Out and about on the streets of New York with the guys from 3sixteen.

New York is a diverse place. In fact, the term diverse doesn’t seem to do it justice. It is a melting pot. A fusion over five boroughs with such a wide variety of ethnic diversities that the city defies any kind of stereotype, classification or warrants a definition.

Each time you visit New York you see a different side. And as you get to know a few locals you start to understand that every New Yorker sees the place through a slightly different lens.

Early on in 2019, our long-time collaboration partner and photographer extraordinaire, Anny CK found herself in New York. While she was there we hooked her up with a couple of friends who could show her “their” New York. Naturally, she took along her camera and captured her experience.

Her first port of call was to 3sixteen (she also passed by Knickerbocker MFG, but that is a story for another time). Andrew and Wesley took her around their studio and out on the streets. We also had a chat with the two guys to find out a little more about what New York means to them.

New York:

3sixteen have offices on the East and West coast, what was it about New York that made you make your home there?

Wesley: I’m not from NYC originally – I was born and raised in a small beach town in Delaware. My uncle lived here so I spent time as a kid coming to visit him and to skate. I always loved the energy, especially being into skateboarding and streetwear. New York is basically the epicentre of these subcultures. I went to college in Philly and loved it, still do, but I found myself wanting a faster pace. I was lucky enough to have an opportunity to work for 3sixteen and that allowed me to move up and cement myself down.

NYC is a funny place though. We all put up with so much that any normal person would never deal with: expensive, tiny apartments, an often difficult transit system, the trash – but something keeps us all here. I used to joke that it was a type of Stockholm Syndrome but I think it’s something more than that. There’s something completely inimitable about the city and you only really notice it when you leave. You can do anything here. There are so many possibilities and you can constantly reinvent yourself. I’ve never been able to explain why I love it so much to anyone, but anyone who’s lived here probably understands.

Andrew: I was born and raised on the east coast, specifically in the northern suburbs of NYC. Both of my parents worked in the city and I grew up making little trips down here to visit and get my cultural fill. I left for Chicago when I was 18 to go to college, and came back in 2004 and set down roots in Queens with my wife ever since. There’s no other place in the world like New York City. It’s expensive, dirty and crowded – but the energy is unmatched. It’s important for us to be here as a brand: everyone passes through this city, and it’s an ongoing source of inspiration for us. And if I am speaking as a husband and father, the diversity that the city presents – both ethnically and socioeconomically – is important to my wife and I in raising well-rounded boys.

Office:

Where is the office located and how long have you been there?

Andrew: Our current office is on the edge of the Lower East Side and Chinatown, and we’ve been here for almost two years now. 3sixteen has been headquartered in the Lower East Side since 2007 – our first office was at 151 Allen Street (it’s now a cafe or something). Two years later, Johan and I partnered to open up Self Edge NY a block over, and we set up shop in the back of the store. We outgrew that space and moved over to 162 Allen, where we celebrated our brand’s 10 year anniversary. We eventually needed a little bit more space and relocated to 98 Forsyth. We love it here: the large windows give us and our plants lots of natural daylight.

You have some nice art in the office, any stand out pieces?

Andrew: I don’t know if there are any standout pieces here, but they all mean something to us. One painting we have was done by our FW17 lookbook model; while we were shooting with him, he told us that he was a painter and I loved his work so I bought a piece. Another is by our good friend Thomas Hooper, a tattooer and fine artist who’s both collaborated with the brand and tattooed both Johan and me. There are lots of originals and prints from friends, as well as exhibition posters from contemporary artists who inspire us. It’s just a weird mashup of things we are into – hopefully, when people visit the space, they get a little taste of what we are about.

Where is the bike from?

Andrew: Both Wesley and I own the same bike, actually. We bought them from a local shop called Mott Street Cycles in Chinatown that specialized in fixed gear cycles, but we were both more into their 3-speed city cruiser model. We’ve each added little modifications to our bikes to make them ours.

Pizza:

The pizza place you took Anny to, where is it located and what makes it special for you guys?

Wesley: Scarr’s is so interesting purely for the fact that they care deeply about what they do; there’s not a lot of places like that anymore. Every step of the process is considered and no expense spared. They truly want to make the best slice of pizza possible. Pizza is on every corner in NYC but it’s hard to find anyone who takes it as seriously as Scarr.

Andrew: We could talk about the insane level at which Scarr and his team are making pizza: organic ingredients, house-milled flour, and yet still selling them by the slice for a reasonable price. We could talk about the vibe, which on any given night of the week is super special – it’s always jam-packed in the back with 90’s rap music blasting. You can order a $4 Presidente beer or a $12 glass of natural wine to go with your pizza. But at the end of the day, Scarr’s is our neighbourhood shop. It doesn’t matter that it’s arguably the best slice in New York City. We are locals and we want to support local businesses, and it’s amazing to be able to walk a few blocks and eat a slice or two at a world-renowned pizza joint where we know the people who are making our food.

Clothing:

What pieces are you and Wesley wearing?

Wesley: I’m wearing our Mechanic Jacket and Fatigue Pant from FW18. These are two of my favourite pieces we’ve ever made. The mechanic jacket is in a hard-wearing linen twill that softens up really nicely; it’s a great mid-layer for winter or an outer piece in fall or spring. It really is the most worn garment I’ve had in a long time. The fatigue pants are a call back to our CS fit, which I wear but we don’t produce anymore. I’m also wearing a pair of Carpe Diem boots I’ve had for a few years. Interesting story though: the founder, Maurizio Altieri, wandered into our showroom a couple of years ago while I was wearing these. He ended up coming in because he saw my bike but ended up hanging out for a while. His design perspective is completely unique and very different than what we do at 3sixteen but we found a lot of common ground between what we do. We’ve since kept in touch a little and I’ll always appreciate his outlook on design and the clothing industry as a whole.

Andrew: I’m wearing a 3sixteen indigo blocked long sleeve shirt that we made in 2017. It’s not the best selling shirt we’ve made by a long shot but I personally love it – it was our version of a fun shirt using two different indigo shirting fabrics on different panels. After a bunch of wears and washes over these past two years, it’s starting to fade in a beautiful and subtle way. My jeans are our CT-100xk jeans, which I’ve been wearing for a year and a half at this point. I don’t think Johan or I have ever designed a fit specifically for “us” but I’d say that the CT feel like they were made for me: big thighs, high rise, just the right amount of taper. The boots are Viberg Ropers which are hands down the most comfortable pair of boots I own; it’s hard to go back to anything else after these. I’m also wearing a lined CDG Good Design Shop coach’s jacket that I scooped up in Tokyo while visiting with Johan a few years back.