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Tapping back into the classic silhouette of The Air Max 2013, Nike and Stüssy return for a Fall ‘22 lounge-ready capsule.

Featuring an inverted swoosh and Stüssy branding ranging from the eyelets to the tongue tabs, the iconic shoe is to be dropped in three striking colorways: Fossil, Black, and Pink.

The ready-to-wear aspect of the collection features a range of pink and black loose-fit sweatpants, crewnecks, 8-ball t-shirt, multi-colour mock neck long sleeve, and white crew socks. The outerwear aspect of the collection features a windbreaker, hemp pullover jacket, and a black bucket hat.

Available worldwide at select chapter stores, select Dover Street Market locations and stussy.com, pickup the new Stüssy x Nike collection on Friday, August 5th.

Walking down the streets of Los Angeles's Little Tokyo, I meet up with Jiro Maestu, the man behind the recognizable brand Poche. As he heads down the flight of stairs that connects the outside to his studio, the space is inconspicuous, never revealing the magic that happens tucked away on the second floor of the building.

Beginning in 2015 as a woman's apparel concept, Maestu found himself studying in Paris and then back in Los Angeles, holding onto the vision that's become the brand's DNA. Officially re-launched in 2018 with a considerable focus on hats, subverting the silhouettes of beanies and bucket hats, Maestu continues to sew upcycled fabrics, creating one-of-one's, a practice welding together intentionality and connection.

Evolving over the past few years, the Japanese-American French designer is not one to consume himself with the process but rather place value on the community that builds him up. Launched in 2021, LTTT, Little Tokyo Table Tennis, was created as a club where people can connect but, most importantly, have fun. Aligned with the ethos and intention within Poche, Maestu has designed merchandise of accessories and garments, a wearable extension of the experience, and a celebration of the clubs one year anniversary. 

As I walk around his studio, I spot bins full of LTTT hats, embellished with contrasting colors and all with the Poche label, a creative cohesiveness. I'm surprised that the rooms fold into each other, a spacious studio where every corner is utilized, either with a giant sculpture or small sculptural hats, some in progress and some not. This space must only be a fraction of the inner workings of Maestu's mind, a place where curiosity and play rule all.

While Poche continues to grow in popularity, already a favorite among the ones who know, and LTTT carries on with programming, an acting touchstone for Asian-American identity, Maestu is happy with the direction his brands are heading, stripped of hyper-commercialization and the need to "level-up."

Sitting across from me on the floor, with the windows cracked to let any cool breeze in, Maestu opens up about his LTTT community, creative motivations, and the future, where growth is on his terms. 

Thank you for inviting me into your space. Can you tell me a little about Poche and how it began?

The brand itself started in 2015 with an ex-partner at the time as a women's wear line. And then it was slow for a while. I went to Paris for school and then came back [to Los Angeles] and kind of relaunched as a pure hat brand in October 2018. So a year before, we were in the studio, and then from there, it was an easy start. First with making hats for myself, and then it just kind of took over; that's all people wanted.

Like this over here. I had friends asking me to make hats, and I was making pretty simple ones,  at the beginning. Then it kind of just evolved where people were asking me to make hats for other friends or famous people. They're like, “we need some crazy shit.” I said, “Okay,” I gotta make some crazy shit. But then, I would play around with different kinds of fabrics. Hammering them into the floor and then dyeing them, bleaching them, and then fixing them. I would spend a lot of time dying things. I use fabrics that I'm kind of recuperating or finding morsels of; I would only have like a yard or two, like weird trims here and there.

Where do you source your material?

Downtown LA. Sometimes it'll be a thrift store or a garment that I’m cutting up. Now it's mainly Ragfinders if you're familiar. It's a big store. It's all deadstock fabric. And there’s all of ninth; between San Pedro and Main, there are these smaller deadstock fabric stores. That's like 99% of where I'm buying stuff from.

I used to dye everything by hand. Now, it's evolved where I work with a small dye house. We're using so many different fabrics pieced together on these types of hats. Dyeing them over gives each piece of fabric on the hat a slightly different hue. I try not to do it like a full dark dye; that way, there are nuances and similar tones of colors.

Your team’s pretty small?

The whole inner workings are pretty much just me and Patty and then my girlfriend/partner Gurina. She does, on a larger scale, garment manufacturing and production. She has a studio not far from here. She's also a designer and makes her own clothing, bags, and accessories. She helps a lot in terms of streamlining the production process. Until we met, I was sewing every single thing by hand. So I could only output as much as I had in me to sew. The team expands naturally to all my friends who participate creatively in projects we conceive and collaborators we partner with.

