THOUGHTS

ON

CONTRAST

Title

We hit a handful of coffee shops while we were in Japan, but one in particular made an impact on us. The spot was called Covert Coffee & it was truly a once in a lifetime experience.

The employees were all dressed in black button up shirts, nice slacks, & loafers.  Lined up on the front counter were about 10 small glass jars of coffee beans - all of various origins, growing conditions, & acidities.  The barista asked us to smell each jar & decide which we enjoyed the most.

We then ordered our drinks - myself a black coffee, & Liz an oat milk latté.  The barista actually recommended different beans for Liz’s latté than what she chose - right off the bat, this indicated to us that he cared about us enjoying our drinks.

We sat down at a table as the barista ground our beans & brewed them as pour overs.  A different employee then brought our drinks over to us on a tray & explained the specific tasting notes we’d experience.  

Liz’s latté was presented in a short glass, with the espresso and oat milk perfectly marbled, but for my coffee, the barista gave me an empty ceramic cup & held a larger carafe containing my coffee. He poured a couple sips’ worth into the cup & asked me to smell it before finishing the pour - almost like when someone is served wine. He then stood next to us as we took the first sip to make sure we enjoyed it.

It truly was the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had, & Liz said the same about her latté.  He also left us with little cards that had all the info about the beans we chose.

Again, the intention & care towards what they were doing - something as seemingly trivial as brewing a cup of coffee - was so impressive and admirable.

If you’ve heard about the shopping in Japan, know that it absolutely lives up to the hype. There were endless vintage boutiques with old Nike sportswear (particularly Jordan-related), super rare band tees, and streetwear.

The coolest parts about these shops wasn’t the items themselves - it was the curation of everything that blew us away.  It wasn’t just perusing rack after rack, hoping to find something cool.  It was evident that time had been taken to showcase the merchandise in an exciting way - not just because they want to sell it, but because they actually give a fuck and are giving respect to the items they’re offering.

There was this one store in Harajuku that had such a dope window display, we had to check it out - they had Tailwinds, 98 TL’s, Air Stabs and so many more, I can’t even name them all.  Honestly, I nerded out a little (a lot) over all the sneakers, and it also felt really nice to see that there’s other people out there that are in it for the love of what they’re offering, not just to turn a profit or gain some sort of hype.

I know I keep using this word, but all of our experiences in Japan kept coming back to one concept - intention.  Rarely did we see people out on the street or on the subway eating on the go.  If people need to eat during the day, they seem to dine in at a restaurant; it may be a tiny hole in the wall, and the food may come out quickly, and they may eat it even quicker, but the idea that they’re sitting down & taking their time to enjoy their food really struck us.

And despite Tokyo being a giant city with millions of people, there was no litter, little to no excessive noise, & nobody really seemed to bother each other.  Everywhere & everything was SO clean.  On the subway, people minded their own business & were generally silent.  If they did speak, they did so in hushed voices - no people playing instruments or screaming or generally being annoying/creepy. Picture the exact opposite of what you’d witness on a New York City subway.  Even when there was traffic, we heard someone beep their car horn MAYBE once the entire time.  People seemed to respect their surroundings & each other in a way that we had never witnessed before.

Experiencing Japanese culture was exactly what we needed to feel inspired for future Damiano drops - intention, quality, care, and respect.  We aim to weave these traits into each garment we produce and know that intent is felt when our friends and customers put one of our pieces on.  We’re not just creating clothing for the hell of it; we produce items with the idea that they will get better with every wash & wear, stand the test of time, and be something that you’ll want to wear not just for a trend cycle, but for the next 20 years.

FEATURED PRODUCTS:

We hit a handful of coffee shops while we were in Japan, but one in particular made an impact on us. The spot was called Covert Coffee & it was truly a once in a lifetime experience.

The employees were all dressed in black button up shirts, nice slacks, & loafers.  Lined up on the front counter were about 10 small glass jars of coffee beans - all of various origins, growing conditions, & acidities.  The barista asked us to smell each jar & decide which we enjoyed the most.

We then ordered our drinks - myself a black coffee, & Liz an oat milk latté.  The barista actually recommended different beans for Liz’s latté than what she chose - right off the bat, this indicated to us that he cared about us enjoying our drinks.

