GREATEST: Alex James
PLEASURES co-founder seeks to create a brand that is inclusive, outspoken and interactive.
On the surface, it may seem ironic that the man who put Kurt Cobain’s suicide note on a t-shirt got his start in fashion working retail at J.Crew, but Alex James has always done things his own way. The co-founder of streetwear brand PLEASURES and former brand director at Thorocraft and Publish Brand has been a master at blazing pathways from day one. Whether by using internet forums to catch rides to hardcore shows as a New Jersey-teen or by selling clothes from estate sales on eBay way before eBay was a thing, James has always been an innovator. His greatest innovation, however, has been cutting through the noise with clothing that makes a statement—in every sense of the word.
You grew up in New Jersey and had a 40-minute train ride to the city. What part of the city were you hanging out in?
Lower Manhattan, Lower East side, SOHO, used to venture off into parts in Brooklyn. I guess Williamsburg is how we know it today.
What did your parents do?
Blue-collar, working class people. My dad worked for the postal service for a long time.
How did you get into fashion?
As a kid, I was always interested in what people were wearing. My parents were cool and let me express myself through clothes. I was very thrift store, DIY-inspired. I got in trouble for wearing inappropriate shirts to school, but my parents were cool with it. They would just make me turn it inside out at school. I remember one specifically, the Green Day shirt that said “dookie” and had a big shit on it. They were like, “You can’t wear this.”
What was your life like inside of school?
I was basically an honor-roll student who got into some trouble, you know. I had AP courses, did really well on the SATs—but almost got expelled my junior year.
[Laughs] When did you start getting into music?
At a super young age. I would go to the record store and talk to dudes like, “Yo, what are you listening to?” I remember going to this place called Vintage Vinyl; it was a huge record store with all types of music. That was way before the internet. You had to talk to other people to find out what they were listening to because you weren’t going to hear anything independent on MTV.
How were you able to buy records?
I was always slanging shit at school, making bootleg CDs or selling old clothes. Hustling around. I always had money.
And music-wise? Who were you into?
I had a wide spectrum. I was obsessed with Morrissey; I was obsessed with Kurt Cobain. But also a lot of hip-hop: Big L, Big Pun was an inspiration. Then I got into hardcore music when I was 12 or 13. Bands like STRIFE, Sick of It All, H2O, Snapcase, Gorilla Biscuits. I got to see the energy at those shows from a super young age.
How often were you going to shows?
Shit, we were going every week at one point. New Jersey had a lot of concerts. Philly, too, and New York. Either someone would have a car or we would take the train. There were these message boards we would use to find a ride. Some early internet shit. You’d say, “Who’s going to this show?” and hop a ride with them.
Very trusting of strangers.
Yeah, but if you’re into the same shit, you know it’s all good.
What brands were early influencers for you?
FUCT, Freshjive, Stüssy, Polo. We used to steal Polo at the mall. [Laughs] It was a very normal thing because, as kids, you couldn’t afford things. Never got caught, but I had some friends who did, so it made me stop.
How did you get into sneakers?
Growing up, I wore a lot of skate shoes: Airwalks, Vans, Duffs, Axion, DCs, all these cool fucking brands that were making chunky shoes. Then I started seeing all the hardcore dudes dress with Nike Dunks, Air Maxes, and Champion shorts. I got into that original athleisure vibe. If you go to a show, you’re jumping around, dancing. You need to be mobile and still look cool. That’s where I stem from.
Do you remember any specific pairs of sneakers that you really cherished?
Junior year there were [Air Jordan] ‘Space Jam’ 11 shoes that came out, all black. My friends on the basketball team had them. I wasn’t on the team, but I still wanted them. [Laughs] I saved up and bought them.
Do you still have them?
Hell no. It was so long ago. I had so many articles of clothing. I was an early adopter on eBay in ‘99. I was on eBay before PayPal and all of that.
How did you start learning more about retail?
I was working at Staples, but when I started community college, I got a job at J.Crew. That was a pretty cool gig, actually. It was at this mall that was poppin’ and the store was really chill. I learned clothes at the retail level working there, and I got to work at the corporate office in the city, which was cool.
When did you start getting into fashion as a business for yourself?
I guess it started by selling vintage clothing on the internet. Brands would be like, “Hey we’re from Ralph Lauren, we want to buy back some of our old clothes. We need some inspiration. Can you help us?” This was 2003 or 2004. Using vintage as a resource wasn’t as prominent then.
Was there a turning point where you started doing it full-time?
There was, in 2007. A good friend of mine was like, “I’m starting a shoe company, and I want you to be a part of it because you have some good ideas.” It was my friend Michael Huynh, and we started Thorocraft together. It was leather goods and shoes. We caught a little internet buzz and sold to some great stores around the world.
How did you guys create a business plan together?
Michael did more than I did. I was working on creative and marketing. There was an investor involved, and I basically learned from him. Working with other people is how you learn. Then you start your own shit.
Was your family supportive of the work you were doing?
