On any given day, you will see an impeccably dressed DeCarlos peddling about town, driving his vintage Alfa Romeo, or puffing his favorite Ferio Tego cigar in the front window of Sky Tobacco. There is no doubt that he would be the front runner if Jersey City had a 鈥淏est Dressed Man鈥� competition.听

Affable, knowledgeable, and generous are a few other words I would use to describe DeCarlos. Thankfully, I have had the pleasure of knowing him for over a decade and recently met up with him to ask him some questions for a 鈥淔riends of Billykirk鈥� Journal post. Accompanying the interview are photos from a recent day-in-the-life photoshoot with DeCarlos.

Q: You're from Virginia and have great passion for your birth place. What made you head north, and how did you land in Jersey City?

I came up from Virginia in 鈥�98 after rounds of interviews with the prestigious Alfred Dunhill of London. I joined that team of amazing clothiers and tailors, staying there over six years. I landed in Jersey City honestly by accident. I knew I wanted to be south of NYC. I had no interest in living in the city. I knew I鈥檇 be back and forth to Virginia, and never wanted to contend with traffic getting out to head South. So Jersey City it was. It ended up being the best place for me and my business to grow, and I鈥檝e been here ever since.

Q: I remember you once saying your father would make some of his clothes. Is that who set you on this tailoring path?

Yes, facts! My dad made suits and jackets for himself. He worked at a bank in those days, 鈥�70s and early 鈥�80s, and decided he would teach himself how to make clothes 鈥� he is a talented maker of many things, so it鈥檚 in our code, for sure. And my mom has always had a passion for style. It was natural for me. I just loved clothes and wanted to figure out how to make a career out of it.听

Q: Tell us about DeCarlos Bespoke, who鈥檚 your customer, what do you specialize in?听

We are custom suit makers and designers. We specialize in custom suits, jackets, vests and trousers. But the brand has taken on more of a lifestyle 鈥� not just suits, but all of the finer things in life.听

Q: What designers and brands inspire you?听听

I hope this doesn鈥檛 sound like arrogance, but I do not follow any designers of clothes or fashion. I鈥檝e always stayed in my lane and pulled from what鈥檚 within. However, I do have a deep appreciation of designers like Ralph Lauren and Dapper Dan. It鈥檚 more about their journeys. From where and how they got started, with so much passion, to what they鈥檝e achieved and who they are today. I see myself in both of these guys. What really inspires me is traveling, my family, nature or Virginia鈥檚 beautiful countryside and classic cars.听

Q: You have some vintage Alfa Romeos in your stable.听 What is the fascination with these Italian steeds?听

I have owned my share of these Italian beauties over the years. I鈥檓 fascinated with the design, especially the elongated sporty body. And they are a lot of fun to drive.听

Q: I have known you long enough to know you鈥檝e gone through some challenges and yet you always seem to have a cheery, upbeat disposition. Just so the readers know鈥�.Your original ground floor location on Monmouth St. was destroyed by an out-of-control car, you then relocated to a temporary space on the 9th floor of our building, and then, a little over a year later, had to pivot your business yet again in the age of Covid. This would have seriously demoralized many businesses. With all of these trials and tribulations and everyone鈥檚 work life forever altered, how have you stayed grounded and positive?听听

Yes, it鈥檚 true. I鈥檝e had a few unfortunate things happen, but also so many great things during those times. What helped me get through the weeds was lots of praying, lots of support, my love and passion for what I do, cigars and meditation. It wasn鈥檛 easy at the time. I鈥檓 very grateful to still be here and going stronger than ever. It鈥檚 a real true blessing.听

Q: We did a recent photoshoot at your bright and airy corner shop on Grove Street and you let slip some information I was not aware of.听 You and your twin brother were tapped to be Ford Models in the 90鈥檚. How did I not know about this?!听 Can you expand on that?听听

That鈥檚 funny. Yes it鈥檚 true, but maybe we can skip this part. We hated that job, but obviously were blessed with the opportunity. I wouldn鈥檛 say anything positive about that industry. So I鈥檒l keep my thoughts to myself. Let鈥檚 just say we both moved on to what we really loved to do as soon as we could. Sorry man!听

Q: Any new product or special announcements you would like to share?

