Hypebeast #26

Hypebeast Magazine Issue 26: The Rhythms Issue.

Ours is a world where we can never go fast enough: rife with generalized anxiety and burnout plaguing an overworked, over-connected population. When else in history were we able to learn a new language, answer an email, make dinner plans and walk a friend through an emotional crisis within the same 5 minutes?

We see the cowboy by Matt McCormick on this issue’s cover as the unofficial symbol of our desire to reconnect with nature: manifest in our obsessions with succulents, nature documentaries, buying hunting knives to open letters and embarking on 7-day hikes “for fun.” We want to slow down. We want to discover how we’d fare on our own, without being hurried along by external forces that don’t really matter; we want to know how it feels when our circadian rhythms weren’t dictated by the light from our phones. With The Rhythms Issue, we wanted to show what may happen, when we’re not siphoning every second of our time into serving a purpose.

We visited Matt McCormick in his LA studio for the cover story of this issue, to talk about his personal journey and his portrayal of American heroes, both past and present, which depict our own vices, struggles and triumphs on a universally-relatable level. Jason Dill has undoubtedly led – and still leadss – a colorful life. We visit him in Fucking Awesome’s recently-opened store on Hollywood Boulevard as he speaks about his youth, growing up in a skate crew and now, bringing younger skaters into his own crew. Easy Otabor makes an appearance in this issue, speaking about his hopes to use his label, Infinite Archives, as a wearable, collectible history lesson for contemporary culture.

We make a trip to Felipe Pantone’s studio in Valencia, Spain to discuss the endurance of graffiti art and creating new territories within interactive art. The effusive Buddy appears in an exclusive fashion spread and, in a candid interview, speaks to us about lessons learned from his mentor,  the late Nipsey Hussle. London-based Jewelry designer Castro Smith speaks to us about the processes and philosophies behind his intricately carved, one-of-a-kind art pieces.  

Hypebeast is the quarterly print publication for the leading online destination for contemporary men’s fashion, streetwear, culture and lifestyle.