Interview with LMAC

“les minimal autistic children” or more popularily known as LMAC, started off not too long ago. In their two years time, they have become one of the most recognized brands in Singapore and is gaining respect and recognition in the world.

We were fortunate enough to have a chat with the owner and creative director, le messie, about LMAC and their operations. Let’s take a look at what they had to say!

HYPEBEAST (HB): Hi Messie, tell me about yourself and your history before LMAC?

le messie (M): Hi BEAST, we finally get to speak could I negotiate the returning of my soul back? My name’s le messie I’m the dark lord over at LMAC together with my trusted golems I run my realm of this and that! Before LMAC I was diagnosed schizo and now I self medicate by making my own clothes and such!

HB: Why suddenly wake up one day and start LMAC?

M: Why wake up at all… is what I used to feel on a daily basis. The whole idea was to be functional, independently functional in a sense. LMAC started through dark times and was an escape for me, coming from a country where dreams a rarely sought after and are fed to you with a silver spoon. I felt a sort of delusional power role with LMAC, which edged me on to, keep waking up each morning.

HB: Who else is involved in the operations of LMAC?

M: LMAC is Amanda and myself, Amanda runs the business aspects and helps me out with the leg works on the garments. Mike Alder our Art Director now takes charge of Gehenom our boutique designer toy label. Ohh the dark creatures that are coming from that freaks mind…

HB: Why the name “LMAC”?

M: LMAC stands for ‘les minimal autistic children’, inspired by autistic savants around the world. Born into creativity LMAC on a whole aims to have a similar mind, where nothing else matters except the craft that is your destiny.

HB: What was the big idea behind it all?

M: Originally started as an output to visuals to accompany my electronic musical endeavours and now growing to consume my music on a whole and outputting goods that represent dark areas in my mind, the big idea has totally shifted from it’s original cause. It’s like the brand possessed me in a way an now I have no control over it, originally into sound design now I take the role of graphic/fashion design. It’s evolved so much over the past 2 years that I sincerely do feel it’s become an entity taking control of it’s own future and has nothing to do with myself.

HB: I know that LMAC items are very limited. Why chose this path for your brand?

M: We originally started out with mad limitations and kept it that way, very recently we embarked on a ridiculous run of garments for our Fall/Winter line where we wanted to have a more hands on approach to the things we did with the label and brand. Response was so good we ended working 2 months straight like sweat-shop freaks in our home office! With the success, I decided to bring about ideas I’ve had thrown on the back-burner and introduced 3 new sub labels to the LMAC brand. These won’t be as ridiculously limited but will still be dealt towards the more niche market.

HB: Could you please explain LMAC’s new direction and it’s recently introduced sub labels?

M: LMAC’s new direction is a more fashion forward one. Introducing Children Of The Revolution, Retail Yakuza and Geishå. The Children Of The Revolution is my baby, where I express my soul in intimate dark graphic pieces, a little of sci-fi politics, spirituality, and love of independent attitude and beliefs all rolled into one. Heavily inspired by Japanese labels and their uncanny darkness. Retail Yakuza has been on the back-burner for awhile. Inspired by the strong Retail Mafia in the states (R.E.S.P.E.C.T), we asians just had to throw down some of our own blood Yakuza style. The brand relates to Asia’s strong secret society roots and will touch lightly on the subject in tasteful graphics. Geishå is Amanda’s baby, brought about through relation with the Retail Yakuza brand, every gangsta’s gotta have a geisha, here she can hold her style as strong beside her man, and she don’t take no shit from him either! Based on messing up iconic characters made strong by the influence of LV and the likes. All garments are individually hand-screened along with other handy-works by us. Yup we don’t get minimum wage on our sweat shopping, but would have it no other way. Control and final outlook of the products had to be done in our own way! Also feels nice to bring back the old skool way of doing things, we take some pride in our garments each having a life of their own.

HB: LMAC has always had dark under meanings since the beginning, originally utilizing cute graphics why the sudden change to such haunting mature graphics that we see on Children Of The Revolution?

M: I’ve always been a pretty dark individual, I like to keep things about myself hush and I’m frequently told I’m a mystery of some sort. Originally telling my tales through a little more acceptable avenue with the cute stuff, I felt my stories didn’t hit home hard enough through our early graphics and have decided to let it all out, now designing Children OF The Revolution on my own It gives me the freedom to speak my mind in dark tones that represent!

HB: What do you think about the current state of the street wear culture?

M: I try to be a very positive individual and I must say the street wear culture has grown in leaps and bounds with everybody doing their own thing and coming together in the right circumstances. It’s great! Many new labels sprouting out everywhere, it’s great to see more and more peeps believing in themselves and taking hold of their future. As with every game and forte, the hard working will continue to move up the ladder.

HB: Where do you see it going?

M: It can only go UP.

HB: Are you a big sneaker fan? If so, what do you think about the sneaker scene?

M: I wouldn’t say I’m a huge sneaker fan I do go out of my way to get some sneaks I like but they’re never the hyped up ones. The scene is huge and it plays a big role in the street-fashion game, it’s great! We’re looking to do some sneakers on our own nothing too big just to accompany our line’s stylistics, I’ve always been one to love everything my own.

HB: Is there any brands or people you’re inspired by?

M: Bounty Hunter, Number (Nine), NBHD, Undercover, and many more. Everything around me inspires, everything I’m in contact inspires, and so are the people I meet. Life to me is one huge inspiration.

HB: What are your plans for the coming year?

M: Many things, we’ve got some hot collaborations coming up with Know1edge, Ju$t Another Rich Kid, Call Of The Wild and a few others I gotta keep hush.. Looking into getting those sneakers I’ve been talking about done, manufacturing our own denims and the norm. Most importantly is making sure the brand keeps pushing and re-inventing itself! Surprises surprises.. I love giving surprises!

HB: LMAC will open it’s new physical store space Retail Yakuza in Singapore this month, what prompted you to open a new space after selling the LMAC Boutique concept to Vacant and what would you have in store?

M: Yeah this is such a last minute thing, during the course of the recent IdN I got to meet a very promising and talented young individual called Darius, much was discussed and he’s now our partner in the Retail Yakuza space. We originally wanted to open a new space here after the by-over but just couldn’t find the right partner and with the recent expansion of the brand we didn’t have the time to do it on our own. Destined to be, things works in mysterious ways. Retail Yakuza will be housing solely LMAC and it’s sub-labels. Many in store exclusives and international collaborations to be unleashed with-in.

HB: Thanks for taking your time to speak to us. Is there anybody you want to thank or give a shout out?

M: Firstly thank you BEAST, I really want my soul back and lets talk about that more soon shall we!! LOL no really you’ve done a superb job with HYPEBEAST, growing from a tiny blog to now the most viewed street/lifestyle medium on the internet! Props. Love and hugs go out to everyone that have given LMAC the time of day.

HB: Any last words you want to share with our readers?

M: Hey there if you stayed on till the end reading this pretty lengthy interview, help me understand if I’m really a dork?

http://www.dorkmag.com/archives/2005/12/le_messie_dork.html

For more information on the opening of Retail Yakuza, click here.