This story appears in i-D 376, “The Lore Issue.” Get your copy of the print magazine here.
Arthur Anstee, 17, Photographer, London
To get inspired, I go… To Idea Books. Angela and David’s knowledge of editorial print is unmatched. The best compliment someone could give me is… “We’d really love to work with you.” Music to my ears, along with, “He’s a good one.” In a biopic, I’d want to be played by… A young Michael Pitt circa 2005’s Last Days, or Roger from American Dad!
Ryosuke Kiyasu, 45, Snare Drum Soloist, Tokyo
A lesson I learned recently is… Minimal gear equals maximum freedom—especially at the airport. The hill I’d die on is… A single snare drum is enough to express everything. If I could take a class on anything, I’d choose… Architecture, to understand acoustics better. The first song I downloaded was… I didn’t download, I bought CDs. My greatest creative influence is… Limitation.
Cato, 26, Painter, London
The best compliment someone could give me is… “You remind me of me.” I start my day with… A coffee and a cigarette. I end my day with… Some hash and Norm Macdonald. I feel most powerful when… I have a brush in my hand. I’m superstitious about… ChatGPT. My pet peeve is… Questionnaires.
Witch Post
Alaska Reid, 29, Musician, Los Angeles
Dylan Fraser, 24, Musician, London
If I weren’t a musician, I’d be…
Alaska: A park ranger. I’d love to study the Yellowstone wolf packs. Dylan: Doing knitwear or metalwork.
A reference I keep coming back to is…
Alaska: The Replacements and Paul Westerberg’s solo work, as well as my favourite country music songwriters like Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle, and Lucinda Williams. Dylan: “All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun” by Jeff Buckley and Elizabeth Fraser. It’s a leaked demo on YouTube (boo!) I know I’m bad for listening to—but there’s some sort of magic captured in that song.
My goal for this year is…
Alaska: To put out a lot more music, with the band and solo, too. Oh—and finish writing my book. Dylan: To continue this winding journey with Alaska, chipping away at the Witch Post.
Ibtissame Bellehouane, 35, Head of Communications at Kiko Kostadinov, Paris
A lesson I learned recently is… It will pass. The hill I’d die on is… My name is not that complicated. I’m superstitious about… Bag on the floor is money out the door. Also, it’s gross. My greatest creative influence is… Sophie Calle. Most of her projects draw from her own life, mixing sociology, fiction, photography, and performance. Exquisite Pain is a book I love.
Oscar Ouyang, 27, Fashion Designer, London
To get inspired, I go… To eBay and the library. I feel most myself when… I’m by myself. The hill I’d die on is… Kilimanjaro. I’m superstitious about… Virgo and Taurus being a great match. In a biopic, I’d want to be played by… Takuya Kimura when he was young, or Kento Yamazaki. The album I couldn’t live without is… Crystal Castles by Crystal Castles.
Chris Smalls, 37, Leader of the Amazon Labor Union, Hackensack
I start my day with… Emails. I end my day with… Checking and rechecking for missed messages, preparing for what’s next—and can’t forget about a nightcap joint to relax.One rule I love to break is… Never asking for permission. Demanding change comes with sacrifice. Breaking rules is a must in this struggle. My goal for this year is… To spread more awareness about the genocide in Palestine.
Jake Alexander Evans, 21, Photographer & Student, London
To get inspired, I go… To BFI—£4 tickets if you’re 25 and under. The last thing I said yes to was… “Do you want a receipt?” The best “wrong” turn I’ve taken in my process was… Not knowing how to work a camera. My current obsession is… Watching Adam Curtis whilst I vape. My goal for this year is… More involvement in my communities, more human interactions.
Aaron Silberstein, Butcher & Drummer, 35, Brooklyn
The best compliment someone could give me is… Compliments make me uncomfortable. So probably a clean plate after dinner. The hill I’d die on is… Buy a whole chicken. Stop getting cutlets. One rule I love to break is… No dogs on the furniture. In a biopic, I’d want to be played by… I like to imagine Oscar Isaac. My goal for this year is… Cook at least four outlandish meals for my friends and family.
MGNA Crrrta
Farheen Khan, 22, Musician, New York City
Ginger Scott, 22, Musician, New York City
To get inspired, we go… Astral projecting. Dreaming. The park or the movies. iMessage.We feel most ourselves when… We’re talking shit with our best friends. We’re superstitious about… Literally everything.Our goal for this year is… Upgraded apartment, less heat damage, World Domination, good music. Our greatest creative influence is… Girls like us. Mother Earth. Shiny things.
Bertie Brandes, Writer, London
I feel most myself when… I’m walking. The hill I’d die on is… Reject status. DIY forever. I feel most powerful when… I’m writing in ways that feel weird and rudimentary and grasping. My greatest creative influence is… Anyone brave enough to create beauty out of truth, which is very few people: Sylvia Plath, Virginia Woolf, Lana Del Rey, Roots Manuva, Robert Frank, Francesca Woodman.
Isabel Filer, 27, Graphic Designer, New York City
The best compliment someone could give me is… “Your trivia questions were so good.” I start my day with… A freshly baked cinnamon bun at Derby Cup Coffee. I end my day with… A whiskey sour at The River. I feel most powerful when… I’m playing Scrabble. One rule I love to break is… Don’t touch the artwork. My goal for this year is… To get my nails done more.
