Colin Sutton, Raymond Roker, me and Ruslan Karablin @ 432F - 1992

Raymond Roker posted this picture on Facebook recently in an album titled, “A Time Before Digital Cameras”, which evoked fond memories taking me back seventeen years.  Wow, seventeen years, I doubt anyone in the picture knew at the time, but looking back now, the first 432F trade show could be considered a seminal chapter in streetwear and its culture. This was the first time streetwear brands like 555-Soul, (Ludlow Street days) SSUR, Subware, Pervert, HAZE, ConArt, Label, Greed, Tribal, Mankind and even Ecko were showing their lines.  In the following seasons Futura 2000, PNB Nation and Obey would show, as would many others; in a sense 432F paved the way for trade shows like Agenda today.

It’s also great to see that everyone in this flick is still doing their thing, growing and evolving, being true visionaries and pioneers; all of whom I have the utmost respect for.  In future posts I hope to be able to reach out to everyone in the picture to get their thoughts and insight on the changes and seismic shifts that have happened in our world and culture since.  Back then, we were just a young, creative, independent community brought together through a network in a time before the internet, a time before digital…