 An Interview with Karmaloop's CEO & Founder Greg Selkoe (conducted in 2008).
In these days and times there are very few companies that truly personify street couture and all that it should represent. Fashion is changing daily, and throughout the years of changes this company has been able to step up to the plate and pitch fresh new product, sometimes even before it’s available to the general public. The company has grown from clothing into a way of life, providing other clothing companies with a blueprint to follow. The Company is Karmaloop and the man behind it is CEO & founder Mr. Greg Selkoe. There’s a lot in a name, so why the name Karmaloop? When we started the site I had no idea what to call it. My boy Adrian O’Conner did the original design. Adrian has a degree in sacred geometry; you are probably saying ‘what the hell is that?’ Well, it is the study of ancient symbols and religious symbols like Celtic designs. The first design of the site was based on the Buddhist symbol of Karma, and it looks like volleyball, a looping shape, so bam the name Karmaloop was born out of that. The site looked awesome but we scrapped that design soon after because it wasn’t practical but the name stayed. Do you think where you grew up (Jamaica Plain, MA) had an immediate influence on your wanting to create Karmaloop? Was there maybe a lack of streetwear culture, or fashion where you grew up? JP (Jamaica Plain) definitely had an influence! It ranges from projects to very suburban looking areas, but it is all part of the City of Boston. Even though I grew up in the more expensive section I hung out all over the place, not just in JP, but all over Boston. I considered myself a city kid and got into Hip-Hop, graffiti, and break-dancing, while most white kids were still listening to Heavy Metal. I remember riding the L train on the Orange line (the L is gone now) and hearing ill mixes on boomboxes. The first rap record I ever bought was the LP of Curtis Blow - 'The Breaks'. When I bought it I couldn’t see over the counter cause I was so small. There were plenty of people with ill style around that 'hood, JP is an amazing neighbourhood. Donna Summers, Michael Bivens from New Edition/BBD, and Joey Macintyre from New Kids are all from Jamaica Plain. In my experience there, I came across all types of cultures and had many different influences so I have always been excited by cultural movements, particularly ones from urban environments; I'm not just talking about Hip-Hop culture but also Hardcore, Skate, and Artistic movements. In your first ten years of business, what is the most important thing that you’ve learned? Don’t ever quit. Don’t listen to the doubters. Get up everyday and get better and if your idea is a good one then it will work out if you stick with it. Also, don’t get too emotional, you’ll make bad decisions. Lastly, have fun. Is the company exactly what you envisioned it to be when working away late nights in your parents’ basement? In a way yes. I was always shooting for something that would be the top of the market that would grow past just clothing into a cultural brand. Can you tell us in what direction the future of streetwear is headed towards? Streetwear is getting cleaner and tighter. It is being influenced by high fashion and definitely getting less 'bright'. With what you’ve learned in the past from Rollins College & Harvard University, how much of it has lent itself to creating what is now the largest online streetwear retailer in the world? I didn’t learn anything at Rollins College, maybe it has changed but when I went there it was mostly a school for rejects from other schools. Kids who were drunks and couldn’t cut it at a real College went there and I have to say at that time that pretty much summed me up. I have a public policy degree from Harvard, where i focused my studies on Urban Planning. My interest in buildings, the built environment, and many aspects of cities all blurs together with the kind of business I run now. Even though I was running Karmaloop at the time I learned a lot at the Kennedy School from amazing teachers like Richard Clark and David Gergen. I also took a bunch of business related courses. I learned basic accounting, economics, statistics, negotiation tactics, and great critical thinking skills. I have to hand it to Harvard for letting me in. They have been making a real effort to get people who have different kinds of smarts and weigh heavily other accomplishments besides just grades. If a school just takes people who get the best grades they miss a lot of talented creative people, and just get nerds. I only applied because they told me they would not consider my grades in college (because that would have been a non-starter) and they kept their word. Even though people love to diss Harvard, including me sometimes, there is a reason why it’s Harvard, they innovate and lead and although I sure as hell dressed different than everyone else in my classes, I enjoyed it. Some day, maybe in ten years, I will go back to Urban Planning. What clothing brands excite/inspire you? I am not going to talk about any of the brands we sell because, well that just isn’t diplomatic. If a brand is on the site, it is a brand I am excited about. Brands I like in general and think are inspiring are Gucci, Ferragamo, and Tom Ford. They are just making it happen: craftsmanship and style. All these dudes know what they are doing. On the topic of clothing, what do you think is missing from streetwear fashion in 07-08? What would you or your peers like to see? First off, there are not enough solid women’s streetwear brands. 