interview
[gabriel] what inspired the overthinking hooper design?
[ali] i was doing a lot of acid in college, and i guess i did kind of want to kill myself but it wasn’t anything crazy. i was just looking at the jordan logo and thought, “what if he was killing himself?” i googled for like an hour, thinking someone must’ve done it already but nobody had. so i made it. at first, the mock-up only got like 700 likes, but then i posted a tiktok of when the shirt got made, and it blew up.
[gabriel] how do you decide when a concept is finished?
[ali] when it translates what i’m trying to say. a lot of my stuff is simple looking. it’s not about how it looks. it’s about the message. if you get the message, i did my job. i don’t overdesign or try to make things look super pretty.
[gabriel] do you design with a message in mind or let it emerge naturally?
[ali] it’s about my struggles, but in a way that’s relatable. it’s not about me. it’s about struggles everyone can relate to. so yeah, the message is intentional.
[gabriel] what makes a design feel complete to you?
[ali] when it says what i want it to say. that’s it.
[gabriel] how do you balance simplicity and complexity in your work?
[ali] we don’t do too much. a lot of it starts from stock photos. i’m not trying to make things look crazy or hypebeast. it’s all about message.
[gabriel] do you ever scrap designs you love because they don’t fit your brand?
[ali] yeah bro. you only see the good shit. i suck a lot of the time.
[gabriel] what’s a detail in your work most people miss?
[ali] in “same words different worlds,” one side is blue and the other white. it shows contrast, drugs vs love, but also visually. one side looks more colorful but is actually more simple. that’s why love is better.
[gabriel] what role does imperfection play in your work?
[ali] a big one. imperfection reminds me i’m human. when something doesn’t get likes, it humbles me and makes me better.
[gabriel] what separates a good design from a great one?
[ali] originality.
[gabriel] do your designs reflect your current state of mind?
[ali] 100 percent. especially more now than ever.
[gabriel] what artists or creatives outside fashion influence you?
[ali] banksy.
[gabriel] is your work ever a reaction to pop culture?
[ali] yeah. the britney spears and jordan stuff are all pop culture references.
[gabriel] how does music shape the visuals you create?
[ali] the music you listen to shapes your personality. rock, netspend, all that fuels my creativity.
[gabriel] do you think fashion should challenge people?
[ali] yeah, even though my stuff looks simple, the ideas are challenging.
[gabriel] what films or visual media have had the deepest impact on your work?
[ali] 500 days of summer and banksy’s documentary exit through the gift shop.
[gabriel] how do current events seep into your designs?
[ali] i try to bring awareness, like what’s happening in pakistan or with trump, even if it loses me followers.
[gabriel] what’s your take on fashion trends vs timelessness?
[ali] trends are stupid. i just wear a t-shirt and pants every day. i don’t like baggy cropped tees or hype trends.
[gabriel] do you feel pressure to be culturally relevant?
[ali] i used to, but i stopped caring. whether i blow up or not, it just happens.
[gabriel] what’s your relationship with internet culture?
[ali] i grew up on it. it’s all i know. my girlfriend says i’m too online. but i love the internet.
[gabriel] who are your cultural icons?
[ali] earl sweatshirt, sean pablo, banksy, random instagram artists, michael jordan. there’s a lot.
[gabriel] what’s the first step when starting a new piece?
[ali] the idea. it’s all about the idea.
[gabriel] do you design more when you’re happy or sad?
[ali] sad.
[gabriel] what’s your work environment like?
[ali] a dark room. drugs.
[gabriel] do you sketch or go straight to digital?
[ali] digital first. if i can’t find what i want, i draw it.
[gabriel] what’s the hardest part of creating something from scratch?
[ali] the idea. if you have a good idea, everything else can follow. even if you can’t draw.
[gabriel] what do you do when you hit creative block?
[ali] i promote old shit. if i don’t post new stuff for months, that’s how you know it’s rough.
[gabriel] how much of your process is spontaneous?
[ali] all of it. i get ideas randomly, write them down, then make them later.