Do you see your team expanding?

It’s something I think about all the time.  I had a talk with Gurina about it the other day. I feel like brands on a similar level as ours may benefit from investment or backing. And then build this scalable structure. And it takes months or years to turn around the investment while dealing with expectations. It’s a step up (or sideways…), I suppose - I am still reluctant to entertain that. I really value the freedom to create (or not to).

Does it ever get hard to let go of one of your creations, especially because they're mostly one-of-ones?

I’ve never had an archive because I don't hold on to anything. I'll remember the hats for the most part. It's getting harder now because there's a lot, but when you see it, you're like, ‘Oh, I remember that. I'd rather have someone wear it than sit in a studio.

So, you were born in Los Angeles?

I was actually born in France. I'm half Japanese and half French. I went to high school and middle school in LA. And then I went to college in France, so I was living there for a while.

Do you see LA and its culture playing a role in your craft?

There’s an LA that pops into your head when you think about LA, but it doesn't mean anything. Everyone's from somewhere else here. I grew up in LA, where influences come from all over. I like that you have the space to be anything. When I was in other places and living in France, I did not feel this comfortable.

You’ve created a community here. How do your friends inspire you or the people you connect with?

It’s a subconscious thing. You’re drawn to people who resonate with how you feel or what you're doing. The inspiration is really natural, and I might not even realize it. It can be my sister (Zoe Blue M.) and her friends or my mom’s friends or anyone! Everyone is a DJ, so we have unlimited good music. Everybody's doing work for you in a way, but then you're doing the work for them as well.

Do you see Poche studio existing outside of Los Angeles? Maybe back in Paris?

I couldn't be in Paris. I mean, it's a state of mind. When I was in Paris, I was broke, trying to start this up, and I lived in an apartment that was half the size of this room. I might go back if there was something going on or if everybody was receptive to what I’m doing. I could see it going anywhere, but I don't think I would change the base. I’d always be back here.

You’re growing a lot, yet Poche still remains lowkey, flourishing among the people who know and understand the brand’s vision.

What I love about what we're doing is that it's not a brand that has a rulebook. Poche is fun because it changes month to month, year to year. It's growing like an organism that has this community that's also growing with it - not just up but in any direction.

You keep establishing a community, now with LTTT, Little Tokyo Table Tennis; how did this begin?

I've been playing for three and a half or four years. During the pandemic, I was playing with my friends a lot. 12 hours a day kind of a lot. It was kind of one of these things that really stuck with us - because it’s so fun - but especially because we felt a connection to something we hadn’t before. It’s this sport that is fun and accessible and easy for most people. Everybody is familiar with it. But then, doing research about it and learning about the sport, it became one of these things that actually was really representative of who we are. It's such a huge phenomenon in Asia, yet in America, you don't think much about it. I developed an intimate relationship with this sport that, unlike most other sports, is dominated by Asian countries. Where the stars of table tennis resemble us as Asian Americans.

After diving into the sport and establishing a love for it among friends, then it became more structured?

LTTT lives one block away from here. It’s a community center called Terasaki Budokan that is operated by Little Tokyo Service Center. They just opened last year as a result of 30 years of planning and construction. It's a huge accomplishment for the community of Little Tokyo.

I visited one day about 15 months ago to inquire about plans for a table tennis program or club. They said they had none. I offered to start it, and after some planning, it took off. It was good timing.

I always had thought I would make merch or a brand that was table tennis related. When LTTT began, it was truly a dream come true. Making the logo and then creating the identity that is LTTT has been a huge part of what it all represents.

How do you approach making merch for the club?

This past year has been about the hat. Which felt like a comfort zone in relation to my work with Poche. But the logo on the hat is what makes it all. It’s a type of product development I’ve never experienced before and that I am constantly grateful for. The merch is simple but is growing all the time. I consider them symbols of this community we’ve all nurtured. Something everyone gets a piece of.

On a design note, did you ever study color theory in school?

I went to school twice after high school. The first time was for graphic design and only lasted a year. It was all art classes - art history, drawing, etc... I never got to the computer by the time I had dropped out. It was an impulse and may have taken longer, but I am happy to have taught myself. The second time I went to school was in Paris for draping and pattern making. We’d flesh out collections and show our research, so there's some training there.

Do you come from a creative family?

