Sisonek with Drew Curry

Fabien Montique on home, Virgil Abloh, how an image can change your life, and more on this week’s conversation. 

Fabien Montique is a visionary fashion photographer and director who has left an indelible mark on the industry. Growing up in Barbados, he was inspired by a Calvin Klein ad that ignited his passion for photography and fashion. After moving to New York City, Fabien began capturing the style and essence of his friends, eventually gaining the attention of Kanye West through a blog showcasing his visual talent. He went on to contribute his creative genius to the Donda team and was later entrusted by Virgil Abloh to shape the visual identity of Off-White. Fabien's lens has captured iconic figures like Jay-Z, Pusha T, Tracey Ellis Ross, and Kid Cudi, as well as fashion brands such as Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, and Kenzo. His work has also graced the covers of renowned publications like Vogue, GQ, and Perfect Magazine. Today, Fabien Montique continues to push the boundaries of fashion photography with his unique vision and storytelling mastery.

You can also find Fabien’s work through his website (http://www.fabienmontique.com/)

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Thank you for listening to Sisonek with Drew Curry.

Join us in our journey by subscribing to us on:

Youtube: ⁠(⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@Sisonek⁠⁠)⁠⁠

Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sisonek-with-drew-curry/id1718455818⁠

Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/6YCoZo7WprPvjC3Il8xY51⁠

and all other announcements by signing up through our website. ⁠sisonek.com⁠

You can also follow Sisonek on Instagram (⁠https://www.instagram.com/airei.la/⁠)

Sisonek is hosted by Drew Curry, artist, and designer of AIREI.

AIREI is a Los Angeles-based brand from Drew Curry. Shortlisted for the 2022 LVMH Prize for Emerging Designers, worn by Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Bad Bunny, and other notables, while also gaining recognition from John Galliano, Suzy Menkes, and Julie Gilhart. 

AIREI promotes humanity by elevating the perception of the outcasts, forgotten, and misunderstood.

Illustrating the human condition, Drew uses deconstruction and reconstruction techniques to call attention to fragility.

Single threads are a signature in his work, representing mending and healing. Each hand-finished garment is signed and numbered by the artisan.

Drew highlights the human touch by allowing the uniqueness of the garments to become the focus.

AIREI is stocked globally at all Dover Street Markets and other retail partners worldwide.

Follow Drew on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠(https://www.instagram.com/drewcurryx/) and X (https://www.x.com/drewcurryx/).

Follow AIREI on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/airei.la/) and find the full list of stockists on AIREI’s website.(https://www.airei.la)

Thank you to our incredible team:

Produced by AIREI LLC

Co-produced by Rohan Satyavrata and Ruance co.

Edited by Jeswin George

Music by Ryan Hughes

Sisonek cover art by Ken Camellia

Artwork by Drew Curry

Josh Madden on creative connection, intuition, letting your soul do what it needs to do, and more in this week’s conversation. 

With a career spanning two decades in the dynamic worlds of music, advertising, and fashion, Josh Madden has become a quiet force in creative marketing and content production. Together with his brothers Benjamin and Joel Madden, Josh co-founded MDDN, a trailblazing creative agency and record label supporting the next generation of musicians of all genres.

Josh also serves as the Co-Producer of "Artist Friendly," a podcast series between musicians hosted by his brother Joel Madden. Additionally, he holds the position of Creative Director at Alternative Press, a renowned alternative music and culture publication. 

Before his current roles, Josh Madden held influential positions at various renowned organizations. He led Marketing and Special Projects at Epic Records, was the Director of Marketing and Content at Nylon Guys, and was the Creative Director of XLARGE and x-girl North America.

From DJ’ing, to styling, to serving as a creative shepherd to the world’s most influential artists, Josh Madden's journey has been defined by his unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of creativity. 

You can follow Josh on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/joshmadden/)

MDDN (https://www.instagram.com/mddnco/)

Alternative Press (https://www.instagram.com/altpress/)

Artist Friendly with Joel Madden (https://open.spotify.com/show/5VmqScZECoj6jLS43S32ff)

——

Thank you for listening to Sisonek with Drew Curry.