[gabriel] how often do your original ideas change during execution?
[ali] every time. except for the jordan one, that was straight. everything else changes.
[gabriel] do you experiment with materials or stick to what you know?
[ali] i usually stick to what i know. t-shirts, hoodies, scarves, hats.
[gabriel] what’s one part of your process you wish more people saw?
[ali] the pain.
[gabriel] do you think your designs express your subconscious?
[ali] yeah. my subconscious and conscious self, it’s all me.
[gabriel] have your designs helped you work through something personal?
[ali] yeah. a lot of it is about my ex, relationships, problems. it keeps me from killing myself.
[gabriel] do people interpret your work the way you intend it?
[ali] fuck no. people think i’m promoting drugs or telling people to kill themselves. that’s not what i’m trying to say. especially younger kids, like 13 to 16. they don’t get it a lot of the time, but it’s fine.
[gabriel] is fashion therapy for you?
[ali] yeah. art is therapy and fashion is art.
[gabriel] how much of your identity lives in your clothes?
[ali] all of it. my life revolves around this. it’s all i do.
[gabriel] do you create for yourself or for others?
[ali] myself. unless i’m really broke. then i make stuff for others.
[gabriel] how do you handle vulnerability in your work?
[ali] i’m honest. i try to show both sides and let the viewer decide.
[gabriel] what does the overthinking hooper design mean to you personally?
[ali] don’t kill yourself. reach for the stars. he’s dunking as he kills himself. it’s the final point. do everything you want before you’re gone.
[gabriel] do your clothes reflect your internal world or the outside one?
[ali] both. i take inspiration from the outside, like trump, and also my personal life.
[gabriel] what type of fashion genre would you label your brand under?
[ali] i don’t know. i let people decide. i just make shirts, hoodies, scarves, hats. it’s just art.
[gabriel] what makes a piece stand out today?
[ali] boldness. if you get the message fast, that makes it stand out.
[gabriel] what separates your work from what’s already out there?
[ali] originality. i try to make stuff no one’s done or things so good people want to steal them.
[gabriel] do you think the underground still exists?
[ali] yeah. it’s alive. even popular artists like netspend still have underground energy. i grew up on 1300 world. that scene saved my life.
[gabriel] what city is leading in streetwear culture right now?
[ali] new york city. not just because i’m from there. it’s facts.
[gabriel] how do you feel about the resale market?
[ali] it’s stupid but i love it. people selling my 35 dollar shirt for 120 is wild. i’m just blessed.
[gabriel] do you collaborate or prefer solo work?
[ali] i prefer solo. i always end up doing solo work.
[gabriel] how did 242g start?
[ali] really shitty instagram brand. didn’t even make stuff. i forgot what i made but it was my friends, and it made a lot of money. and i was like bro i could make something like that in photoshop, or something better. originally it was like 3h3 something something, it was a spam account. the first design i made was the fight club one, and everyone at school was fuckin with it. this was a time in school when everyone liked me, and i put 242g on it. 242 was the street i lived on, and the G means like grams for drugs.
[gabriel] who were you before all this fashion shit?
[ali] i was a skater.
[gabriel] did you grow up around art or did it come later?
[ali] my dad’s a graffiti artist. my dad showed me banksy when i was 10 years old and gave me a 1/50 banksy signed book. i still have it. i read it every night.
[gabriel] what’s your earliest memory of creating something?
[ali] uhh i used to go to taekwondo, and i hated it. so i used to make comic books in the corner and sold it to the kids at after school. they were ass but still pretty cool. i know to all my friends reading this, you’ll know what i’m talking about. i was literally 9 years old, 7 years old. i kinda loved life at the time, i never smoked or touched a weed in my life.
[gabriel] how does where you’re from show up in your work?
[ali] uhh like, my heart gets broken a lot. not really but i make a lot of designs of white people and i’m black. people thought i was british. a lot of people enjoyed my designs. a lot of my friends are white. i don’t like the word whitewashed, but growing up, i was. my best friend in high school was black. he was my brother.