HOUYHNHNM

Kyle.The Irace Project is a brand run by me and my partner Ed Davis. We started with the idea of making things to release free products. We would make products to support the creation of something else. For example, you could make a collection, sell it in a store, and at the same time give away free zines or skate decks. This is a way to spark people's interest. A brand is more than just selling products. Do you understand?

Kyle.The Free Deck Project is a project to make skateboards and release them to the world. We put the decks in a certain location, post a picture of it on Instagram, and people who find it can get it. The word "Erase" in the brand name means "temporary. In other words, it could be erased. Experience is at the core of what we do. It's not going to be there forever.

Kyle.That's right. We believe that products are temporary, and many people are very concerned about trends. That is why it is important to have the experience of being somewhere and doing something.

Kyle.That's what I was interested in. "How do I sell it?" "Where should I target?" If you are always thinking only about selling, you lose interest. Business and giving things away for free are opposites, aren't they? Doing something that is not about making money may be against business, but that's what attracts me. Money is not everything. I like that stance. I want to focus more on creating something. Of course, I can do that because of "BRAIN DEAD" (laughs). (Laughs.) We tried to do something interesting while still being a mass brand, or mainstream, and as a result, we decided to make various things for free.

Kyle.Ed is a really graphic savvy guy, and we talk about all kinds of things together, and then he brings the ideas to life. Clothing design is an area we both love, and we make a lot of cut and sewn clothing. We have a big collection coming out soon, but it's going to be fun and simple. We have plain hoodies, custom hoodies, and some unusual fleeces. Basically, it's what we want to wear. We love it all.

Kyle.I'm certainly curious. I want to see all kinds of things. I'm always looking for new things to see, and getting into something is one of the greatest pleasures in life. Why is everyone so interested in this? "What's cool about this? What's cool about it? I hate superficial things. I hate superficial things, and I think it's the worst thing to look at the surface. When you design something, you first have an idea, and then you test that idea through the brand. I always think about the concept of the brand, "Why does this brand exist? I always think about "Why does this brand exist? When I create something new, I think about how to make it more interesting to us. For example, we might want to include a zine. We can create a brand for the masses, and then give out freebies of what we want to see and show. Of course, our designs are inspired by music and art.

Kyle.Maybe indie DIY culture, indie rock-ish design or punk. And of course, zines and art. I hung out with musicians, and I hung out with guys who liked robots. We were all doing it because we wanted to do it. Not just for the money. That stance is so ingrained in me that when I create something, I don't think about money or whether it's right or wrong, I just do it. I just do it.

Kyle."Can I do it?" "Am I qualified to do this?" Even if you wonder, "Can I do it? That's how you can get closer to realization and do something unique. Even if you follow a recipe, you will end up with the same thing as someone else's. It is better to create from your own perspective.

Kyle.Maybe through a friend. I have always wanted to make art films. So storytelling is important to me. Design is another way to tell a story. In telling a story, film is direct, whereas what I am doing now is more like entering someone's life and becoming a part of their story.

Kyle.To be honest, it comes from my friends. Of course I buy books online and watch a lot of movies, but at the end of the day, it's the people I actually interact with. People who are smarter than me. People who are better at something. I accumulate knowledge by being in contact with experts in various fields. But in the end, they are like a jack-of-all-trades, not a master of any kind. I know a lot of things, but I am not a professional. I just like to look at different things.

Kyle.First of all, I don't want to hate. I think it's cool that everyone is releasing so many different things, but at the same time I'm scared. If you make too many things, you will gradually lose your edge. I think that when you make something and it hits it big, you tend to go after the money. This is true not only for mainstream brands, but also for small brands. I am interested in how to make my brand different from others among the many brands out there.

Kyle.Well, since we are making T-shirts with graphics on them, yes and no, but I want to make something different from the others. In terms of visuals, I don't like the lookbooks featuring young kids that you see on the street.

Kyle.Of course. We don't care about the kids when we release an artist's book. We just do it because we think it's interesting. We push things that have nothing to do with trends. That doesn't mean we're going to make something that isn't cool (laughs). We just have to keep being ourselves.

Kyle.In music, I would say Johnny Greenwood of Radiohead. He is a master. He's always trying new things, even though he's in a very mainstream band like Radiohead. But he's also doing challenging activities on all levels, like collaborating with people in India on the film "Junoon," or composing the score for the film. As long as I'm playing Radiohead, I'm comfortable, no problem. If you see him play, you can tell he's experimenting with all kinds of things. He uses distortion pedals, he uses chaos pads, he likes to try different things. And he's been doing that for years. He's a great guy! He's really fun to watch. I'm also into an outsider artist from New Zealand named Robert Robson. He may be mentally handicapped, but his work is very organic. He doesn't think about making money...it's 100% pure.

Kyle.John & Vinny's, I think. My friends work there, the food is good, it's a family place, and the atmosphere is great. I would also go to Virgil Normal. It has a lot of energy and community. They do a lot of live shows. I like that they don't care about others and just do what they want to do.

Kyle.Wake up, have sex (Juls/Kyle's girlfriend says, "How dare you!") And Jesus... yes have sex and go back to sleep.

Kyle.To put it properly, I work, design, eat, skate, listen to music.... Well, I live like a 13-year-old kid (laughs). Like an adult but a kid. It's weird, isn't it?