Join us in our journey by subscribing to us on:

Youtube: ⁠(⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@Sisonek⁠⁠)⁠⁠

Apple Podcasts: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sisonek-with-drew-curry/id1718455818⁠

Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/6YCoZo7WprPvjC3Il8xY51⁠

and all other announcements by signing up through our website. ⁠sisonek.com⁠

You can also follow Sisonek on Instagram (⁠https://www.instagram.com/airei.la/⁠)

Sisonek is hosted by Drew Curry, artist, and designer of AIREI.

AIREI is a Los Angeles-based brand from Drew Curry. Shortlisted for the 2022 LVMH Prize for Emerging Designers, worn by Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Bad Bunny, and other notables, while also gaining recognition from John Galliano, Suzy Menkes, and Julie Gilhart. 

AIREI promotes humanity by elevating the perception of the outcasts, forgotten, and misunderstood.

Illustrating the human condition, Drew uses deconstruction and reconstruction techniques to call attention to fragility.

Single threads are a signature in his work, representing mending and healing. Each hand-finished garment is signed and numbered by the artisan.

Drew highlights the human touch by allowing the uniqueness of the garments to become the focus.

AIREI is stocked globally at all Dover Street Markets and other retail partners worldwide.

Follow Drew on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠(https://www.instagram.com/drewcurryx/) and X (https://www.x.com/drewcurryx/).

Follow AIREI on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/airei.la/) and find the full list of stockists on AIREI’s website.(https://www.airei.la)

Thank you to our incredible team:

Produced by AIREI LLC

Co-produced by Rohan Satyavrata and Ruance co.

Edited by Jeswin George

Music by Ryan Hughes

Sisonek cover art by Ken Camellia

Artwork by Drew Curry

Edward Cuming on lightness, experimenting with color, selling his collection from a trash bag, and more in this week’s conversation. 

Edward Cuming is the Australian-born, Madrid-based designer leading his namesake label, Edward Cuming.

A graduate of Central Saint Martin’s MA in Fashion, Cuming launched the brand in 2019 with a proposition for atypical menswear that eschews tradition – of tailoring and thought alike – in favour of a practice grounded in observation and an exploration of the sensorial.

Underpinning Cuming’s rigorous experimentation with fabrication, a languid silhouette and bold use of color is a desire to render in physical form the ephemeral: Those fleeting moments or sensations that can first read as inconsequential, but when interrogated further reveal moments of quiet transcendence amid the banal.

Creating tender, binary-challenging clothing, Edward Cuming is at the vanguard of a free-flowing, artful approach to fashion.

You can follow Edward's journey on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/edward.cuming/) and on his website (https://www.edwardcuming.com/)

——

Thank you for listening to Sisonek with Drew Curry.

Join us in our journey by subscribing to us on:

Youtube: (https://www.youtube.com/@Sisonek)⁠

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sisonek-with-drew-curry/id1718455818

 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6YCoZo7WprPvjC3Il8xY51

and all other announcements by signing up through our website. sisonek.com

You can also follow Sisonek on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/airei.la/)

Sisonek is hosted by Drew Curry, artist, and designer of AIREI.

AIREI is a Los Angeles-based brand from Drew Curry. Shortlisted for the 2022 LVMH Prize for Emerging Designers, worn by Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Bad Bunny, and other notables, while also gaining recognition from John Galliano, Suzy Menkes, and Julie Gilhart. 

AIREI promotes humanity by elevating the perception of the outcasts, forgotten, and misunderstood.

Illustrating the human condition, Drew uses deconstruction and reconstruction techniques to call attention to fragility.

Single threads are a signature in his work, representing mending and healing. Each hand-finished garment is signed and numbered by the artisan.

Drew highlights the human touch by allowing the uniqueness of the garments to become the focus.

AIREI is stocked globally at all Dover Street Markets and other retail partners worldwide.

Follow Drew on Instagram ⁠(https://www.instagram.com/drewcurryx/) and X (https://www.x.com/drewcurryx/).

Follow AIREI on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/airei.la/) and find the full list of stockists on AIREI’s website.(https://www.airei.la)

Thank you to our incredible team:

Produced by AIREI LLC

Co-produced by Rohan Satyavrata and Ruance co.

Edited by Jeswin George

Music by Ryan Hughes

Sisonek cover art by Ken Camellia

Artwork by Drew Curry

Kartik Kuma of Karu Research on craftsmanship, bootstrapping his brand, embracing his Indianness, and more in this week’s conversation.

Karik Kumra is the designer of Karu Research. Karu means 'artisan' when translated from Sanskrit. At Karu Research, the preservation of Indian handicrafts is brought to the forefront through intimate collaboration with master craftspeople all around the country to create modern menswear. Karu Research is an Indian luxury brand that references India's cultural heritage. Each piece of clothing has some element of the hand in it. After launching Karu Research in 2021, the brand has built relationships with handloom weavers from Andhra Pradesh and Bengal, hand embroiderers from Delhi and Bengal, and Natural Dyers from Karnataka and Odisha. Each artisan we work with comes from a lineage of craftspeople who have helped preserve their work, ensuring a high degree of quality and expertise in each garment. Karu Research was founded by Kartik Kumra in his sophomore year of university when he traveled to different artisanal clusters around India to better understand the processes and the value that artisans place on their craft. 

Kartik Kumar was featured in the Forbes India “30 under 30” list, and Karu Research was nominated for the 2023 LVMH Prize.

——

Thank you for listening to Sisonek with Drew Curry.

Join us in our journey by subscribing to us on ⁠Youtube⁠, ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, ⁠Spotify⁠, and all other announcements by ⁠signing up through our website.⁠

You can also follow Sisonek on ⁠Instagram⁠.

Sisonek is hosted by Drew Curry, artist, and designer of AIREI.

AIREI is a Los Angeles-based brand from Drew Curry. Shortlisted for the 2022 LVMH Prize for Emerging Designers, worn by Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Bad Bunny, and other notables, while also gaining recognition from John Galliano, Suzy Menkes, and Julie Gilhart. 

AIREI promotes humanity by elevating the perception of the outcasts, forgotten, and misunderstood.

Illustrating the human condition, Drew uses deconstruction and reconstruction techniques to call attention to fragility.

Single threads are a signature in his work, representing mending and healing. Each hand-finished garment is signed and numbered by the artisan.

Drew highlights the human touch by allowing the uniqueness of the garments to become the focus.

AIREI is stocked globally at all Dover Street Markets and other retail partners worldwide.

Follow Drew on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠X⁠.

Follow AIREI on ⁠Instagram⁠ and find the full list of stockists on ⁠AIREI's website⁠.

Thank you to our incredible team:

Produced by AIREI LLC

Co-produced by Rohan Satyavrata and Ruance co.

Edited by Jeswin George

Music by Ryan Hughes

Sisonek cover art by Ken Camellia

Artwork by Drew Curry

Editor and Stylist Julie Ragolia on rebellion, her love of Helmut Lang, how styling is about sharing our story, and more in this week’s conversation.

Julie Ragolia is renowned internationally for her work as a stylist and consultant. Her approach is strikingly modern, rooted in observation; creating a distinct effect across editorial stories, fashion shows and advertising campaigns. Born in Brooklyn, New York to complex means, her desire to understand her own life story compels her deep interest in subject, identity, and the manner in which clothing can define, enhance, or recreate one’s self. 

Julie has worked with such prominent photographers as Tanya and Zhenya Posternak, Collier Schorr, Justin French, Annemarieke van Drimmelen and Mark Peckmezian, amongst others, and contributes to such titles as Another Magazine, W, Fantastic Man, WSJ and Re-Editon. 

Julie is the Fashion Director of Autre Magazine.

Julie can be found on Instagram and you can find her work on her website.

If you loved this episode, it would mean the world to us if you shared this with 3 friends.

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Thank you for listening to Sisonek with Drew Curry.

Join us in our journey by subscribing to us on ⁠Youtube⁠, ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, ⁠Spotify⁠, and all other announcements by ⁠signing up through our website.⁠

You can also follow Sisonek on ⁠Instagram⁠.

Sisonek is hosted by Drew Curry, artist, and designer of AIREI.

AIREI is a Los Angeles-based brand from Drew Curry. Shortlisted for the 2022 LVMH Prize for Emerging Designers, worn by Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Bad Bunny, and other notables, while also gaining recognition from John Galliano, Suzy Menkes, and Julie Gilhart. 

AIREI promotes humanity by elevating the perception of the outcasts, forgotten, and misunderstood.

Illustrating the human condition, Drew uses deconstruction and reconstruction techniques to call attention to fragility.

Single threads are a signature in his work, representing mending and healing. Each hand-finished garment is signed and numbered by the artisan.

Drew highlights the human touch by allowing the uniqueness of the garments to become the focus.

AIREI is stocked globally at all Dover Street Markets and other retail partners worldwide.

Follow Drew on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠X⁠.

Follow AIREI on ⁠Instagram⁠ and find the full list of stockists on ⁠AIREI's website⁠.

Thank you to our incredible team:

Produced by AIREI LLC

Co-produced by Rohan Satyavrata and Ruance co.

Edited by Jeswin George

Music by Ryan Hughes

Sisonek cover art by Ken Camellia

Artwork by Drew Curry

Designer Paula Canovas del Vas on curiosity, her design process, working with Kanye West, and more in this week's conversation.

Paula Canovas del Vas is the Spanish-born, Paris-based designer behind the eponymous label established in 2018, after graduating from the Central Saint Martins BA and MA Fashion, completed with the support of the Stella McCartney Scholarship.

Today the label is present at over 30 stockists worldwide including MAXFIELD (Los Angeles), SSENSE, GR8 (Tokyo), International Gallery Beams (Tokyo) and MACHINE-A (London, Shanghai).  The label joined Paris Fashion Week in September 2022 with its SS23 collection. 

Paula was awarded the Vogue Spain Prize 2022 and was a semi-finalist of the LVMH Prize 2022. She was named by the New York Times an emerging designer to watch and her work has been featured in Vogue, Dazed and i-D.  Prior to launching the label, Paula was a creative consultant for Kanye West, following internship positions at Maison Margiela under John Galliano and Gucci. 

Paula’s youthful collections are developed around a rich array of references, research with patterns, shapes, fabrics and cross-disciplinary collaborations with artists.  All collections are made using primarily deadstock and recycled materials.

Advocating for innovative means of presenting fashion, the label has presented installations at Le Palais de Tokyo in Paris (2018) and during London Fashion Week through the multiplayer virtual reality installation See, Saw Seen (2019). 
Paula released two short films in 2021: Visual Diary, a 180° short film created in collaboration with 3D Artist Wouter Gysemans, and Spring-Summer 2022, directed by Hong-Kongese Photographer Joyce NG.

You can also follow Sisonek on Instagram.

Sisonek is hosted by Drew Curry, artist and designer of AIREI.

AIREI is a Los Angeles-based brand from Drew Curry. Shortlisted for the 2022 LVMH Prize for Emerging Designers, worn by Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, Bad Bunny, and other notables, while also gaining recognition from John Galliano, Suzy Menkes, and Julie Gilhart. 

AIREI promotes humanity by elevating the perception of the outcasts, forgotten, and misunderstood.

Illustrating the human condition, Drew uses deconstruction and reconstruction techniques to call attention to fragility.

Single threads are a signature in his work, representing mending and healing. Each hand-finished garment is signed and numbered by the artisan.

Drew highlights the human touch by allowing the uniqueness of the garments to become the focus.

AIREI is stocked globally at all Dover Street Markets and other retail partners worldwide.

Follow Drew on Instagram and X.

Follow AIREI on Instagram and find the full list of stockists on AIREI's website.

Thank you to our incredible team:

Produced by AIREI LLC

Co-produced by Rohan Satyavrata and Ruance co.

Edited by Jeswin George

Music by Ryan Hughes

Sisonek cover art by Ken Camellia

Artwork by Drew Curry

Welcome to Sisonek,

"The gathering place"

with artist and designer, Drew Curry.