Yeah, I named the SKU names from the first collection after a bunch of my family members. They were like, “This is a great opportunity; you should take advantage of it.” Then I started to travel with it: This is working; this is tight; I can see myself doing this.
The industry has changed so much. Are there tools and tricks of the game that you learned early on and still employ?
I mean, you learn from people that did it before you. Guys like Erik Brunetti, all those guys. They had this attitude: We’re going to make what we want, and if you fuck with us, cool. If not, keep moving. That’s where we’re at. These are our ideas; this is what we like. If you ride with us, cool. If not, it’s all good. PLEASURES is an inclusive brand. We want to include everyone and not alienate our consumer.
After Thorocraft, where did you go?
I was in L.A. at the time, but my father’s health was failing, so I moved back home to New Jersey. Michael had started Publish Brand and brought me on as the brand director. The brand grew quickly, and my involvement became bigger. I was there about five years. It was a great run.
Is that when you started PLEASURES?
I had started it before then, and when it began to pick up, I had to choose. I believed in my own business, so I said, “I’m going to rock with this."
You started the brand with your friend Vlad Elkin. What was your MO at that stage?
The MO was “We’re bored.” Both of our now wives were living in different places, we were bored on the weekends, and we had all this creative energy. We were like, “We’ve been doing this shit for other people for so long, let’s just start a brand and see where it goes.”
What were some of your first successful pieces?
We did an “RIP Morrissey” shirt that got a lot of attention. We did a shirt that had Kurt Cobain’s suicide note on it. That caught some attention. That’s what streetwear is about: getting people’s attention from the start and then funneling the vision through the attention you get.
On that note—and circling back to the way you dressed in high school—does part of you like provoking conversation through clothes?
Yeah, many people have told us, “I’m more introverted, but when I wear your clothes, I feel like I have a new level of confidence. People talk to me; I talk to them.” We make interactive clothing. I think it’s helped a lot of kids who are locked behind their phones and computers to be more outspoken.
PLEASURES has been successful in a lot of ways.
Right now, it’s a globalized movement. We’re in about 140 retail stores around the world. We just opened a physical retail location in L.A. When something is moving, you either jump on the train or you get fucking left in the dust. Vlad and I just said, “Let’s roll with this. Let’s push it.”
When something is moving, you either jump on the train or you get fucking left in the dust.
What do you think is the seed of your success?
I think streetwear has finally been accepted in the high fashion space. People see us as a cool alternative to Gucci or Off-White. Like, “I work at Costco, I work at McDonald’s. I only have 40 dollars to spend, but I want to look fly. I can buy a PLEASURES shirt.” We’re an interesting, cool alternative to the unattainable.
I also think there’s something great about the name “PLEASURES.”
The connotation can be really sexual, really happy or really dark. It’s whatever you want it to be, and people gravitate toward that.
You guys have shoes coming out, right?
Yeah, we have a bunch of stuff coming out in 2019.
Anything you’re particularly excited about?
Lots of cool footwear products. Some are going to be like, “Oh shit. This is some big-time stuff.” There are going to be some global launches, lots of things going on. We’re excited.
Cool. What sneakers are you into right now?
Right now I’m wearing OG Air Max 180s. I like Air Maxes. I love Doc Martens because I went to Catholic school, and they were my comfortable-yet-punk-rock shoes. They identify who I roll with, but I’m also able to wear them in a uniform environment. They’re like a second skin.
Speaking of Catholic school, you’ve been at this for a while. How do you stay inspired?
It’s evolving with travel and learning about different cultures. I spend a lot of time in China. You know the stigma Americans have about China: “Oh, it’s dirty. The food is gross.” It’s actually a dope, futuristic place with lots of history. I’ve been a lot, and I learn something new every time. Even exploring Los Angeles—I live in Koreatown, so I like walking around and seeing how people dress in this weird zone of L.A. that feels like a different country. Some of the best-dressed people are the brokest. The kids I hung out with growing up didn’t really have money either, but they always looked fly. You have to use your brain to figure out what to wear when you don’t have money. There are so many people, especially in L.A., who have the flyest clothes, but they still look like shit because they don’t know how to wear them. It’s wild out here. It’s hard to compete, so you have to realize that it’s not a competition. Dress how you feel.
What about music in L.A? Are you still going to a lot of shows?
Yeah, a lot of the bands I grew up listening to are back together. It’s cool that the music industry is looking at us as a vehicle. Record labels and bands are hitting us up to collaborate. We’re a music-focused brand, and we have a lot of big activations coming out for bands and different artists. It’s crazy; I never thought I’d be in Japan working with Korn or Limp Bizkit.
Nice. To wrap it up, have you learned anything along the way that you’d tell a younger version of yourself?
We actually get a lot of DMs with this question. I always say, “Stay true to the point you’re getting across.” It’s 2018; everything has been fucking done already. Stay true to your focus, believe in it and roll with it.
Photography by Ja Tecson and Interview by Eliza Gold