My mother (Asuka Hisa) is an artist and someone I’ve always looked up to. She's also a director at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, doing public programming and engagement. Before the ICA LA was the Santa Monica Museum of Art for almost 20 years putting together incredible public programs. So I grew up in museums my whole life. My sister is a wicked painter. She’s now finishing her MFA at UCLA and has been showing for the past year and a half pretty frequently (and successfully!). And my father is in financial consultation, so there was definitely a harsh balance. He had me playing sports up until I was 18 years old. In my early 20s, I had this feeling that I was starting late, creatively. I think both worlds have now met and now work together for me, which is beautiful.

It's interesting because it’s more than just a creative passion, but it's been handed down to you– these creative tendencies and curiosity.

Yeah, exactly. It’s been ingrained.

Do you see Poche going back to its apparel roots?

I think it's something that could happen, eventually. It's hard for me. I think it could eventually become something bigger, but we're still creating this solid foundation with the hats. I've made other things other than hats in the past that people were really into. We did belts, or we’ve done clothing, sculpture, and more. I love making clothes. I have a weird relationship with fashion. I don't look at fashion that much. It turns me off remembering how much excess there is.

It seems like sustainability is a large part of your ethos.

It’s a core value, definitely.

It’s great that your brand remains focused on intentionality and being authentic.

I think that's something that we want to hold on to. I'm not trying to sell out and be forced to do things a certain way. Time is valuable. Even if we’re not capitalizing as much as possible at any given moment, other things are more important.

The past few years have raised a series of lofty, existential questions. What is time? What is reality? What is mutation? Fear not, because with LUAR’s new digital campaign, not only do we have the answers, but we also have a limited-edition, orange pony hair colorway of the brand’s popular Ana Bag to go along with them.

Making up for lost time is a magic trick we’ve all been trying to pull off as of late, and LUAR is one step ahead of the curve. Burrowing in already-existing realities—installations, images, comments—LUAR opts to build a new world from scratch, rather than wait for ours to keep up. The brand’s new drop comes alongside an illusory video, where through insertions of its products into existing images, it commands attention with fantasy. Is that a Prada collab, in Marfa? Knowing Raul Lopez, it very well could be. I guess we have to wait and see...

The campaign also acts as an announcement of a physical, one day only LUAR pop-up on Tuesday, August 9 at an undisclosed location in New York. Follow along for updates on where it is at LUAR’s Instagram page.

The journey of growing into oneself is not always facile — it requires that one looks within and learns from what is reflected through the looking glass. Lindsay Vrckovnik, designer, model, and expert of unexpected styling combinations expresses that although her Instagram feed boasts squares of seemingly effortless avant-garde looks, she didn’t truly achieve that creative and expressive freedom until she discovered herself.

Once Lindsay came to understand what made her feel most comfortable and most importantly, confident, she could translate this understanding of the self to her own brand, Verconiik. After ditching the monochromatic, ‘model-off-duty,’ expectations commonly imposed upon those in her industry, she allowed her true nature to shine through.

Through the non-traditional color-explosions Lindsay creates by hand, we become more familiar with what lies beyond her public persona — a strong-willed lover of fashion setting her own trends.

In the exclusive interview with the knitwear designer below, office takes a trip down the rabbit hole of Lindsay’s creative mind.

Your personal style is really reflective of your personality — it's definitely a little bit quirky and fun. How did you make sure to bring this unique factor to your own original designs?

I've had a really intense journey with my personal style. I think I've always wanted to dress more loudly and quirky but didn't always feel comfortable doing that. When I was younger, I struggled with that a lot. And then getting into modeling also dimmed my personal style because every model is expected to dress in all black, in tight skinny jeans, and all that. You have to look 'like a model.' That was also when I was a teenager, so I was really in the process of becoming a woman. So to be told to look a certain way in terms of also your body, like staying thin, affected me quite negatively. But I think I harnessed the way that made me feel and brought it to my designs and my personal style. I never wanted to feel like that again, so that's reflected in how quirky or loud my style is now. And it's super colorful. It's pretty much the antithesis of what I was told to look like during that time. On a day-to-day basis, I dress pretty casually just because I'm usually in here working. But my style really includes my ideal outfits if I were to express myself to the fullest. I aim to encourage people to step outside of their comfort zone. I know a lot of people struggle with expressing themselves through clothing because, you know, not everyone lives in New York City where it's totally acceptable to wear whatever. A lot of people have brought that up to me and asked, 'How do you become comfortable with your personal style?' It’s a journey, and I think everyone struggles, but I hope to encourage people to be daring with their clothes, through my work.