We sat down at a table as the barista ground our beans & brewed them as pour overs.  A different employee then brought our drinks over to us on a tray & explained the specific tasting notes we’d experience.  

Liz’s latté was presented in a short glass, with the espresso and oat milk perfectly marbled, but for my coffee, the barista gave me an empty ceramic cup & held a larger carafe containing my coffee. He poured a couple sips’ worth into the cup & asked me to smell it before finishing the pour - almost like when someone is served wine. He then stood next to us as we took the first sip to make sure we enjoyed it.

It truly was the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had, & Liz said the same about her latté.  He also left us with little cards that had all the info about the beans we chose.

Again, the intention & care towards what they were doing - something as seemingly trivial as brewing a cup of coffee - was so impressive and admirable.

If you’ve heard about the shopping in Japan, know that it absolutely lives up to the hype. There were endless vintage boutiques with old Nike sportswear (particularly Jordan-related), super rare band tees, and streetwear.

The coolest parts about these shops wasn’t the items themselves - it was the curation of everything that blew us away.  It wasn’t just perusing rack after rack, hoping to find something cool.  It was evident that time had been taken to showcase the merchandise in an exciting way - not just because they want to sell it, but because they actually give a fuck and are giving respect to the items they’re offering.

There was this one store in Harajuku that had such a dope window display, we had to check it out - they had Tailwinds, 98 TL’s, Air Stabs and so many more, I can’t even name them all.  Honestly, I nerded out a little (a lot) over all the sneakers, and it also felt really nice to see that there’s other people out there that are in it for the love of what they’re offering, not just to turn a profit or gain some sort of hype.

I know I keep using this word, but all of our experiences in Japan kept coming back to one concept - intention.  Rarely did we see people out on the street or on the subway eating on the go.  If people need to eat during the day, they seem to dine in at a restaurant; it may be a tiny hole in the wall, and the food may come out quickly, and they may eat it even quicker, but the idea that they’re sitting down & taking their time to enjoy their food really struck us.

And despite Tokyo being a giant city with millions of people, there was no litter, little to no excessive noise, & nobody really seemed to bother each other.  Everywhere & everything was SO clean.  On the subway, people minded their own business & were generally silent.  If they did speak, they did so in hushed voices - no people playing instruments or screaming or generally being annoying/creepy. Picture the exact opposite of what you’d witness on a New York City subway.  Even when there was traffic, we heard someone beep their car horn MAYBE once the entire time.  People seemed to respect their surroundings & each other in a way that we had never witnessed before.

Experiencing Japanese culture was exactly what we needed to feel inspired for future Damiano drops - intention, quality, care, and respect.  We aim to weave these traits into each garment we produce and know that intent is felt when our friends and customers put one of our pieces on.  We’re not just creating clothing for the hell of it; we produce items with the idea that they will get better with every wash & wear, stand the test of time, and be something that you’ll want to wear not just for a trend cycle, but for the next 20 years.

FEATURED PRODUCTS:

I’ve noticed I’ve always been drawn towards contrast. Whether it’s music, food, clothing, relationships…anything, really. I’ve noticed that it helps keep things centered in my life. It almost creates rhythm amongst the chaos. 

I first noticed this while writing songs for my bands. I always believed in letting an open guitar note ring out while the vocalist had more of a choppy cadence for the verse, and then for the chorus I like when it switches: choppy guitar picking with a simple chorus. While one aspect is doing the work, the other is breathing.

Take Crown Of Thornz’s “Trainyard Blues” for example: hard ass band, hard people, hard name, yet the lyrics are about feelings of depression and heartache. These two things combined have created one of the most iconic NYHC records.

Another example that those close to me will understand: the chocolate chip cookie. A sweet treat, but it really takes shape when it’s balanced by the butter & salt in the dough. I personally love mine with a lil sprinkle of sea salt on top which just adds to that contrast.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, obviously known as one of the most famous bodybuilders of all time, took ballet lessons back in the 70s to help make his transitions between poses more graceful and fluid. A giant, ultra masculine dude doing what's widely perceived as the most feminine form of dance.  Bodybuilding and dance - two sports/arts that seemingly couldn't be more different - coming together to compliment one another. 

