Jesus Reyes

A Street Style Genius…

 

Jesus is a third year student at Oregon State, with the intriguing position of street style director at DAMchic. His current major is Graphic Design and Marketing. Jesus has now spent seven months with the DAMchic team and has more to offer, as he develops into his senior year of college.

Describe your position of street style director at DAMchic:

I mostly observes trends on the street, mainly mens fashion. After shows during fashion week they typically photograph the looks on celebrities after, which is where I gather my research.

Are you mainly focusing on streetwear in a certain region? Where are your main sources for spotting trends?

Mainly New York and Paris, especially Paris. They are always bringing out new and unique looks that are very innovative. It is interesting to observe.

What is your favorite part about this position?

Just working with other individuals that are passionate about fashion. I get to see their views and collaborate on everything which is awesome to see.

So why streetwear? Where did your interest/knowledge start with this area of fashion?

My interest started with the underground brands; acne studios, rick owens, mainly smaller houses. I tend to go towards the more unconventional artists. Especially in the last few years, and that streetwear is more accessible and affordable than most luxury items. You can still find intruiging outfits even with thrifting. Streetwear is a way to bring interesting fashion to everyone, not just big houses. Junior year of high school was when I started caring more about what I wore and started noticing these trends.

What is your favorite part of streetwear fashion?

Gender fluidity, guys can be seen in dresses and skirts and bring new life to certain pieces. It is so cool to see.

What are your thoughts on sneaker fashion?

This became a huge category lately. The fashion industry the past few years, versace and balenciagas for example noticed this dad shoe trend that was originally started by Nike. Now these houses are acknowledging this and responding.

Balenciaga’s are one of Jesus’s favorite   trends right now and Yeezys 350’s as well. Super comfortable, finding new ways and technology. Such a revolution. He had originally bought a pair of $495 Ballenciagas two years before it blew up.

On the topic of cultural appropriation and certain trends, Jesus mentioned the latest pair of sandals that were inspired by Asian culture. Where these sandals represented something much different for them with a poor connotation. We must observe the parts of the fashion industry these days exploiting certain cultures for the sake of creating a new style. After discussing this topic, we then continued to speak about culture within his current job with Nike at the employee store.

What is your job at Nike?

I get to meet a lot of different people that design the merchandise we sell. More specifically, the with the designer of N7 native american line. I was able to hear stories about the shoes and designer. I have now spent two years working here, and I love it because of my co workers. We are like a small family, a strong team. For incorporating my job with Nike and the school, I tend to see what is going on at Nike to bring to DAMchic. New sportswear for example, is so great for the streets. There are also some very interesting collabs, like off the wall as well I like to follow.

What are your favorite pair of shoes and why?

I love shoes, its a way to show who you are. It shows another aspect of your personality. Favorite shoes are the chuck taylors 2.0 all white. All the scabs dirt mess, been through so much but show who you are, and they are not just an accessory.