HYPEBEAST Feature: Essentials - HomeRoom

San Francisco collective HomeRoom takes us back to the days of cartoon lunch boxes and light up kicks with nostalgic timeless designs, all while keeping up as with one of the industry’s leading cut and sew labels. With work consuming the lives of everyone down to the interns, much like a custom made sweater, at the end of the day HomeRoom remains a tight knit family with a passion for apparel and design. In our fifth HYPEBEAST Essentials, we break down what daily necessities keep this crew afloat.


ALVAL – Creative Director | Traveling Man

My closet
I keep a healthy thrift store collection. I hate wearing something that is open to anyone. I prefer the thrift store because I know I’m not going to see another person have the same jacket. I don’t keep much clothes, but the clothing that I do keep goes through my test of worthiness. 1) Is this well made 2) will this go with a plain tee and my jeans 3) did I get it for under 10 bucks, you don’t have to max out your cards to look good and have the rarest piece of whatever it may be. I haven’t spent more then 10 on clothes in 2 years.

Magazines
I read Monocle because it’s the best magazine, having a good eye for fashion, business and foreign affairs. They have all inspiring photographs too! You want to impress someone, then read this magazine. Good and Entrepreneur a must read as well.

Bullet-proof Comforter
It’s something that everyone needs to have. You never know what could happen. Especially when you live in Downtown like I do. It’s comprised of a Kevlar core, with goose down and a silk shell. Patent pending.

Transportation
I’m always on the go, and that means press checks 40 miles from the office, meetings in the Financial District and picking up many guests from the airport. I figure there isn’t a better car for all those needs then a small, turbo, plaid interiorized, yet spacious car. It fits anywhere and has the capacity to carry an entire trade show booth. On the weekends I try not to drive, so I hop on my bike and go ride around downtown. (VW GTI, Felt TK2 Track bike)

My Sheers
I love my gold sheers, this is how Le HomeRoom comes to life.

My Team
This is how HomeRoom comes to life.

Gian Altomari – Designer | Online Store Manager | Intern Slapper

Track Bike
A must have in San Francisco, where gasoline is $5.00 a gallon and a standard donation to the homeless is about $2.00 a pop, anything less and you can be sure your fancy new Kenwood Stereo won’t be there when you get back to the car. Locking your bike in strange places is an unspoken sport in SF, hanging from trees, stoplights, the neighbors second story window, it says a lot about your personality and is definitely a creative outlet as far as I’m concerned.

Hats
The best hair product invented since the comb. Adjustable, 5 panels, fitteds, snap backs, any style really. Put on your head, walk out the door and definitely no gel required. (Do people still wear gel?)

Kimchee
My girlfriends Korean, which basically makes me Korean, meaning that my diet consists of, but not limited to, fermented cabbage, dried squid, and other incredibly spicy foods that will last long past the printed expiration date, usually till some time in 2012. I buy it by the case and find my self eating it every day, non stop. By the time you read this I’ve probably died of colon cancer.

Chuck Taylors
The ketchup, of fashion, goes good with everything. Worn chucks are the best, they are my only pair of shoes, and i make it known. They’ve been with me everywhere, and will continue to be until the day they fail me (like my interns) and bury them in the backyard with the rest (sneakers not interns).

My Intern
Oscar deemed himself worthy in his first week: filing papers, emptying my trash, and so on. But the following weeks were a non stop downward spiral. Apparently, he found out how to use Wordpress and since then Oscar started a popular blog, (All work and No pay). I literally have to hand cuff him to the desk to keep him focused, if not he’d be pawning off unreleased tee samples to groupies, in exchange for nude booty shots on his BlackBerry.
(true story).

Dominique Lagleva – Sales/Operations | Teflon Dom

Coffee Bar – The Mission, San Francisco
I need a cup of coffee to get my day started. When we moved our office to the Mission, I needed to find a new morning pick-me-up spot, so Alex was being a typical “man”, and swore that he knew there was a Starbucks a few blocks away. I got lost following his directions (surprised?), but in the midst of it all, I stumbled upon this gem. Their Americanos, and triple lattes (yes I said TRIPLE) are on point! You can catch me here everyday at 10am and 4pm.

Needless to say, I never did find that damn Starbucks. (Thanks Alex)

BlackBerry
I’m not really sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that there are 10 different ways to get a hold of me on one device. Anyone that knows me, or is around me enough, hates that thing. It’s superglued to my left hand. Regardless of the, “Stop being rude”, “I’m going to throw that thing out the window”, and “Turn that shit off, it’s annoying” comments that I constantly get from my people, I still can’t leave home without it.

Gucci 3000M Throwback
This used to be my pops everyday watch for the longest time, until he threw it my way a couple years back. It’s been on my wrist everyday since then. Thoughtchu knew what time it was!

Macs
I’m in front of my Mac’s all day, everyday. I’m a multi-tasker, so it’s important for me to have everything easily accessible. My itunes is always bumpin‘, email’s always on, web browsing like crazy, iChat in full effect, you name it, it’s up and running on one of these computers.

Oscar Santos – Intern | Pupusa Specialist

Public Transportation
Rather than driving a car in traffic crowded streets, I rely on San Francisco’s public transportation system to get around. Where else can you chill, scope the city and get to your destination without having to sacrifice a paycheck and lunch money.

BlackBerry Pearl
Can’t go a minute without it! After smashing the buttons on my white one, I had to go buy its cousin which offered me the #3, #5, and the Power button not to mention access to my voicemail, all a plus in my book.

Samurai Jeans
Gotta love these jeans. Kiya from Self-Edge hooked it up a couple years back. Since then, ive only washed them 4 times and they have aged beautifully, but I do agree that it’s time for a new pair sometime soon.

My Music
Music makes my world go round, I listen to all types of electronic music and love mixing my own stuff. One of my favorites is Clara Rockmore mixed with Ice Cube’s Dope Man, something you definitely can’t find at the local record shop.