'Married to the Mob' and 'Made Me' are putting it down correctly but there are just not that many out there and the Women’s streetwear consumer is hungry to get more. I also think that some more of the Men’s brands should develop women’s lines. On the Men’s side: more cut and sew, more crews. Everyone is "T-shirts, T-shirts, T-shirts." We were really feeling the cardigan thing but it didn’t really get picked up by the consumer. More button down long sleeves that are not flannel. With the explosion of companies of all kinds (not only clothing) collaborating with one another, which collaborations in the past year have impressed you the most? I am all for collabs, it helps push style forward by combining two individual styles to bring out a third. I mean it is a little 'out of control' but still keeps things/brands interesting. I was feeling the Mighty Healthy x Logitec Speakers. Undft had some ill collabs. The Absurd x Good Foot (GDFT) Varsity Jacket which we sell on Karmaloop was fire. Plus the re-release of the WeSC x Adidas Crayfish Party sneaker, DC x SSUR project, Karmaloop x Major Threat hoody, and the Crooks and Castles x Know1edge watch. Karmaloop is going to be focusing a lot of energy on collabs this year and special make-up watch for our Reebok x SSUR x Karmaloop sneaker dropping late spring. What are some of your Fashion faux pas, or trends you think are dying out? All over print hoodies pretty much dead, weapons prints, loud designs. I am seeing more muted colours & sleeker designs. Future plans for Karmaloop, what should heads look out for? Well, we will keep developing Karmaloop TV; The response to this has been amazing. For those who haven’t heard, KarmaloopTV is the first on-line channel dedicated to global streetwear culture, we launched in November. We have Clinton Spark’s, Moonshine formally of the Beatnuts, and Travis from Gym Class Heroes all doing segments for us. We have interviewed more than half of our brands with people like Shepard Fairey and Hector from Triko. We also have interviews with Lupe Fiasco, Bun B, and Russell Simmons. There are over 50 interviews that are all original content. Plus we just did a thing with the show 'The Wire' and worked with them to develop original content about the show that would be shown on Karmaloop TV.  Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek talk 'Hip-Hop' In an interview with Jamal Steeles. Burnaby, B.C. 2009
 The Lookout: an interview with Banksy’s former Lookout London, England – Football (not soccer), Bruv (not bro), The Underground (The Tube), driving on the opposite side of the road (the right side) and cameras (CCTV) watching your every step. These are only a few of the differences I noticed as soon as I stepped off the undergrounf train arriving into town. It took me a while to make it down here and after grabbing a few pints and a good meal, it was time to get to my first order of business; to take get as many photographs as possible of works done by the acclaimed street artist "Banksy." This should be easy as I have been a fan of his works for years now and even though I am not familiar with this city, this man has made a name for himself, so much so that all I had to do was ask anyone (18 - 27 years old), “Where can I find some Banksy pieces?” Most individuals asked would pause for a few seconds while going through their mental rolodex, and more times than none they would share a page from their memory (with detailed instructions) of where to go to see the legend’s work. Unfortunately, every time I got to a location I had seen in magazines or from the internet, the works would be painted over or vandalized, “What the hell is going on!?" I'd ask myself, "Who would be doing this?”. Trust that it was a shock to arrive in London with high hopes of not only watching some good football matches (never happened, England was eliminated from the World Cup) but having to face the fact that my favourite street art pieces have been removed or vandalized; not by city officials or graffiti clean up crews, but by individuals with something to prove. I needed answers, I couldn’t figure out who in their right mind would be painting over REAL art. The days started to fly by with me seeing a few tags & pieces here and there, but nothing from Banksy. The days went by and still no answer, however life is funny in that you never know whom you will run into. In this case I had run into an individual who could answer all my questions, while on a stroll in these London city streets. I did not have too many days left in the city and wanted to find out what was happening with the street art scene in London and the rest of the U.K. Was it on its way out? had street art died on this end of the world? What I had been thinking for the past few days had been far from the truth. The identity of whom I met that evening in an art/gift shop will be kept confidential but I could tell you that this one Mr. Damian is not only highly educated in many things graffiti & street art, but that he was also a former lookout for the world famous street artist Banksy. While in store, Damian educated me on matters concerning the modern street art world in London & surrounding areas, techniques on finding quality graffiti & street art, as well as the Banksy vs. King Robbo feud. Getting along right off the bat Mr. Damian and I had a long conversation while I shopped for reproductions of Banksy’s previous works. “I’ve always had an interest in street art, not only locally but worldwide,” said Damian. “I’ve been a fan of many artists in the game including Banksy, Blek le Rat, Invader, Robbo, Obey (Shepard Fairey) and of a few other street artist out in your neck of the woods in Canada, there are a few really good artists in Vancouver as well.” As well as being a fan of street art, Damian also tries to teach and educate those new to the art form. Ironically enough Damian informs me of one of his previous occupations, which included running a popular shop where street art lovers (young & old) from around the world would come visit and pick up some of their favourite art pieces. “Young and old have started to embrace what's being 'Bombed' daringly on our streets and stand in disbelief at the different mediums used. I've noticed an increase in interest for Urban Art/Street Art/Public Political Commentary/Stylized Tagging/Street Colourization,” says Damian. “Whatever we want to call it, there is no real way to label what's happening, but it is happening.” There are a lot of changes happening in the world of Art including rivalries and confrontations, not only involving young punks, but individuals sticking their nose where they shouldn’t. Many