New spring collection is here! Vibrant colors and textures, as always. Sports jackets, seersucker and linen trousers, band and camp collar shirts. Imagine yourself in Florence, Italy enjoying a Negroni or in a Southern Baptist Church on Easter Sunday. That鈥檚 the best way I can paint the picture.

I hope you鈥檙e intrigued to pay DeCarlos a visit at his shop at 255 Grove St. in downtown Jersey City. Have him construct a bespoke suit with vintage fabrics or take a peek at his growing collection of nicely curated ready-to-wear items. You may also get a nice pour of bourbon and catch Darondo, Miles, or Coltrane on the turntable.听听

Photography by

Chris sat down with screen printer Dylan Houser of Pink鈥檚 Inks at his Philadelphia shop to ask him a few questions about his business and how he got started. Dylan is currently printing our Shopper Totes for our Grateful Dead collaboration.

I got into screen printing after doing design and production for myself, friends and lots of other companies over the years. I thought it would be more enjoyable to handle the entire process of a printed garment from design to final production internally vs sending it around.听

Why the name Pink's Inks?

Truthfully, the name Pink鈥檚 Inks came out of being a little bit lazy. I was living in a house that only had pink sinks. I made my social media handle at the time as . When I decided to make this a legit business, rather than make a whole new instagram account, I would just call my business Pink鈥檚 Inks instead of Pink Sinks. With pink being my favorite color and us using inks to print, the transition made sense. People still don鈥檛 really know if it鈥檚 pink鈥檚 inks or pink sinks that鈥檚 how we like it.

When did you start printing Grateful Dead items and what is the history there?

We officially started printing things for Grateful Dead in 2019 with the assist from my business partner Mason Warner aka . To me, and many others, he is the king of all things Grateful Dead t-shirts. It was a no-brainer once he partnered up with Pink鈥檚.听

Tell me about your most memorable project(s)...

To date, I think the most memorable project that we got to be a part of was doing t-shirts and sweatshirts for Nike x Grateful Dead on the Dancing Bear Nike Dunk release. Being paid to marry Nike, Grateful Dead and clothing was sincerely a dream come true, especially with the artwork being done by Jeremy Dean aka . To date, I don鈥檛 know if I鈥檝e seen the sweatshirt out in the wild yet! I think the few we made for that project are being held onto really tightly.听

Any upcoming news you would like to share?

As far as upcoming news for Pink鈥檚, we do have something big in the works, but, I think I鈥檇 be in big trouble if I spilled the beans here. Safe to say, when it happens, it will be made very clear!听

Photo:

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I met Nyugen back in my early days in Jersey City at the infamous 58 Gallery, where we both had the opportunity to show work. From some of his early sculpture work with Bundle House to his current performance-based art, I have always been fascinated with his succinct message. After he recently modeled for our new website, I wanted to learn more about his art and where it comes from.

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Kirk Bray: Tell us a little bit about yourself and how your upbringing has sent you down this creative path?

Nyugen Smith: I am a Caribbean-American interdisciplinary artist and educator who lives and works in Jersey City, NJ. My practice consists of sculpture, installation, writing, video and performance, influenced by the conflation of African cultural practices and the remnants of European colonial rule in the Caribbean region. I received an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and in 2016 I received Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship. Currently, I鈥檓 back and forth conducting practice-based research in the Caribbean.

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Bundlehouse Bordelines No.3 (Isle de Tribamartica) Pen and ink, acrylic, watercolor, graphite, lace, Zambian soil and thread on paper, 2017

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KB: I know you鈥檙e primarily known as a multi-media artist, when did performance start to factor heavily into your work?

NS: Performance became a significant part of my practice in 2011. I had a solo show at Solo(s) Project House in Newark and was asked by the then founding director to consider making a performance during the opening. I gave it some thought and realized that through performance, I would be able to not only embody the work I had made for the show, fill in some of the gaps, but also add another dimension to my practice. It was a wonderful experience and I began to receive invitations to make more performances since. It鈥檚 interesting that now, four years later some people only know my performance work and are surprised to learn that I have had a longer history with object-making than performance art.

