ATMOSNYC: Exclusive Interview w/ Angelo Baque of Absurd (as well as a Peek at his Summer 08' Line!)

I must admit out of all the interviews, I've done thus far
(NA of DeadLine, Erin of MadeMe & now Angelo
of Absurd) This interview just might have to rank
at the top of my list....Angelo is not only one of the
most realest dudes in the industry, but he's also
one of the most smartest & innovative and I'm
happy to be able to call him a friend as well as a
mentor. If you ever get a chance to run into him on
the street & pick his brain you'll get a chance to see
what I'm talking about. If "Streetwear is Dead" then
Angelo & his brand Absurd are helping to revive it,
peep game, as Angelo talks about his past
(Stussy & Nom De Guerre) his present
(Supreme) his future (Absurd) & much more....
In the words of Biggie, "Relax & Notes!"

Kris: What's going on Angelo? To those that might have
heard your name before and can't quite match a face,
how about you tell the readers; Who you are? Where
your from? And, Where people might know you from?

Angelo: First Off I would like to say Peace Kris and
thank you for taking the time for this interview.

I am Angelo Baque. I'm from Queens NY. I rep it
every day. Might have seen me folding tees at the Stussy
store, holding down the fort at Nom De Guerre, or drinking
a beer at The Fish.

Kris: I said this once & I'll say it again, for those lucky
enough to have the chance/opportunity to grow up in New
York, it is just that an "opportunity" an opportunity of a
lifetime if you will, one of the reasons being as the old adage
goes "If you can make it there, then you can me it
anywhere,"and the reason being is because everyday the
possibility of something great happening is just a moment
away, and you (Angelo) were fortunate enough to be born in
the Bronx, raised in Queens & make your name in Manhattan,
how do you think growing up in New York helped you as a
person (whether it be career wise and/or mentally)? Would
you agree, that growing up in New York gives you an
advantage that others who might not have been fortunate
enough to grow up in New York might not have had?

Angelo: Absolutely without a doubt being born and raised
in NYC gives you a certain edge and perspective on life
that sets you apart from the rest. I have traveled a lot within
the states and outside of the country and you realize how
different you are being from the city. In some ways it a good
thing and in others it can hinder how you appreciate certain
situations. For example everywhere I go I am under the
assumption that someone being kind is trying to hustle me.
I'm a firm believer in "You don't get something for nothing".
So at times you can come across as a dick because
instinctively you are walking around with your knuckles up.
The city molded who I am. It cultured and raised me.

Kris: Most people wait there whole lives for there big break,
but yours came relatively early in your career, you got your
start paying dues at the legendary Stussy Store in NYC,
can you explain how did that big opportunity come about
& what impact did it have you?

Angelo: At the time I was working as a Photo Assistant
with JeffStaple at The Fader magazine. I was in need of a
job and I had asked for his help. Next thing I know I am
going to meet my future boss James Jebbia at the old Stussy
location on Prince Street. Working at Stussy opened me up
a whole new world I had never been exposed to before.
Prior to working at Stussy my involvement was minimal
with that world. Which was the Union, Stussy and
Supreme crew. I was rolling with Bobbito's Footwork
"R.I.P." and more into the underground hip-hip scene.
The companies that I was into were Writer's Bench,
UJIMA, Ziran, 10Deep, EOS and Staple. Working at
Stussy I got knowledge on Japanese brands and the
history behind the other side of the independent clothing
scene. And I was being blessed with COJP's
which didn't hurt. All this combined was the
inspiration for Absurd.

Kris: After, paying your dues at the Stussy Store in
NYC you went to become one of the founders of a then
unknown emerging Lifestyle Company by the name of
"Nom De Guerre," could you explain how the transition
came about from Employee (at Stussy NYC) to
Employer/ Co- Founder (at Nom De Guerre)? And, if you
could go into detail a little bit, what knowledge/experience
did you gain at Nom De Guerre?

(Note: Shopping at Nom De Guerre is where I first met
Angelo, back in like 2003-2004 & it's also where I first
got introduced to his clothing brand, "Absurd.")

Angelo: Wil Whitney was my manager at Stussy
at the time. He is an owner and one of the founders
of NDG. This was in '03. He literally pulled me to the
side and put me on that he was opening a shop with
this dude Isa from Brooklyn.Isa at the time also had a shop
named after himself out in Willamsburg that was making noise.
Wil asked me if I wanted to run the shop and bring
Absurd along with me. How could I say no?

Every job that I have had since 2000 has been a free
educational experience. What Nom De Guerre taught
me was not only how to run a store but also how to create
a world within a store. When NDG opened it was Wil and
I working the shop almost everyday. So whatever we were
digging at the time. We would rock it in the store.
Whether it be a new band we were into, incense,
clothing brand or a magazine. The shit was real.
Everything was hand picked by myself, Wil, or Isa.
I also learned how to buy for a store. I was opened up
to brands that I had never heard before United
Bamboo, Margiela, CDG, APC. Also the best part
was helping break brands like Rag and Bone,
Common Projects and Corpus. I also had the
opportunity to help shape the first four seasons of
the in-house NDG line. Helped curate two photo
installations with photographers Maripol and
Todd Jordan at the Brooklyn NDG location.
The best part of working at NDG was the word
"No" never exsisted. If the idea was right
and you had the capabilities to make it happen.
The rock was given to you to run with.

