Friends of FMF: KYRON “Gotsweige” Warrick
As part of a new series, "Friends of FMF", we will be talking to various people from around the community to get their take on all things fashion, while also hopefully letting you learn a little more about them.
Name: Kyron Warrick
Age: 23
Location: Montreal, Quebec
For the readers that don’t know you, who are you, where are you from, and what do you do?
“My name is Kyron Warrick, and I’m a content creator on YouTube and social media. I cover men’s fashion, through creating content, designing clothes, and filming videos for the people of the internet. I’m 23 years old, and I was born in Philadelphia, but I was raised in Montreal.”
As we self-quarantine to help reduce the spread of the COVID-19, it has given everyone a lot more time at home. What have you been up to during this truly unprecedented time?
“Honestly, the first couple of weeks were tough and rocky. I didn’t know what to do for a couple of weeks into it, but then I caught my pace. I don’t want to take this time for granted, so I plan on releasing as much quality content as I can. We have to make the best out of the current situation. We have to take a negative situation and turn it into a positive.”
You’ve been on YouTube for a while now and have established yourself as one of the main men’s fashion channels. When did you first get interested in fashion?
“I would say when I was 13 or 14. I’ve always been interested in fashion, mainly because my family is pretty stylish. But mainly due to my dad, since he was more brand obsessed. I was always interested in the brands he was wearing. He stressed that your first impression you make upon the world was through the way you look. So, I took that to heart, and I became obsessed with it. As I grew older, I realized I was becoming well-known for my style. Around the age of 13, I was really into skateboarding and BMX culture. I realized later that I wasn’t going to go pro, and it would be more of a fun thing to do in my free time. Fashion became my main focus, and I wanted to see what I could do with it. I started to create videos due to my general curiosity. I initially made skateboarding and BMX videos and posted them on YouTube for my friends. And then it was the same thing for fashion. I realized there were other people on the internet doing the same thing, but it was more sneaker related. It doesn’t feel like I have been on YouTube for very long. It’s very niche, but the people that know, know.”
What do you think about the growth of your YouTube channel?
“I like it, but I feel like I want to be more consistent. I felt like school was always getting in the way of releasing videos on a more consistent basis. Now that I’ve graduated, I can fully devote my time to what I want to do creatively. I know I have channels that are bigger and smaller than me, but we all have our distinct voice. Each of us contributes a unique perspective to the platform.”
Do you have any favorite fashion YouTubers at the moment?
“Of course, all of my friends on the platform like Sangiev, Jacob [Wallace], and Fernando [Rangel]. There is a lot of people creating their interpretation of fashion right now and it’s just great. I’ve also become a fan of both Owen Hyatt’s and Kenijima’s channels as well as their brands. My boy Ray [Miah] does an amazing job too.”
I’ve seen that several of your recent videos have had a strong emphasis on vintage clothing. Is this indicative of the future of your channel? Of the fashion industry overall?
“I’m not sure if it’s indicative of my channel’s future, but it has a significant role in where fashion is right now. Many designers are referencing older garments. A lot has been done in fashion already and there isn’t a lot left to do. So, the best thing is to go back and find the origins of what makes a good quality piece. Then you can move forward and put your spin on it. Jacob Keller and Cole [McBride] were inspired by vintage pieces and you can see it their collections for Bare Knuckles. Vintage is a great tool to use to see what styles complement your body and fits your style without having to pay a hefty price tag for it. I don’t think it’s right to give a designer brand thousands of dollars before you figure out what you like.”
I know that you’re close friends with Fernando Rangel from Silver League, and you worked with him in the past. Have you gotten into archival pieces? Do you have any particular grails?
“I love archival pieces. I feel like working for Fernando last summer opened my eyes to archive pieces. Seeing it online and seeing it in person is very different. With Unsound Rags and Silver League, it shows that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to achieve that great look. Most of my archival grails are Raf related. Or Issey Miyake. Those are two of my favorite brands from my time at Silver League. One of my favorite pieces at the moment is the All Shadows split hoodie from Raf’s 2005 F/W collection. It’s my favorite Raf piece ever. They had it at Silver League, and I was so tempted to buy it. It's a piece I want to have in my wardrobe one day.”