times you’ll hear stories of entire crews showing up to one’s door all with spray cans in hand, just to prove their point. There are many instances of encounters like these, “If you heard it out here and it had to do with graffiti, it is probably true!” One instance of confrontation and rivalries include the recent King Robbo and Banksy feud. For those that don’t know, According to certain sources this spat stems from a confrontation in 2009 between Robbo and the now-famous artist. “I was out one night with a load of old writers and got introduced to Banksy,” said Robbo. “He asked what I wrote and I told him, he cockily replied “I never heard of you” so I slapped him and said, ”You may not of heard of me but you will never forget me.” This confrontation had later escalated this year when Banksy painted over a piece King Robbo had done 24-years ago on the banks of London's Regent Canal. In retaliation, several Banksy pieces in London and other cities around the world have been painted over by 'Team Robbo' The rebuttals have been rampant and harsh, with many of Banksy’s pieces being altered and/or defaced; for example one of his rat pieces has been done over with the title “Banksy la Rat” which is calling Banksy out for apparently stealing Blek le Rat's original work/style. “Basically, Banksy visited the Camden part of the Regents Canal and 'Bombed' around there,” said X. “One of the bombs was over a very respected Tag done by Robbo over 20 years ago. Team Robbo formed (from reputable street artists) and took revenge by altering Banksy's work – mostly in North London, The 'Global warming' writing on the canal, was actually done over by one of Banksy's former helpers, probably better I don't mention his name, but many other works around London have been “Robbo’ed”. The feud had continued for months as Banksy even responded with a piece, an image of a child looking down at a clock, which begged the question “How much longer will this continue? (destruction of Banksy’s works)” The response from Robbo and his crew was “Six Months” From then on Banksy’s most famous works have been vandalized or destroyed by Team Robbo, or so most people thought… “Now this has escalated into something more, something Robbo and his actual crew do not want to be involved with anymore,” explained the former lookout. “There's a bit more to the story but Team Robbo eventually stopped going over Banksy’s pieces and some other young 'Minded' …. Let’s call them "barely humans', decided to pick up where Team Robbo left off," says Damian. "I've met some of these individuals and they have nothing to do with the original Team Robbo and are actually an embarrassment to them. There's a lot more drama going on in this low-budget soap opera.” As one can see the drama has become a lot, and drama is something Drama can do without, as putting up pieces is already a challenge and an occupational hazard not only for artists, but also for their lookouts. These artists go through everything and anything to get these pieces up, “When on the lookout if you encounter any trouble or authority types approaching your responsibility is to get “them” to follow you far away from the point of interest,” says X. “Often times you get away but if you don’t it is not a friendly encounter, especially when they find nothing on you and return to the spot to find the piece completed.” On the subject of his experience being a lookout for some of the most talented in the game, he had this to say, “It is hard work, a lookout involves a few things not just simply “looking out.” There are definitely adventures, as well as many surprises as to where the artist your working with will want to bomb next, it can be anywhere, up, down, in-between, behind and sometimes out in the open. I remember having to get up extremely early one morning to slide/scrape on an icy channel, all for one piece!” The reason for his removal from the wild world of street art? “I’m starting to get old, the adventures were definitely unforgettable but they really starting to take it out my body, it ain’t for the weak or slow.” Many “confrontations” with authority figures, as well as beat downs/interrogations with police as well as with rival crews all played a part in his decision to change his lifestyle. “My focus has shifted now, but I am still an art lover and still keep my self very much involved.” Damian continues on by showing me some spray painting techniques and photos of some of his favourite pieces around the U.K. and around the world, all the while educating me on ways to tell if the piece is an original Banksy or an imposter; teaching me things I had seen but had often overlooked, as well as the exact measurements that are often used by the mysterious street artist in almost all his works. “In an attempt to show the world an eye beyond Banksy, I have been trying to write a lot about this type of art, its history of the people I 'Watched' for in the '80's and some I knew about then as well as those that I know now. The mediums and the psychology of artist's viewers/spectators from around the World. So far I have 3 books worth, but alas, most of it is in my head! Maybe one day I could write an article for a magazine, maybe yours!?" He says while laughing. “It’s a whole different world and being where I’ve been and seeing what I have, I have a million stories to tell and this is only one chapter in many.” Damian encourages people to keep drawing and making art, not garbage “tits and cocks on walls is not art” and neither is other types of 'visual pollution' for those who are just fans of art, Damian leaves you with a few simple tips for finding Graffiti, “It’s usually behind you and not where your looking. Two more tips for finding graffiti artists: use your nose not your eyes. Paint stinks! and Approaching a group of Illegal street artists on a Skateboards or BMX is much more acceptable than a 4x4 Truck!” As for the CCTV and the thousands of cameras around London, our friend says, “Yeah there’s a lot of those too, makes you wonder how some of us never get caught, "HA!”.  Ben Harper performs at Deer Lake Park in Burnaby, B.C. 2009.
