itself. It wasn’t a click away on Reddit—it was a city away. A reference on a track that wasn’t a radio single, but a detail we heard loud and clear nonetheless. Hidden gems opened portals into new worlds to think differently about the one you existed in.

To someone who existed within America, this was revolutionary. There were very few chances to transfer intellectual thinking in an otherwise massively capitalist way of living that spoke to rebellion. Style was the Trojan horse into new philosophies.

You have to remember, at the time of HTMIIA airing, it was only three years since Entourage Season 3, episode 11 went into broadcast. One that sees Turtle missing out on a pair of Fukijama x Nike Air Force 1’s from UNDFTD (that is until his boy Vinne hooks him up with 1-of-1s). That reference being a major plot point was a beacon to those that were participating in something that was still being defined to the mass audience. Our little secret was getting recognized.

Moments like these were resounding waves of validation that the high you were chasing, to uncover more about art, self-expression and those creating their own platform, was indeed possible. The information was out there you just had to know where to look.

HTMIIA was proof that the movements you felt a part of, the music you were digesting, and the dots connecting this musician and this t-shirt brand were not for nothing. Our turn to lead the cultural zeitgeist was here. Soon after this show would end, streetwear, and fashion as we knew it, would influence every touchpoint of mainstream media.

The stories that were begging to be told started snowballing. Emerging brands started to become the reference point for the attitude of an entirely new demographic. The chasm between what we were into and what your mom saw on TV was now not so far apart. The goal was to do right by your community and create a platform that pushes the conversation forward. Money was the byproduct of many others agreeing and subscribing to your ideology, a plus, but never engineered as some corporate business model that would grow and scale, at least intentionally. 

There are many reasons humans create art; to create a record of a specific time, place, person or object,  to express and communicate ideas, or to make our surroundings more beautiful, they all do one thing particularly well, inspire our minds. Through art, we as humans experience life through a unique lens that separates us from all other lifeforms that we share this beautiful green and blue galactic rock with. 

When it comes to aesthetics, beauty, personality, and style, it’s easier to point to than it is to define. You know it when you see it. Our pursuit of aesthetically driven lives has never been as accessible and front of mind as it is today. With a single glance, we can experience another person’s emotions, desires, and fears. It will elicit tears, laughter, and other somewhat unforeseen physical responses while altering the ways we see the world. 

We take our learnings from various art forms and find more and more ways to incorporate them into every touchpoint of our day. Look at advertising and art. In this post-Virgil, post-postmodern world, all universes are clashing together for some cosmic collaboration. As we continue the journey together, I find a deep curiosity in those who have a hand in creating these aesthetics.

@Cozyakili on TikTok psychoanalyzes this in their “artful living” TikTok video (watch that!) and it allowed me to see an arguably vain world as an evolved world. Beauty, in all its subjective forms, creates new narratives. Those who participate in crafting these behind-the-scenes nuances have the biggest impact on us and our perception of celebrity, brands, logos, and eventually, our emotions. 

“It takes a village” may be the most accurate description of how many minds must truly come together to materialize one idea into the world. And many of those who make major contributions aren’t always the first credit to roll. Set designers, prop masters, hair and makeup stylists — the list goes on and on — these wonderfully talented and passionate people who work together to give us their version of beautiful are legendary. 

We live entire lifetimes in their world, movements built on their very foundation. New ideas evolved from their inspiration that create an ongoing dialogue between past, present, and future. There is beauty in this life. There is beauty in choice. We all strive to find our tribe, the ones who nurture, heal and inspire us.

For better or worse in this stage of our evolutionary game of capitalism, brands are a viable platform to express ourselves. Brands and the artists they employ to perform alchemy and extract an essence on their behalf hold undeniable magic. We all choose to spend our undetermined amount of hours doing something, and these humans dedicate theirs to making something as they see it, as they feel it, for themselves, and for us too.

In an attempt of preserving the “who” instead of the “what” I caught up with a handful of those who have donned ambiguity instead of a label, to celebrate them and find out how they’re extending beyond themselves in the summer of 2022.