It must have been crazy to have been in the room with all of those rare pieces?
“Yeah definitely! New stuff is coming in daily. Working at Silver League developed my appreciation for clothes overall. Many people are wasteful with clothes and buy from fast fashion brands. I think it’s worth to invest in pieces that you have a genuine appreciation for.”
You’ve done collaborations with the brand Orée NYC, which is a brand created by designer and now YouTuber Ray Miah. Can you talk about how your collaborations with Orée NYC started? Should we expect new collaborations in the future?
“You should expect something from us very soon. Due to the COVID-19 situation, our release date has been delayed. Hopefully, that will come together shortly when the factories are back up in running.
As for Ray and me, I met him in Montreal. We both had a common interest in fashion, and our personalities are similar. He makes amazing pieces at Orée NYC, and I’m super excited that he decided to create a YouTube channel. It allows him to express his vision for the brand without being super pushy with it. Consumers are hesitant to put their money towards something because there are so many other options to choose from. To make something that’s a great bang for your buck is important nowadays.”
We have seen many fashion YouTubers, like Ken Ijima with Vuja Dé and Jacob Keller with Bare Knuckles, create their brands. Would you ever consider starting your brand?
“For sure! With Ray and I coming together so many times, it’s kind of conditioned me to do something like that. I feel like it’s a common outcome for a lot of people who start YouTube. They become a consumer and then they slowly want to turn into a creator, which is only natural. You can only consume for so long until you come to a point where you know what you want. I’ve been chatting with Ray and talking to manufacturers. I have concepts in mind, but I just don’t want to rush into it. I was hoping to have something out by the summer, but I’ll see how everything goes with the COVID-19 situation. I don’t want to rush anything, but I do want to put out something creative. It doesn’t have to be a full-on brand, but I do have project ideas. So, I don’t want to market it as a brand, but rather installments of ideas for clothing and maybe projects in general. I also want to get into curating galleries, once things get back to normal. I have a whole bunch of ideas that I want to express soon.”
How would you describe your style? Do you have any brands that you’re currently really into at the moment?
“My style is a mesh of a couple of things. I’m keen on wearability and clothing that has a lot of longevity to them. I like being able to repurpose clothing for multiple outfits and make them not look like an outfit repeat. I feel like it’s more practical than mindlessly consuming all the time. I’ve been able to learn through trial and error about what looks good on my body and what complements my proportions. And that’s what I feel like a lot of people need to be doing. Knowing your proportions and the brands that suit you will help to define your style.
As for brands that I like, I like everything local for sure. Like JJJJound, Saintwoods, and New Regime. On the higher end, I would say I’ve come to appreciate brands like Ann Demeulemeester, Rick Owens, and CCP through Fernando and Ty. They made me appreciate the simplicity of their style and that you don’t need many pieces in your wardrobe to build a sick outfit. At the same time, I like to get a little funky. I can’t dress in all black all the time. I do like to put on some color from time to time. I’ll look towards 70s outfits and more rocker chic. That’s where my love of Céline, Saint Laurent, and Chrome Hearts comes to light.”
Menswear has been changing in the last few years. Brands are starting to shift from a streetwear aesthetic to focusing more on tailoring. We have seen the likes of Virgil Abloh and Nigo partnering to create a Louis Vuitton collection focused mainly on traditional tailoring. What do you think about the current state of menswear?
“Speaking on what you said about Nigo and Virgil, I feel like it’s interesting that they decided to focus their creative talents on tailoring and put streetwear on the back burner. Streetwear has been a driving force for so long, but at the same time, their consumer has grown up. The people that grew up watching Nigo and Pharrell are not going to want to wear baggy dog jeans anymore. We will always have an appreciation for it, but people need to know when to let go. I was listening to the Fashion Moves Forward podcast that a lot of people were talking about, and loafers were a real trendy thing, but it should be something in everyone’s closet. You need pieces that will last a lifetime, which means you need pieces outside of streetwear. There is only so much you can do with streetwear.”