Nas & Damian Marley perform their album 'Distant Relatives' at the Rock The Bells Tour in Vancouver, BC. 2009.
J. Steeles w/ Jay Electronica (Roc Nation) after his legendary bumbershoot set. 9.5.2010 - Seattle, WA
 Pharell Williams throwin' up the Star Trak 'V' w/ J. Steeles throwing up the Vancity 'V'. Vancouver, B.C. 2008.
Russell Peters hosting the Juno Awards @ Rogers Arena. Vancouver, B.C. 2009.
Esthero & Co. - Vancouver, B.C. 2005. The Pink Pirate by Jamal Steeles Honest, Unique and thoughtful are just a few of the words used to describe Toronto's very own, Esthero. I was able to catch up with the Canadian songstress better known as the Pink Pirate. Are you currently in the studio working on anything new? I am. I can’t really talk too much about it, other than I am falling in love with music again. It’s not that I fell out of love with it, but I have been re-inspired and falling in love again. What brings you to the city of Vancouver? I am in Vancouver to work with Chin Injeti (Bass is Base), and I also happen to be here at the same time as Maestro Fresh-Wes’ birthday bash, which is the 'cherry' on top of the cake. What made you want to start doing a lot more collaborations on your recent albums as compared to your previous ones? Well in the beginning I didn’t really know anybody (laughing), my first album was very insular, and on the second album I felt like I needed more people. I was out there a lot and met all these people and had the opportunity to work with them; I became friends with people like Sean Lennon and Andre 3000 and I knew I had to work with these individuals so I took advantage of the opportunity. The whole process took around seven years, but they wanted to be part of it. What are some of your influences? I really don’t know... It’s one thing to say who you love and who you’re a fan of. Then there is the reality of what influences you, because it’s not always what you like. Like I really love Nina Simone, Billy holiday, Marvin Gaye, and Prince, I can say those are my influences, but the reality is that I was a chick who grew up in high school listening to underground weird shit. The first 13 years of my life were spent in a small town listening to a lot of Top 40 music that I fucking hated at the time, there was a lot of Bengals, Mariah Carey, Phil Collins, etc and it’s funny ‘cause now I hear it sometimes in my music, and I love it. But that’s the funny thing about influences, you gotta be honest about what influences you, ‘cause those are two different things. Are you honoured when someone like Farnsworth Bentley says you have the most beautiful voice ever? It’s pretty awesome! Every once in a while it’s awesome to be me, a couple weeks ago I met someone and they said “Hey your Esthero! That’s awesome” and I was like “Yeah it fucking is!” What makes that even more special is that Bentley was a fan of mine before we even met and then we became friends, and then he still goes on to say that I am one of his favourite singers and he means it! and I respect him as an artist too, so it’s fantastic. It’s funny ‘cause when you friends with someone when they make music, you're kinda scared, wishing “please be good, you're my friend” and he is! Bentley was a fan and became my friend and now I am his friend and a fan of his as well. Do you think your hard upbringing affected your music? Would it be a lot different if you had grown up in a different city? It was a very tortured cliché of a kid, I was 16 in faux cafes, writing lyrics out and so dark. I think what formulated me musically and what I owe it most to was coming to Toronto at a young age. Especially now that I live in the U.S. I have to speak specifically about something most people don’t usually talk about; I could have never been a white woman growing up in L.A. or N.Y. or anywhere in America and made the record that I made. It’s because of my city, that I love, that is so multicultural, that is so accepting and integrated, that I was introduced and welcomed to such great shit. When you go to America you realize it’s not like that, it’s still a strange place, it’s still segregated, I wouldn’t be allowed to learn about country, dancehall, soca, and other types of music all on the same block. I would have never been as musically diverse, and my palette would not be nearly as wide if I was not Canadian. What do you want people to hear in your music? Authenticity, genuinity. I think that’s all that matter. I want people to hear my music and believe it. Authenticity is #1, I want people to be like “Oh that bitch is serious, she means that shit, she really means it!” (laughing). Anything else you’d like to tell your fans? I love you! And I am grateful to be self-indulgent for a living. |
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