KB: You鈥檝e done quite a few residencies over the years, how have these helped and kept you motivated in the growth of your art?

NS: I鈥檓 glad that there is a perception that I鈥檝e done many residencies, when in fact, I鈥檝e only ever done two. The first one was a teaching-artist residency that I co-designed and took place at my former high-school, the Milton Hershey School, in Hershey, PA. During the day, I taught a 3-D design class and after the class was over, I had access to all of the amazing facilities and materials to make my own work. I worked like a madman and created a good amount of work there. I returned twice after that. So I guess I have to count those too, huh? The next residency I did was at Fresh Milk International Residency in Saint George, Barbados this past June.

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As Seen (rainy season)

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KB: As an artist how do you quiet your inner voice and have the confidence to continue on any particular piece at any given time? Or is this not something you struggle with?

NS: Quieting the inner voice will perhaps cause me to feel like there is no urgency to make work. For me, it鈥檚 the active inner voice that brings me to the work. It鈥檚 a guide, it鈥檚 both a protagonist and the antagonist, it鈥檚 a cheerleader and a critic.

KB: I know your West Indian heritage and the struggles of that nation factor into a lot of your performances, can you elaborate on this?

NS: My West Indian/Caribbean heritage informs my performance work, however, for me it鈥檚 my African ancestry, the struggles, triumphs, history, and contemporary urgent issues of the diaspora that inform my work. For example, my performance work has been informed by police brutality in communities of color in the United States and worldwide, informed by the multi-layered Carnival tradition in Trinidad and Tobago, and informed by religious syncretism in the African diaspora. While my work is absolutely about the black experience, it can no doubt be theorized, discussed and historicized in wider contexts.

KB: Dance, movement and theatrical ornamentation factor heavily in a lot of your work, where does that emanate from?

NS: I grew up going to all kinds of performances that involved movement and have always been interested in the way people train and move their bodies. Having been an athlete through high school and for a short time in university where I also studied and acted in a number of theater productions, and practiced martial arts in my adult life, all of these experiences have taught me so much and I draw from these experiences in my work.

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Untitled (scrubbing: an exercise in erasure)

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KB: I鈥檓 sure you are aware of Chris Burden鈥檚 performances. Much of his work verged on danger and physical pain. Your work seems to be becoming more bold and fearless while containing a great deal of weight and emotional pain. Do you feel a connection to Burden鈥檚 work?

NS: I am familiar with Burden鈥檚 performance work and agree that they contain all that you attributed to it. I can only say that I feel a psychological and bodily connection to the work when I engage documentation of it, but there are other artists whose work I actively think about and have had an impact on my current performance practice. Some of these artists are, Ian DeLeon and Tif Robinette, Ayana Evans, Preach R Sun, Geraldo Mercado and Sandrine Schaeffer to name a few.

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Ibeji returns and will protect me here, 2017

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KB: Who are your mentors?

NS: Two of my mentors are accomplished inter-disciplinary artist and educators in their own right, D. Denenge Akpem and Gregg Bordowitz.

KB: What would you be doing if you weren鈥檛 making art and do you have any advice for someone just beginning their art career?

NS: I always say that in another life I would be a chef or an architect. Most likely a chef. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen when I鈥檓 procrastinating, when I鈥檓 upset, when I鈥� problem solving, when I鈥檓 happy, and when I鈥檓 hungry. Ha ha!

My advice would be to stick with it. It is about the long term. Believe in yourself. Have other artists and non-artists with whom you can share and collaborate. READ! Teach a class or two once in awhile and not necessarily an art class. TRAVEL!

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Sophisticating the Negro (still)

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KB: You鈥檝e recently done some modeling for us, is this something you ever thought of pursuing as a career instead of the art field?

NS: I actually pursued a modeling and acting career when I was in university. It was short-lived, but I have fond memories of that time. Working with your team was a lot of fun and something I would do again.