I love how you juxtaposed your current viewpoint on style with that 'model off duty' look that is imposed upon women and industry professionals so often. It's amazing that you found a space where you can do both — it's still reflective of your personality and you get to enjoy what you're wearing. Do you have something or someone who informs your colorful aesthetic?

When I was a kid, the reason I was so into fashion was definitely watching MTV music videos — Gwen Stefani, Avril Lavigne, and Beyonce. That music video era of the early 2000s really inspired me because I grew up in a suburb where I wasn't seeing people dressing in interesting ways. Those outfits and music videos — that made me realize that there's this whole other world to dressing and I became obsessed with clothes. I would change my outfits six times a day just because I loved putting outfits together. So I've always had that love for fashion. I think now my inspiration is a little less direct. I don't think I have necessarily an idol or a famous person that I look up to. But when I'm walking through the street, I love to — in the least creepy way possible — take pictures of things I see in everyday life. And I feel like a lot of the time its people who are unintentionally styling something in a way that I think is really, really cool, but they have no idea they're making a statement. I pay attention to quirky things that aren't necessarily fashionable. I love to take inspiration from strangers. I do the same thing with color. I'll go on walks and take pictures of color combinations that are existing in the cityscape or in nature. I definitely try to get inspiration from not just one person or one place. I feel like that is so prevalent with social media and I think that's where it becomes easy to get repetitive and looks become redundant. So I mostly try to look elsewhere, in places other than Pinterest or Instagram. I do love Pinterest as much as the next girl, but I think looking at the environment around me and putting my own spin on it is more fun and more challenging.

New York is such an inspiring city, fashion-wise and artistically. You’ve stated that Verconiik’s goal is to bridge the gap between high fashion and playfulness, making intricate designs more accessible and less intimidating. What advice would you give to someone who wants to improve their own personal style, but may not be sure where to start?

For me, if I was in a position where I was, like you said, just trying to expand on my personal style, you're probably not going to want to make the jump and buy something that's a few hundred dollars and totally out there or something that you're not going to feel comfortable wearing. Personally, I would go to the thrift store and get things that are cheap, so that way there's not too much pressure on whether or not you're gonna end up loving it or if you don't end up feeling comfortable in it. I think thrift stores are a great place to shape your personal style. That's definitely where a lot of my high school friends and I figured out our personal styles. And then, I think once you have an understanding and you're comfortable with your own personal style, then of course that's where you may be more comfortable spending the money on specially-crafted pieces, like my work.

I mean, I feel like I'm still figuring it out, which I think is a good thing. I don't want to box myself into wearing only certain pieces or styles. I definitely feel like I didn't really start buying things that I maybe wouldn't have bought in a traditional store until I started thrifting too. You kind of figure it out along the way.

And there's no pressure. It's so fun.

Everything Verconiik is made by you. So you really abide by this slow fashion cycle. Are there any other sustainable practices that you implement throughout your design process?

A big one for me is where I'm sourcing my yarn from because everything I do is made out of yarn. I feel like my knowledge about yarn is really growing every day and I've found so many incredible farms that are so close — either in New York or the tri-state area. I've built good relationships with a lot of them and that in itself, communicating with the people that you're buying materials from, is a sustainability practice because often in fashion, where things are coming from is almost unknown in a sense. So having those relationships and getting all of my materials from within the state is something that I'm always thinking about. And of course, a lot of my fibers come from animals. I love animals. So I also need to know that most of the farms that I work with treat them well. They basically consider them their pets and many of them aren't huge businesses. A lot of them are family owned. So I think we also relate in that sense.

On this idea of slow fashion, I understand that the things I make are on the expensive side for many people, but I think that we've also gotten too used to low clothing prices. And of course, I don't have to go on a huge rant about fast fashion, but I think we all know why that is. I hope I can inspire people to get out of that way of thinking. It’s not normal for a sweater to be $10 because especially with crochet and knits, someone still made that and it took a very long time. I think also making sure that the people who work for me and work around me are all getting paid well is huge. I think about all these things a lot. But it's easy now for me to control those things because I am such a tiny business, so I hope to always hold on to those values.

No brand can do everything, but any consciousness in that realm is a good start. I also really appreciate what you said about pricing. I think that knitwear, especially the things that you make, have so much heart and personality in them — it's like a work of art. So I think when you can understand everything that went into it, then people can try to understand that the price does make sense. Along with certain key styles, you also create made-to-order pieces. What made-to-order piece was the most challenging for you and what piece made you most proud?