Kris: I remember it like it was yesterday, when I first
stumbled upon your "Absurd" brand, I was initially just
going into Nom De Guerre to browse and in the corner of
the store, I noticed a few t-shirts & sweatshirts that had an
image of Patrick Ewing with his arm around the
Twin Towers and on the sleeve there was a quote that
read, "Gone but Never Forgotten,"not only did I get a
glimpse of the greatest t-shirt I've seen to this day but,
I got introduced to the genius brand behind the product
and the name of that brand was "Absurd." Could you
explain how "Absurd" was originated? What is the meaning
behind the name? And, What are some of your personal
goals for your company "Absurd?"

Angelo: It was '02 and I had conceptualized two t-shirts
for JeffStaple.I had a some more ideas and I wanted to
put them out on my own. My only dilemma besides
money was a good name. It needed to stick out from the
rest and at the same time stay true to what I was about.
It just came one day while folding tees at Stussy.
I asked Chris Keefe DQM who was my manager at the
time what he thought. He gave it the thumbs up. The rest
is a wrap. My main goal is to always put out quality goods.
Nothing more, nothing less.

Kris: Your background in the Street Wear industry reads
like an encyclopedia. "Young Hispanic Guy gets his start
paying dues at the Legendary "Stussy" Store in NYC,
goes on to help co-found an emerging Lifestyle Company
by the name of "Nom De Guerre," develops his pet project
into a brand by the name of "Absurd" & now fast forward to
2008 you have another job title added to your name,
and that title would be Consultant for the World Famous
"Supreme." Can you explain to those that might not know
all the details/responsibility that being a Consultant
requires? And, How did you get down with Supreme?

Angelo: As I mentioned before I had worked at the
Stussy store. That is were I met my boss James
Jebbia. For those that do not know he is also the
owner of Supreme and Union.That is were the relationship
was formed. I was asked to come in and help contribute to
the company.Consultant is a part of my job but not the only
aspect. The amazing thing about working at Supreme is
having the opportunity to contribute to all projects. Whether
it be a new Nike or Vans that we are designing or bringing
in inspiration pieces that you feel would work well in the
collection. The door is wide open for all ideas to come
to fruition. With my magazine background I have been
able to take part in the last two Supreme magazines.
Producing shoots, styling and art directing. At the end
of the day I have been given the opportunity to wear
many hats within the company.

Kris: Now outside of designing & doing consultant work,
rumor has it your photography skills aren't that bad, can you
shed some light on who inspires you (photography wise)?
How did you get your start? How long you been doing
photography for? And, what has been your biggest
accomplishment to date, as far as photography
goes?

Angelo: I've been shooting for about 11 years now. I was
really into the underground hip-hop scene. I got my break
when I started interning for The Source Magazine in '97.
They would get me into all the events. I would shoot from
the performance pit and get backstage access. I would
say having my first photo published back then was
pretty major. It gave me the drive to keep going. Since
then I have shot for Time Out NY, Sportswear Internatioal,
The Fader, and so on.I also was a Photo Editor for a
few publications.

Kris: You also throw a successful party by the name
of "Coochifrito." Can you explain the origin behind the
name of the party? Who are the usual suspects that
help you throw the party? And, What can one expect
from a Coochifrito party?

Angelo: Coochifrito is a latin hood snack. It's basically
a pork rind with a fancy name. My home girl Gaby from
Worship Worthy, she used to work with me at Supreme.
We have had a similar upbringing and felt that there was
a void in the type of music we grew up on. Coochifrito
is a Freestyle/Salsa jam but over the year it has become
more of Freestyle/House party. A lot of people don't
remember but before '94 a good DJ would not only spin
a hip-hop set but would be able to rock a classics, disco,
house and freestyle set. My older sister had major
influence on me during '88 to '90t. During this time
period she was hitting up all the clubs at the time 1018,
Emerald City, The Tunnel, The RedZone and HomeBase.
She schooled me on what was going on downtown.
The rest of the crew is DJ IronLung from Brukkout and DJ
Smoke L.E.S. from NORT. Dante Ross is also part of
the family. When you come to a Coochifrito you can
expect a good time and the best music hands down!

Kris: "Behind every successful person, there is a
bunch of influential people in the background," so if you
can, tell us about some of the influential people who had
a hand in helping craft you into the person you are today?

Angelo: Trevor from DoubleDown gave me my first break
at 19 in this game. He introduced me into the t-shirt
industry. JeffStaple has always been someone that has
help guide my career. Chris Gibbs from Union, a great
peer and always has good advice to give.Chris Keefe
put me under the wing and introduced me to the
OG Supreme Crew. Isa and Wil from Nom de Guerre
were big brothers to me. Vaz TCK from
FootWorks "R.I.P"....

Kris: With Everything that you have accomplished &
everything that you continue to accomplish, is there
anything out there that you are dying to achieve, I'm
talking about the one thing that would just seal
Angelo Baque's Legacy? (F.e; Nigo of A Bathing Ape
has stated that his ultimate goal is to own a hotel and
Super Producer Pharrell Williams has stated that
getting married & having kids will be his ultimate
goal, so I'm just curious as into what is your ultimate
goal?)

Angelo: Good health and a family. Nothing craze.
Life's been good so far...

Kris: Angelo, it's been a pleasure conducting this
interview with you homie and with that being said
do you have any parting words or shout outs?

Angelo: No doubt! And thank you once again Kris...
Peace to MomDukes and to all that have supported
Absurd from the jump!