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Nyugen for Billykirk Spring/Summer 2017

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Nyugen is currently exhibiting work at MOLAA in Long Beach, California. For more information, .

He will also be speaking at The Betsy Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. Artist Talk Universal Belonging: Transcending Borders through Visual Arts Practice is Thursday, Oct. 19th at 10:30am to12:00pm.

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"Shakespeare, in his day, was punk rock," said Angus Vail at a 2016 about his project, a traveling theater inspired by Shakespeare鈥檚 Globe in London, but made using repurposed shipping containers. Vail鈥檚 dream is to create a theater that can be torn down, moved, and set up again in a new city鈥攁 way to bring the excitement of live theater, concerts, and other performing arts to a wider audience. 鈥淏ack then, The audience was so close to the actors that they鈥檇 often climb up on the stage and join in on the sword fighting. It was a total mosh pit."

Indeed, throughout history, one of the Globe Theatre鈥檚 defining traits has been its up-close-and-personal nature. Unlike traditional 鈥渂lack box鈥� theaters, the Globe鈥檚 cheapest tickets are the ones closest to the stage. Show-goers who opt for standing room tickets, often called 鈥済roundlings,鈥� get to experience shows in a unique and exciting way where everybody gets to be a part of the action. Back in Shakespeare鈥檚 day, groundlings could get into the theater for a penny. Angus wants to continue this legacy by selling groundling tickets at Container Globe for less than the price of a movie ticket. Now if that isn鈥檛 punk rock, I don鈥檛 know what is.

I've had the pleasure of knowing Angus for about a decade, and for a good chunk of that time I鈥檝e been listening to his unrelenting desire to make this Container Globe a reality. 听If there's anyone to see this through, it's Angus...bloody...Vail! 听I recently caught up with him at his home in Jersey City, NJ, to discuss this endeavor.

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Angus Vail outside of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, London

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Chris Bray: First off, please tell our readers a bit about your fascination with Shakespeare, the Globe Theater, and how it led to this massive undertaking involving 36 shipping containers.

Angus Vail: I first got bit by the Shakespeare bug after seeing Anthony Hopkins in King Lear in London in the 80s. It was so raw,听so terrible, but even though it was so sad, I walked out of that theatre just blown away thinking 鈥渢hat was Shakespeare?鈥� And so it was the start of an incurable Shakespeare obsession.

It was very different than what a typical Shakespearean audience is like now. In some ways, it was more alive, more crazy, and often it meant the plays unfolded in unpredictable ways, depending on how the audience reacted on the day. It鈥檚 that element of chance, the interaction of the crowd, and sometimes even the way the weather unfolds during a performance. You might get a real storm in the middle of the storm scene in King Lear.听听

I also love the fact that there were crowd-pleasing special effects at Shakespeare鈥檚 Globe. In fact, in 1612, the wadding from a cannon that was shot off during a play lodged in the thatch roof and the Globe burned down very fast. No one died and one person got mild burns when his pants caught fire, but people around him threw their beers on him to put the flames out!

The more history you read about the Globe in Shakespeare鈥檚 time, the more interesting it becomes. I could bore you for hours!

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Rendering of the Container Globe in Tokyo

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CB: Did you have to get the 鈥渞oyal blessing鈥� from the Globe Theatre in London before you went down this road?

AV: No, but out of courtesy, I did want to let them know what I was doing, and because I love the Globe! I was lucky enough to be invited to speak at a Shakespeare theater conference, and was on a panel there with Patrick Spottiswoode, one of the top people at the London Globe, and he was very gracious and supportive. So a few months later I met with their management team and they鈥檝e continued to be big boosters for the Container Globe. They鈥檝e taped video endorsements and even sent me a wooden baluster from their Globe, just so I could have a little piece of theirs in mine. It was really touching. They want me to build it so they can use it too!

Angus Vail's Container Globe TEDx talk

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CB: I haven鈥檛 met many people as passionate about an idea as you are with your Container Globe project. How long has this dream been percolating and tell us about your current crowdfunding initiative?