Oh my gosh. So I actually have put the brakes on made-to-order pieces just because it got kind of overwhelming for me to create something that the person was gonna be satisfied with, with only being able to speak to them through email. So that was just a lot, but I mean, it is very rewarding in the same way to custom-make pieces for someone. I have this one customer, his name is Samuel and he is my biggest supporter — I've done a few made-to-order things for him. And again, it is challenging when I haven't met this person. I don't exactly know their body type and measurements, so that's definitely the most challenging part. But it's always worked out and seeing him in those pieces has always been so cool because this person supports me blindly enough to put his trust in me. I hope to bring back made-to-order once I have more people to help me out here. So hopefully I can do that sometime soon.

To be able to see that growth would be super satisfying, I’m sure, starting with just you in the beginning. That's amazing that you're at the point where you’re able to have that growth.

I want to get more into your silhouettes because from what I've seen, a lot of your shapes are really unconventionally clever. How are you able to consistently come up with new designs that subvert stereotypical clothing shapes and traditional body standards?

Knitwear is such a traditional craft. It's been around for so long and I feel like people always associate it with 'your grandma's knits' and it's not something that you necessarily would think is high fashion or breaking any boundaries. So I'm always thinking about how knitwear can be new and refreshed and how to push the boundaries of what knit design is. And there are a lot of designers doing that, especially now, knitwear's kind of had this whole revival which is so, so cool and interesting. I'm always thinking of that juxtaposition of playfulness and almost dorkiness of knitwear, but also, 'How can I make it sexy and kind of strange?' I like to play with the shapes and how tight it fits the body or how much skin it shows. In terms of how I come up with new designs, I'm so bad at this question because I literally don't know. Sometimes things will just come to me at the most random times — sometimes lying in bed when I'm about to fall asleep or I'll have dreams. A lot of it is also trial and error. Sometimes I'll be intending to make something and it totally turns into something else. Lately, I've been making these little fuzzy tops that are very strangely shaped. And those actually came to be because I was trying to make knit underwear and I totally screwed it up. So that's just an example of how one thing can kind of lead to another. I always try to test myself to not give up and to see how I can change and manipulate pieces into something else. And then I think a lot of my stuff is just building off of past work. I do get into creative ruts sometimes and I feel kind of stuck, but I know that my brain always has my back and I'm always gonna get out of that rut eventually.

When you're working in this world of slow fashion, you're able to take the time to make a mistake into a serendipitous success. That's the difference between this and the fast fashion process. If you're in a factory and something is not made the right way, it's getting thrown out. With designing, there's this logistical side, and then of course, there's this creative side of ideating cutting-edge designs. Would you say that you have more of that analytical brain or more of the creative brain and how do you reconcile one side with the other?

I'm definitely way more on the creative side. I went to school for fashion design and I remember some of my professors would get frustrated because I'm just so not technical. When we were making cut-and-sew clothing, like pattern making and anything mathematical, it just so wasn't my thing. I love to start something and see where it goes. In school, it was very much showing your process, showing your sketch, and then making the pattern. I really don't do any of that anymore. Sometimes I'll draw ideas because I do love to draw, but I usually want to start making something as soon as I think of it. So I've kind of thrown that whole fashion school process in the trash, but of course, there are still technical things I have to think about, like sizing. But yeah, definitely more of a creative brain.

When I look at some of your pieces, it reminds me of a fairy tale. If you could step into one fairy tale, which would you choose and why?

Is Alice in Wonderland considered a fairy tale?

I love Alice in Wonderland and that whole story and that psychedelic world. That would definitely be one that I would step into. I love all the colors in the original movie. I feel like I'm kind of existing in that world, in my studio, see — I painted the floor green. I love it. It's all colorful. I feel like I always want to be surrounded by the most color at all times.

I think your pieces exist in a world of their own, but I could definitely see your pieces existing in that world too. When people put on one of your designs, what type of place do you hope that they transcend to?

I think about this a lot because that is the goal of my clothing. I think that a lot of the people who buy my clothes already have a very strong sense of style and self because you'd have to be comfortable enough to wear something so bold and bright. So I think a lot of them already do, but I also think a lot of them buy it as an aspirational piece that maybe isn't something that they're gonna wear every day. But when they do, I hope that they feel super bold and confident and bright. I want people not to hide their personalities and to not be scared to stand out.

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