One of my (and everyone's) favorite architects/designers, Frank Lloyd Wright, perfected the art of using contrasting elements to bring balance to his designs.  A shrunken, dark, low entryway before an expansive, cavernous room filled with light.  Rugged stone exteriors paired with warm, colorful interiors.  Sharp corners & lines built into the natural curves of nature.  The contrast created harmony rather than dissonance and contributed to some of the most beautiful buildings in existence.

I’ve sat with the love of contrast for some time and love incorporating it into the Damiano ethos. We played with contrast with our collection of floral sweats. We used the thickest French Terry Cotton fabric we could find and embroidered flowers all over. Seeing men wear this hoodie is especially cool because normally, guys are focused on wearing a “hard” fit - but here you have a big dude in a hoodie with flowers on it. That’s dope.

As part of our spring collection, we’re releasing some heavyweight denim shorts with a similar all-over floral embroidery. We also stitched some waves onto the back pockets to contrast with the sharp straight lines of the garment  It’s fun taking a garment made with a rugged fabric in a very masculine silhouette & throwing flowers all over it.  Something tough softened by something delicate.

I wouldn’t say we seek out contrast or the unexpected when designing a collection.  We don’t want to reinvent the wheel and produce the same monotonous shit that the fashion industry seems to be saturated with right now. We try to have fun with the design process and just focus on creating clothing that we’re excited about & want to wear – which, given my track record, means contrasting elements is inevitable.

THOUGHTS ON

CONTRAST

Title

I’ve noticed I’ve always been drawn towards contrast. Whether it’s music, food, clothing, relationships…anything, really. I’ve noticed that it helps keep things centered in my life. It almost creates rhythm amongst the chaos. 

I first noticed this while writing songs for my bands. I always believed in letting an open guitar note ring out while the vocalist had more of a choppy cadence for the verse, and then for the chorus I like when it switches: choppy guitar picking with a simple chorus. While one aspect is doing the work, the other is breathing.

Take Crown Of Thornz’s “Trainyard Blues” for example: hard ass band, hard people, hard name, yet the lyrics are about feelings of depression and heartache. These two things combined have created one of the most iconic NYHC records.

Another example that those close to me will understand: the chocolate chip cookie. A sweet treat, but it really takes shape when it’s balanced by the butter & salt in the dough. I personally love mine with a lil sprinkle of sea salt on top which just adds to that contrast.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, obviously known as one of the most famous bodybuilders of all time, took ballet lessons back in the 70s to help make his transitions between poses more graceful and fluid. A giant, ultra masculine dude doing what's widely perceived as the most feminine form of dance.  Bodybuilding and dance - two sports/arts that seemingly couldn't be more different - coming together to compliment one another. 

One of my (and everyone's) favorite architects/designers, Frank Lloyd Wright, perfected the art of using contrasting elements to bring balance to his designs.  A shrunken, dark, low entryway before an expansive, cavernous room filled with light.  Rugged stone exteriors paired with warm, colorful interiors.  Sharp corners & lines built into the natural curves of nature.  The contrast created harmony rather than dissonance and contributed to some of the most beautiful buildings in existence.

I’ve sat with the love of contrast for some time and love incorporating it into the Damiano ethos. We played with contrast with our collection of floral sweats. We used the thickest French Terry Cotton fabric we could find and embroidered flowers all over. Seeing men wear this hoodie is especially cool because normally, guys are focused on wearing a “hard” fit - but here you have a big dude in a hoodie with flowers on it. That’s dope.

As part of our spring collection, we’re releasing some heavyweight denim shorts with a similar all-over floral embroidery. We also stitched some waves onto the back pockets to contrast with the sharp straight lines of the garment  It’s fun taking a garment made with a rugged fabric in a very masculine silhouette & throwing flowers all over it.  Something tough softened by something delicate.

I wouldn’t say we seek out contrast or the unexpected when designing a collection.  We don’t want to reinvent the wheel and produce the same monotonous shit that the fashion industry seems to be saturated with right now. We try to have fun with the design process and just focus on creating clothing that we’re excited about & want to wear – which, given my track record, means contrasting elements is inevitable.