Back in 1997, I met this half-black, half-Japanese hip-hop head named Akira at Manhattan's Astor Place Cube. He looked like a little kid but talked and acted like a grown man, and he was always around deep into the morning's early hours. Forward to 2010 and he's got his own clothing label, with a fitting name: After Midnight. Recently he shared some words for the record, discussing his brand, his days on Zoo York, and life in NYC.
Maja: What's your name, where were you born, and where did you grow up?
Akira Mowatt: I grew up in Okinawa, Japan, then came to New York at age 12, and been here ever since.
Maja: How did you get into the apparel industry?
AM: I got into the apparel industry by working at Supreme, and thanks to that job I was able to learn the ropes of making success out of what was then street wear.
Maja: What does your brand, After Midnight NYC, represent? For whom is it designed?AM: AM is designed for men of all ages, and lifestyles. To me AM represents my personal take on style, skate culture and ideas I've picked up through my experiences living in New York City.
Maja: How does being a fluent speaker of Japanese enrich your social and business life? You sell a lot of product in Japan?
AM: Well, my brand isn't doing bad in Japan, and being able to speak Japanese basically just makes things a lot easier to communicate with people who are Japanese.
Maja: You were am for Zoo York and appeared in Mix Tape II while only a teenager. Do you look back fondly at that era in your life?
AM: I do look back at that era fondly. I got to travel, had a lot of fun, and made friends that I still have to this day.
Maja: Tell us a good back-in-the-day story about Harold Hunter?
AM: The first week I moved to New York, I was walking my dog when I heard the sound of a skateboard, and I walked up St. Mark's and saw a skate shop called "Swish." Then Harold said to me "Hey you have a nice dog!" and then I asked him "Where's the cool skate spots at?" So then I totally forgot about walking my dog, ran home, grabbed my skate board, went to Washington Square Park with him, had a blast, and my life changed forever.
Maja: What are your favorite night spots in NYC?
AM: I don't have a favorite club in NY believe it or not, because things change too much with clubs, nothing's set in stone—one week cool , next week garbage.
Maja: I know you're pretty into food. Tell us about some of your top places to eat in Manhattan.
AM: Some favorites are Blue Ribbon French and sushi, Castillos—a Spanish place on Rivington—Il Biggatto in the LES, Nyonya, a Malaysian place we went to—ate there today actually. That's just to name a few.
Maja: How do you like living uptown?
AM: It's cool, cause its real up here. Downtown has become really "hip" and definitely phony. Uptown is more real life, shit can happen—and no one knows me up here which is also a perk.
Maja: You recently returned to your country of birth, Japan, for a visit. How long had you been away? What were some of the highlights of your trip?
AM: It was 15 years since I left Japan making it 15 years since I've been back. The good thing was that I got to see my mom for the first time since I moved to NY. Also I got to do some networking out there.
Maja: What are some of your plans and goals for 2010?
AM: My goals and plans for this year are to keep my family happy, and to let the world know about AM!