Isabelle Rea, 27, Writer, New York City
To get inspired, I go… To the ocean, the zoo, Flickr, shopping. A lesson I learned recently is… Nobody listens to the boy who cried wolf. My pet peeve is… Hypocrisy. In a biopic, I’d want to be played by… Me, but moulded out of clay. My goal for this year is… To play more group games. My greatest creative influence is… Unintentional things: stains, rips, mistakes.
Margeaux Labat, 28, Interviewer & Music Curator, Brooklyn
I feel most myself when… I’m in my apartment, it’s midafternoon, I’m cleaning up, listening to music. I have a window open and it’s sunny outside. The best compliment someone could give me is… Recently, someone said I was “no nonsense,” and I can’t stop thinking about it. I also love it when people laugh at my jokes. I’m superstitious about… Talking about things, like creative endeavours, too much before actually doing them.
Sofía Abadi, 27, Creative Director at Abadi, Buenos Aires
A lesson I learned recently is… When you give to a woman, it comes back to you tenfold. The hill I’d die on is… Long distance is the best distance. I’m superstitious about… You’ll always see my handbag on top of the most random items, just so it doesn’t touch the floor. My pet peeve is… Vaping. It’s unbelievable how they manage to make smoking look lame. My greatest creative influence is… Obsession.
The Babani Sisters
Jyoti Babani, Fashion Enthusiast & Commercial Executive, Mumbai
Snehal Babani, Fashion Enthusiast & Finance Executive, Mumbai
To get inspired, we go… Into our own thoughts. The best compliment someone could give us is… If we met Karl Lagerfeld, he would love us. We feel most powerful when… Our Amex doesn’t ditch us on the first attempt. Our pet peeve is… Unironed clothes. In a biopic, we’d want to be played by… The Olsen twins. Our goal for this year is… Queen energy doesn’t chase clowns. Be that queen.
Nora Berman, 35, Artist, Crypto Developer, & Streamer, Los Angeles
I feel most myself when… I’m streaming. The best compliment someone could give me is… “I’ve never seen something like that,” in response to one of my performances. The hill I’d die on is… Tokenising art on the blockchain—the experimental chaos to new model pipeline. I’m superstitious about… Creepy spirits roaming the streets and trapped inside electronics.
Dylan Law, 19, Green Candidate for Deputy Mayor of Hackney & Student, London
To get inspired, I go… Into dreams. The hill I’d die on is… Some people are so productive that it can make up for those who may not be able to work as well. My pet peeve is… People who believe they have innate authority over other individuals. My greatest creative influence is… Jeanne d’Arc.
Superstars Only
Adrian Tiu, 25, Designer, New York City
Daniela Rodriguez, 25, Artist, New York City
To get inspired, I go…
Adrian: To bed. Daniela: Satisfy whatever food craving I have.
A reference I keep coming back to is…
Adrian: New England. Daniela: Massive Multiplayer Online games.
If I could take a class on anything, I’d choose…
Adrian: Lithography. Daniela: Toy design.
In a biopic, I’d want to be played by…
Adrian: Timothée Chalamet. Daniela: Timothée Chalamet in drag.
Frost Children
Angel Prost, 27, Musician, New York City
The best compliment someone could give me is… “You seem like you’ve lived many past lives.” I’m superstitious about… Fashion.
Lulu Prost, 25, Musician, New York City
The hill I’d die on is… Beverly Hill. I feel most powerful when… I feel powerful right now, in this moment—it’s exponential. My goal for this year is… To make the world dance.
Alexis Williams, 24, Deputy Press Secretary for Zohran Mamdani, Brooklyn
I feel most myself when… I’m on a karaoke stage. My alter ego is a world-famous pop star. I never leave home without… Sunglasses and headphones. In a biopic, I’d want to be played by… Tracee Ellis Ross. She’s the only actress who can encapsulate my aura. The album I couldn’t live without is… A Tribe Called Quest’s People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm.
Bohan Qiu, 31, Director of BOH Project & Fashion Publicist, Shanghai
To get inspired, I go… To the mountains! Recently I was in Jiuzhaigou, a magic valley where the Tibetan Plateau drops dramatically into flats. The best compliment someone could give me is… That they have learned something meaningful from me. The hill I’d die on is… Val Fex, up in the Swiss Engadine. I’m superstitious about… Feng shui, and superintelligence taking over humanity in five years.
SoFTT
Kablito, Musician, Los Angeles & Miami
Trevor McFedries, Musician, Los Angeles & Miami
We feel most ourselves when… In a cute little outfit. A lesson we learned recently is… Let go and let God. Our pet peeve is… Chewing with your mouth open. One rule we love to break is… Park in the red. Our greatest creative influence is… Loud music, flashing lights.
production THE MORRISON GROUP
location DICKSON’S FARMSTAND MEATS, KIKO KOSTADINOV TOKYO, LOST, SAATCHI YATES, TOKYO METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT BUILDING
special thanks SIAN CUTHBERT DAVIS, KITRELL, PIERS ROCHFORD, YUSUKE SEKI, JOSHUA SPANIER, RYAN TRECARTIN
