Shane Gonzales Discusses A$AP Rocky's AWGE & Offers a Look at His Archive Collection

After founding MIDNIGHT STUDIOS in 2014, Shane Gonzales has established a name for himself in the fashion world with his label’s unique cult aesthetic. Recently sitting down with online purveyor Grailed, Gonzales offered a look at his archive collection and discusses the future of MIDNIGHT STUDIOS. Putting pieces from his archive collection up for sale, Gonzales reveals the high fashion influences that often serve as the inspiration for his label’s seasonal collections. Additionally, Gonzales discusses the collaborative process looking back at his joint ventures with Virgil Abloh and A$AP Rocky’s mysterious AWGE collective. Rounding up the interview, the young designer notes a Converse collaboration to be revealed very soon and a summer release for the Midnight Rave AWGE collaboration. Check out an excerpt from the interview below and head over to Grailed for the piece in full.

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As a young, but clearly lifelong fashion fan, what is your take on once-niche designers like Raf Simons, Jun Takahashi and Takahiro Miyashita broadening into the wider consciousness? Does it cheapen the things you love about fashion design?

I’ll never stop loving the work of Raf, Jun or Taka. What they’ve accomplished throughout the years is godlike. Not many can touch them. It’s exciting that more and more people are opening their minds to design like theirs and falling in love with it as I once did. It does take a bit of pleasure away buying and wearing it now that so you see it so much more often compared to a few years ago. But that’s the goal of owning a brand, right?

How is it working with Virgil Abloh? Do you view him as a mentor or more as a contemporary and peer?

Working with Virgil is literally the best. No meetings, no conference calls, no middle men, no bullshit. Simply a couple texts and FaceTimes. The collaboration was such a smooth process haha. He will always be somewhat of a mentor to me, even though our brands are different theme and concept-wise, I look up to everything he does with Off-White. But, at the same time, he’s just a good friend of mine. He’s like one of those guys I can always go to for advice on anything.

What’s the future look like for MIDNIGHT STUDIOS?

The future? Hm, hopefully bright. A lot of good projects and collaborations are rolling out fairly soon. Midnight Rave, the collaboration with AWGE (A$AP Rocky’s creative group) is coming out this summer. The Midnight Studios/Converse collaboration will be unveiled soon, I hope. We’re working on a F/W 17 “see now, buy now” runway show as well. That’s about all I can say for now haha.