AV: The dream has been going for about five years now. It鈥檚 really helped that I鈥檝e had amazing architects, engineers, designers, and other professionals who have joined the team and added their drive, enthusiasm, and talent to the mission. It鈥檚 independently validated that the Container Globe is practical, possible, and a damn good idea. And having people with fresh eyes and fresh ideas really helps the project develop. Nowadays, I realize that in most meetings, I鈥檓 the least smart person in the room. I have a lot of super-bright and talented people working on this, and I let them get on with it!

We鈥檙e running a crowdfunding because we want to both raise some funds to help build a prototype of the Globe, but also to show that we have a bunch of hardcore supporters that are willing to part with their money to help push the project along. Crowdfunding is hard, it鈥檚 a slog, but when we鈥檙e successful it shows potential future partners that we鈥檙e organized, dedicated, and can get the job done鈥攁nd that we have enthusiastic supporters who want to see it happen.

Rendering of the Container Globes stage

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CB: Tell us about your first container project, ArtBloc, and how you got interested in repurposing shipping containers for public use?

AV: We wanted to start a gallery in Jersey City, but soon realized that it was too expensive. So we saw container structures around and thought we鈥檇 be able to do something that鈥檚 cheaper than a brick-and-mortar gallery, something moveable and multifunctional.

In a way, the ArtBloc gave us our first experience of fabricating shipping containers into an art space鈥攌nowing how to move them around and getting a feel for their advantages and limitations. All of this has helped in our current endeavor.

ArtBloc is now part of the greater Container Globe project currently being built in Detroit.

CB: Unfortunately, I wasn鈥檛 able to see your TEDx Talk on the Container Globe in early 2016. Brilliant job by the way. Besides the crowdfunding efforts are there any new developments you would like to share?

AV: Thanks, the TEDx Talk was fun. I could talk about Shakespeare and punk rock all day. Don鈥檛 get me started.

The most important development is that we have a site for the Globe in Highland Park, Michigan, that鈥檚 within the greater Detroit area, where the ArtBloc is. We鈥檙e starting work on the fabrication of the containers for the prototype of the Globe. We want to work out some practicalities and make the inevitable mistakes with the prototype first. Plus, we want to show people that we鈥檙e building something real. The nice thing about using containers is that we can just keep adding containers like a big LEGO project.

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ArtBloc installed in Jersey City with artwork by Anne Percoco听

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CB: At first glance, this seems like a damn big undertaking. But then I'm reminded of all the massive traveling circuses, amusement parks, and rock 鈥榥鈥� roll stages that go up in a week. How different is this compared to those events?

AV: It is a little different. With rock 鈥榥鈥� roll stages, they use scaffolding and truss sections that all fit together and can be erected and dismantled in a few hours.

The Container Globe is a full-scale venue that can be erected in one place for a minimum of, say, 6 months, and then moved to a new location. And the fact that it鈥檚 made of containers that are designed to be easily transportable makes the moving process easier. But we鈥檒l still need cranes and lots of trucks to move it.

I鈥檝e been a business manager for some big-name rock bands for more than 30 years, starting from INXS to KISS, and so I鈥檓 familiar with touring large sets of stage equipment around the world. So the first thing I did when putting this idea together was run it by our road crew production manager, who is a hard-core veteran of moving stages everywhere, and he immediately gave it two thumbs up. So it was nice to get his nod!听听

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Construction animation of the Container Globe

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CB: Well, I really hope I am there when the first Container Globe is unveiled and you take the stage. What will that moment mean to you and when can we expect to see one officially standing in all its glory?

AV: Thanks! You better be there! And I know there will be better-looking and better-qualified Shakespeare actors that鈥檒l be taking the stage before me. I can鈥檛 even think about what it鈥檒l feel like on opening night because we have such a long list of things to do before then.

The biggest thing with this and any passion project is the execution taking all the steps, getting past all the setbacks, and just grinding forward. Always forward. I have a little saying taped to my desk: 鈥淰ision without execution is hallucination.鈥� That says it all. It鈥檚 just about bloody well doing it.

To support the Container Globe project,听you may contribute .

To learn more about the project, please visit