distilling common asks about my taste…
brands:
- moth fund — analogy of moths that are away from the spotlight. elevating unspoken or unflashy ideas in the background. brands that are niche, not necessarily universally appealing.
- public transit trains in ny & dc — (though I dislike it as a form of transportation), I admire its raw and primitive nature. not polished or packages up in pretty benches or wallpaper.
- this japanese resturaunt in torrence w no sinage (ichimian) — raw interior (holes in the wall, bare bone utensils, low publicity), unrecognizable. I like how it strips experience to its crux. not the flashy visuals and brand incentives. stripping experience of eating to its bone — having a meal with friends.
- substack — raw thoughts that dont need polish. evolution of thought in real time.
- patagonia — low-aesthetic. durable. raw. functional.
- military field gear — influence conveyed through fashion. stripped to its raw functional units without unnecessary pizzaz
my taste:
- raw utilitarian beauty, stripped of excess. distilled to its essence — whatever is absolutely necessary to accomplish a task. you can easily point to a set of principles that make it beautiful. I think there should be a level of explainability about why something is beautiful, on top of intuition.
- analog systems & primitives: digital alarm clocks, analog watches, paper notebooks, blank work doc without templates nor simplification.
- obscure things that do not beg for attention. somewhat rough around the edges and overlooked. yet at the same time, does command attention and trust.
- primitive artifacts that linger and endure. ex: paper passports, physical clipper cards, handwritten letters, index cards. objects that carry weight and physical grounding yet can be easily destroyed in the next moment. keeping these safe becomes a deeply personal act.
- classical art movements — baroque and the weaponization of art as a method of influence and spiritual zeal to rally the masses. what is the human idea of perfection? how did we define the “ideal” during that period of time?
- private unknown nooks — cozy corners and rooms around the uci campus and beyond.
designers: