Yossi Shetrit Rides the 'American Youth Wave'

December 13, 2023

When we think about the elements that define American youth culture, what comes to mind? Maybe it's the image of young people advocating for change, the vibrant culture of 90s, early 00s downtown New York City, or the impact the influential forces of music, technology and mass media have had on the culture-at-large. It might even be as straightforward as a teenager's first cig. For Yossi Shetrit, it's all of this and more.

As a first generation American of Israeli-Moroccan descent, Yossi explores the globalization of youth culture, recognizing that what transpires in huge cities like New York and L.A. is no longer as different as to the culture in cities across the globe. Yossi channels the ethos and angst that resonates with young people into Yossi Homme in its latest collection, titled "American Youth Wave."

Interview by Colleen Rodgers
Photos courtesy of Lindsey Media

Growing up in Long Island and frequenting New York City with his father, Yossi gained an early exposure to the hustle and grind culture that has characterized Canal Street since the 2000s. Now, his designs scrutinize the convergence of suburban and urban youth influences during that time, providing a deeper understanding of how our interests during our those years shape our perspectives today.

Youth subcultures have always existed throughout history. For Yossi, television has always acted as a window into the culture of American youth and the effervescent urge to rebel against whatever. Yes, think Degrassi, probably Teen Mom, and even My Super Sweet 16. Yossi Homme embodies this rebellious spirit and atttide at its core. Yossi blends his signature style into his brand, from the intentionally tight "girlfriend-fit" vintage graphic T-shirt to baggy Japanese-made denim.

We sat down with him to discuss his relationship with New York culture growing up, the music that inspires his designs and his favorite pieces from the new collection.

Colleen Rodgers— Tell me a little bit about how you started in fashion.

Yossi Shetrit— I always wanted to be an architect growing up. When I was younger, I stumbled on a website where people were making graphics and T-shirts and stuff like that. I was like, Oh, snap, I had no idea that you can just make clothes. I remember going downstairs to my mom and telling her that I don't want to be an architect anymore. I want to learn design and get into fashion. She looked away and started to cry. I'm like, Why is she crying? This is not good, but then she looked at me and said, I also wanted to be a designer growing up. She wasn't allowed because her parents wanted to be a lawyer. So from that moment I started learning Photoshop, Illustrator, selling T-shirts to kids in my school, and made a website.

I applied to FIT and studied menswear design. I learned how to sew, how to tailor, etcetera. I was freelancing while I was in school just to have enough money to pay for things as student. After that, I worked with DKNY too. I also started a footwear brand out of my dorm room called Lavati. We were making sneakers in Italy and it did pretty well, got a nice celebrity following. I’m also the co-founder of this company called Scarce and I had a couple of my own menswear labels. It wasn't my name, Yossi Homme, until now, once I finally found the confidence, the courage, and now the clear artistic vision with my aesthetics.

CR— What do you think was the turning point that made you want to start a brand of your own?

YS— Great question. Honestly. There's a voice inside of you that doesn't shut up while you're freelancing that sounds like, This is not 100% what I want to say. There's a moment when you can't keep on silencing that voice and it needs to be projected, so that was really the turning point for me.

CR— Can you explain a little bit more about the 'Post American Youthism' ideology that the brand is based on?

YS— Yeah, for me, a lot of my references are really about tapping into subcultures you know, youth subcultures. The goal was to create a window into the landscape of growing up in America and how these influences are reflected in Europe and other places in the world.

With today's state of globalization, what's happening in New York is happening in cities in Europe. I also wanted to introduce things that I like, bringing my own references to the forefront.

CR— Yossi Homme embodies a rebellious spirit, attitude, and brotherhood at its core. Are there any specific moments of youth resilience that come to mind?

YS— Great question. This may not be a popular opinion, but what touched on American youth wave, was my being engrossed with pop culture and popular television like MTV, and even just the concept of us getting all of our information from the television and radio during the early 2000s.

I remember hearing about the last Woodstock in 1999 with all of this angst and all of the raging. I would say that era influenced me, not a specific movement, more so just the feeling of just being a kid in school and just wanting to do something with your life and rebelling against the mediocracy. I could also think of what was going on in the Factory with Andy Warhol, the Chelsea Hotel, New Wave, the Ramones, Forrest Hills and the punk culture movement, Circle Jerks, all that. That's where I bring a lot of my references in.

CR— I wanted to touch on the music you mention. I noticed the Spotify playlist at the bottom of your website titled: Post-American Youthism. Tell me about the songs you picked.

YS— Oh, sure. Before I design I like to put music into sub-folders: what I'm feeling, what feels fresh, and what I'm relating to. Anything from Limp Bizkit to Korn and Marilyn Manson. I remember seeing my first Marilyn Manson video on MTV when I was 12. It was so crazy. It wasn't just metal for me, I also loved hip hop, but music felt more distinct at that time; right now, genres feel so blendable. Rap and metal elements could exist together in one song, and I like both so before that transformation I was always thinking, Where do I fit in? I don't fit anywhere — so let me make my own circle.

CR— As a first generation American, how do you view the role of youth culture in politics? And how does your Israeli-Moroccan background play a part?

YS— We love to talk about the hustle and the grind, which is obviously associated the culture but there's also this generation's obsession with American culture, not through the lens of our parents, but through the lens of our peers. I feel that my Israeli-Moroccan descent gives me a global outlook on things.

I think my Israeli Moroccan descent plays into it by me having this kind of global outlook on things with my Moroccan culture, Israeli culture, American culture. There is a juxtaposition. I juxtapose these concepts together into my own take. I was just in Morocco, and seeing blue everywhere, thinking, How can I incorporate this? I love the kids there and how warm everyone is. It makes me think about how I interact with others. Then, I was in Tel Aviv and so into the music culture there. it's so vibrant and wild in terms of techno and stuff like that. I think everything plays a part in some strange, subconscious way.

CR— You were saying earlier that you were fascinated by America because of the portrayal of it around you in the media. Does that portrayal of America differ at all from the one your parents told you about?

YS— I think our viewpoints are probably similar because what they've told me and what I know is that you can do anything here; anything is possible. From five to 21, my dad would drag me to Manhattan every Sunday to work with him, so the idea of hard work and discipline was instilled in me early on. I've always had super supportive parents and I'm grateful for that. I hated college, but my dad convinced me to take a footwear course and that's how I learned to design shoes.

CR— Why did you choose to produce the denim in Japan for this collection?

YS— They're the best in the world for denim. They have certain craftsmanship abilities that no other country in the world has. When I started reaching out to factories in Japan, they were super into my work and excited to bring the designs to life.

CR— How do you feel like your personal style coincides with the brand?

YS— One to one. It's so important. The more I progress my personal style, the more the brand progresses as well. They need to be in sync. For me it's, Does it come from a place of what's missing in my closet? Or like, What do I want? What do I want to see? How do I want this fabric to look on me? Personally if I’m watching a movie I like, I’ll want to infuse that into the collection, and if people get it, thats great. If they don’t — they can move on.

CR— I love that attitude. So having grown up in New York in the 90s and early 2000s, how does your exposure to the cultural scene of those specific eras influence your taste now?

YS— It has everything to do with it. When I was younger, it subconsciously influenced me and I thought everyone was influenced by these things. Now that I'm older, I realize that not everyone grew up paying attention to the same things I did. My dad worked at my grandfather's electronics store on Canal Street and when I'd go i'd see all the guys selling mixtapes on Canal Street, when DMX was really heavy in the scene. I was listening to hardcore rap at 12 year old, watching the cops confiscate this other guys' fake LV bags. It was wild! That's where my hustle mentality comes from as well, seeing people barter things. I would get clothes from the city then go back to my public school and Long Island and nobody else would be wearing it because it wasn't as accessible. I had this unique balance between urban and suburban culture which plays into how I view things today.

CR— What do you want to see the future of your brand look like in the years coming?

YS— First, I want to build a very solid community around people who share the same values and ethos, as me and the brand. Second, I want to expand. I just did this presentation called 'American Youth Wave', so I'm planning on doing more presentations, maybe a runway show in Paris. I want to build out my own house and really start pushing the boundaries what we think fashion is through the world of Yossi, which is everything from fashion to art, music and design.

CR— That sounds like a great plan.

YS— Yeah, ESSX in the Lower East Side will be selling the collection as well so I'm excited.

CR— Congratulations! Well it sounds like you got a lot of exciting stuff coming up — I'm excited to see it all.

Fashion

From Prince Street to East 4th, a Ride With Rapha

April 29, 2024

To celebrate the coolest (and finest) cycle-centric brand Rapha's latest drop, we kept the party going after its New York Clubhouse launch with dinner and drinks at Ella Funt.

With a first campaign shot in New York, capturing riders through the lens of street photographers Sarah van Rij and David van der Leeuw, Rapha Performance Sportswear strikes the perfect balance between style and functionality, tailored for life in motion. Just in time for prime sunny weather here in New York, the collection is a perfect choice, both on and off the bike. "For someone like myself who lives in Amsterdam and commutes by bike daily," says Fayrouz Salem, Rapha Head of Lifestyle, "this is a dream come true. We've created pieces that work on the bike without having to compromise on style."

Shop the collection at rapha.cc and in select Clubhouses.

Photography by Anderson Martinez

Fashion

Luis De Javier's PUTA Takeover

April 25, 2024

Last night with Luis De Javier, guests were overheard confirming this generation's most vital conundrum: “If I’m cunt, I can still be pussy.” “And if you’re pussy, you can still be cunt.” This sentiment echoed throughout the night as we celebrated De Javier’s first-ever streetwear collection, "PUTA". We spent seven hours at Ella Funt at a dinner turned party that only he could’ve thrown (co-hosted by emcee). It was too dark for even the most aspiring-to-look-mysterious of us to wear sunglasses inside. Under the semi-oppressive flash of party photographers, we danced as much as the space would allow, drank tequila out of teacups and kissed each other on the cheeks with a vaguely European intimacy. “I’m doing streetwear!” De Javier could be heard exclaiming — whether it be in disbelief or excitement, we couldn’t tell you.

Words and photos by Izzy Capulong

The Spanish-born London-based designer has been well-loved for his genderless tailoring, latex mastery, and overall message of empowerment. Dressing everyone from ravers to A-listers, De Javier’s latest drop pushes his design repertoire to a new level. “While designing for my celebrity clientele and showcasing my creations on the runway has always been my dream,” he notes, “It’s equally important to me that my brand resonates with a wider, more diverse audience.” While this collection’s medium has shifted from corsets to sweatshirts, the classic LDJ avant-garde sensibilities remain. Bikinis and booty shorts are shamelessly emblazoned with “PUTA,” blazers are constructed with ample shoulder padding, and I had my eye on the cheekily-named “Faguette Bag.”

The Puta collection will be available exclusively on emcee.

Fashion

Happy 424 Day

Simon Rasmussen — What's going on?

Guillermo Andrade — Right now we're just setting everything up.

So, what are you doing, is it a party?

Well, I kind of felt universally forced, right? Because 4/24/24, I was just like, I don’t really have a choice here. The stars also just kind of aligned, so to be honest, I got this settlement that came with a bunch of clothes so I had this idea to give back to the kids who fuck with us by allowing them to buy our shit first. Not handing stuff out for free, but to do it in a way where we could skip the middleman of the industry, so to speak, and not allow clothes to disappear into the abyss of Farfetch or whatever else. So what we’re going to do is a sort of warehouse sale, which we’ve never done before so that was really exciting for me. I didn’t want to do just another warehouse sale, so it’s like a sample sale turns rager. We teamed up with Adidas and a couple of other sponsors, then drinks, DJs, and a performance.

Sick, I love it.

Yeah. My dream sample sale. Also, it’s not just hoodies and t-shirts here in there, it’s proper collections from the past three seasons. I’m also not picking and choosing, trying to make it accessible, like this was the only way I could afford to buy shit when I was a kid, bro. Sample sales were the thing I looked forward to the most.

I feel you. In New York, there's the annual CDG sale, which is when I used to cop all my CDG.

The only time I could afford Rick. I flew to New York once for a Rick sample sale and I was like, Wow, I can't believe I got invited. And it was mental. I still have those pieces. I will never sell them. Not even because I got 'em cheap. It was also just really fun. Even on the flight to New York, I was like, I can't believe I'm going to New York for a sample sale, what a fucking loser I am. But it was like the adult version of when I was a kid and I was like, Wow, I can't believe I'm 20-something and I'm still doing the thing I was doing in high school. So I hope we can create moments like that for kids here in LA.

Yeah. I love that. It’s important to connect with them; they’re essentially creating the brand. If you don't have them, good luck.

I mean, yeah. Fuck, bro. It's cool that we've been around for this long. I mean, it got a little rocky there for a second I think, for all of us. So coming out of it, tomorrow is a celebration. And it’s like an odd day of the week. It's a Wednesday, super random. And now that we've set it up, the homies are all like, Yo, I'm coming. I'm coming. Let me jump on stage, let me do this, and that's really what it's always been about. It's not some other strategy to get likes on the internet.

That’s how the best things happen, you just couldn’t help yourself. It was intuitive.

Yeah, it all came together in a really nice way.

Would you say that’s how 424 started as well? I remember we met in like 2010 on Fairfax and I was visiting with Rasmus…

Oh bro, it’s probably the time when I started the branch… do you remember Cecilia from Black Dakini? She’s the one that introduced me to CIFF and honestly, I didn’t even care what she was doing, I was just like, I’m coming, I’ll go with you. She said she’d give me half of her booth and I said, Awesome count me in. At the time, I had just gotten my green card and I wasn't allowed to ever leave America, so Copenhagen was one of the first cities I went to when I could finally travel. I mean, you see what we did at CIFF bro? It became our fucking hub for half a decade.

That was a moment for sure.

I remember the first account I got was Antonioli, and he came super gangster, being like, You're going to sell me these clothes. And I was like, bro, I didn't come to sell clothes. I'm just kind of catching a vibe with my homie and I made these things. And he's like, No, you're going to sell it to me. And then I was like, Oh my god that’s Claudio Antonioli. So then I went home, I googled wholesale, and figured that shit out. [laughs]

[Laughs]

Like you said, I couldn't help myself, but I didn't just make t-shirts and hoodies either. I was really on my Rick wave, so I made my version of the Rick things. It was that meets like The Boondock Saints, because I'm still a little bit of a Cali bro, sort of rock kid, but not really. I like hip-hop, but I like the way the rock stars look. I like the contrast. I thought it was cool. After that, I just never stopped.

It was clear to me when I first met you that you were onto your own thing in LA. It made a lot of sense, and it was so cool. It was before 424 was its own brand; you just had the store and this really cool curation.

It was all my shit, bro. I was very, very invested in sharing all of these things that I was finding from all over the world, like Astrid Anderson. She was one of those designers at the time, so important to 424. The connection to Copenhagen specifically for me was huge. I had a big fan base there. It was incredible. And then here in LA, we were sharing the things that we were a part of and finding; it was still the early days of Fear of God, Rhude, Martine Rose. A lot of these brands, we were the first store to ever sell it — we were selling Hood By Air on the West Coast.

You had Rick as well, I remember.

Oh yeah. It took me a long time. But I got Rick, bro. By the time I had to close the store on Fairfax, I already had a Raf Simons account. I had reached my ultimate dream. It was really all the stuff I wanted to wear at the time. It was dope. The best of the best.

We had an office magazine newsstand in there as well.

Oh yeah, we did! I came to visit the one you had, and I was like, Yo, I got to bring this whole fucking thing over here. But yeah, in LA, after two days people forget you exist, but everyone’s been super supportive. We’re all 10 years older now. We've been around forever at this point.

It can be dangerous to take those breaks when you’re figuring shit out, but there’s something very genuine to this comeback you’re having.

Thank you, thank you. We’ve been in and out of those fucking showrooms in Paris for long enough. I've been in and out of these factories for the past 10 years of my life. We had to figure something out. And I think now really diving in, being in Italy full time and being there to develop these products over time, I think that the whole thing just really shows the suppliers respect you more. The people who are making your goods understand why you're making them. And I think now I finally got to the place where I'm not making Italian things, I’m making my clothes, I'm making Cali-centric shit, but with that European technicality and execution. With this Fall / Winter collection, it clicked.

So what’s the vision for the next year? What are you manifesting?

I'm just fucking relentless, bro. This is the way I want to live my life. Now that we are more aligned, more prepared, and have more experience, moving forward it is just more of becoming a fully functioning company that can provide and create opportunities for all of the people around me. We’ve been operating just on instinct for a long time.

Sustaining a business is scary, trust me I know.

Scary as fuck, dog. I just opened a store next to Bottega, bro, and it’s like what am I even doing? You have to just believe in the thing you're doing more than anybody else.

100%, and it seems like that’s what you’re doing.

And fashion’s kind of a competitive sport, as much as people don’t think it is. We can reach a certain level without losing ourselves. My biggest ambition at the moment is to create something that, when you leave one of our neighbors you come into our place you don’t feel that the level has been sacrificed at all. And it’s not easy.

Definitely. I wish I could be there tomorrow.

Thank you, bro. 10 years now. You’ve always shown me so much love. We have to do a booth or have the office part of the next 424 day. Shit let’s do a 424 day in New York.

That would be sick. Let's do it. I'm here. Let’s catch up soon.

Next season’s right around the corner so I’ll see you in Paris.

Yes, see you in Paris and Happy 424 day!