Interview With Theophilus London At The Launch Of His Capsule Collection

Did listening to that new wave stuff early on affect what you wore as a teenager? For sure. Yeah, I guess when EDM (electronic dance music) first started in Williamsburg and the dirty, hole-in-the-wall way that kids were expressing themselves. Kids were wearing skateboarding sneakers and ripped up dirty pants, while everybody else was outside wearing Jordans, like 'man I wore this t-shirt yesterday but I'm still wearing it today.' One of my ex-girlfriends started looking at me different because instead of being so conservative, I started unbuttoning my shirt a little bit - my sneakers weren't as clean, but I wasn't mad. That was the way I was living. It was my story everyday: how dirty my sneakers were from what I had been through the past week, maybe expressing myself in a mosh pit in 2009, or making out with people at parties, or going to crazy lofts at 4 in the morning and hanging out and meeting new people. Now it's going around the world hanging out with the best. I'm performing for the king and queen of Monaco, meeting all different kind of people, hanging out with Karl Lagerfeld--so many different levels from what I came from. But it has all been a big influence - you know, style is who you are. Style wakes me up in the morning. Like 'Damn I'm gonna walk down my steps feeling fresh.' I used to wake up in the morning not comfortable with what I'm wearing. I couldn't figure out how to make myself comfortable, but now it's easier. If I don't like how one shirt looks, then I just put on a new shirt--that's part of being a collector. [Photo via BFA]