A VAULT REVEAL: 200 RARE MAXFIELD VINTAGE TEES CURATED BY KELLY COLE
EVERY MAXFIELD VINTAGE T-SHIRT PURCHASE ENTERS YOU INTO A RAFFLE TO WIN A RARE VINTAGE SHIRT, HANDPICKED BY KELLY COLE.
KELLY COLE PERSONAL APPEARANCE – LA: AUG 16 · MALIBU: AUG 17
WINNERS WILL CHOOSE FROM A CURATED SELECTION RETAILING UP TO $1,000
Order online — you’ll still be entered
Winners WILL BE CONTACTED MONDAY, AUG 18
@MAXFIELDLA
LA AUG 14-16 & MALIBU AUG 14-17
As an Actor, Designer, DJ, and Curator, Kelly Cole is a lifelong veteran of the Entertainment, Fashion, and Art worlds. A seminal figure on New York’s late 80s/90s art and club scene, Cole was integral in creating many of Manhattan’s most memorable nightspots and events, most notably as co-creator/ operator of the now-legendary SPY lounge, and rock and roll bistro BLACK AND WHITE. A notorious personality in downtown NYC, he appeared regularly on TV, Stage, Film, and in Music Videos including the Junior M.A.F.I.A series.
In addition to his own businesses, Cole’s unique creative perspective has contributed to the interiors and concepts of many businesses and private residences.
16 QUESTIONS WITH MAXFIELD: KELLY COLE
Q. You helped put vintage t-shirts on the map. What first drew you to them before it was cool?
A. I was always interested in graphic design, particularly in the imagery associated with music. Album artwork, poster artwork and the imagery of music videos, really changed my life. The imagery of the design team Hipgnosis, Raymond Pettibon, and the aesthetic of David Bowie(among so many others) had a big influence on me. I designed club flyers as a side hustle for years in NYC and that imagery was always a part of my thinking. I had owned a restaurant in NYC and a nightclub before that, so when I moved to LA, I wanted to have a place where people could meet and hang, but LA was so much more about the daytime action to me. And T Shirts were, more than in New York, a daily wardrobe staple. I became obsessed with the imagery of t-shirts(and at the time also vintage denim and leather) and what people chose to wear to associate themselves with, or as a statement, etc… and how that started conversations among people, often strangers. I wanted to curate a place where that was the rallying point of the conversation. I had never worked a day of retail in my life and decided to open a store. I wanted to have a place that felt like the cultural hub stores of King’s Road stores in the 1970s and I think that my first store, Lo-Fi, because it was so music-centric achieved that on some level.
Q. What is your “thing” out of all the things you do: DJ, actor, vintage curator, or designer?
A. I feel very lucky to have this very unconventional career comprised of multiple things that I actually enjoy doing equally. I never really get bored with one or the other. I guess clothing and design are really my main thing these days. But I feel like my thing is truly the combination of all of them.
Q. What sparks your creativity?
A. Beauty. I see beauty everywhere. In nature, in the mundane of every day life, in film, in music. I look at a lot of art and I read a fair amount. I think that perhaps the strongest net positive of social media is that it gives a platform to so much creative work that would otherwise be unseen. I see so much cool graphic and interior design, and incredible visual art. Obviously there’s a lot of garbage, narcissism and flagrant self promotion too which can be stifling, but if you can sift through it, there is a lot to be inspired by.
Q. Do you follow your gut, or do you think carefully about what’s next?
A. I’ve definitely had an improvised career, and have gone with the flow - from one thing to the next. I sometimes think that I don’t think enough about what’s next. And that’s a blessing and a curse I suppose. But mostly a blessing because I think that when I have to ask myself questions to which I truly don’t know the answers, that is when good creative work happens.
Q. What can’t you live without?
A. A sense of humor.
Q. What’s your favorite tattoo on your body?
A. Probably my Iggy Pop portrait. Kat Von D did it and I love it. I got it as a tribute to my late friend and mentor Stephen Sprouse who I sort of inherited my love of Iggy from, and who helped me in immeasurable ways. So it has special significance.
Q. You were a central figure in the nightclub scene. Were you a “Club Kid”?
A. I was indeed. I met Michael Alig when I was 17 and it definitely changed the trajectory of my life. Sylvia Miles used to love to tell people that I "Came to New York for the theater, but ended up in the theater of the night." It was a very DIY, psychedlic time. We were inside this bubble of creativity and life itself was like performance art. We were the characters in a decadent immersive living play. It was a crazy ride being immersed in that subculture for those years and obviously it got very dark. I almost didn’t survive it. But I’m grateful that I got to live through that era and experience those things and know those people. I’m finishing a book about those days now.
Q. Out of all of the nightclubs in LA and New York you’ve played at, which was your favorite?
A. Probably the short lived club Diamond Dogs I threw in 2009 with my best friend Ian Cripps and Bryan Rabin. I was a resident at Teddy’s in it’s heyday(2006-2009) too and that was a lot of fun.
Q.You’ve played at several iconic weddings. What makes for a great wedding set?
A. My signature was that I always stayed away from corny wedding music, and really tried to absorb who the couple and their families were ahead of time and assemble a group of songs that I would work with to flesh out a vibe around their unique identity. But I never really plan a set in advance. I always improvise. I like to surprise myself and the guests. I have a friend who was at a wedding I played years ago and every time I see him he goes on about how I took a total left turn and played Led Zeppelin and everyone went nuts. That is the fun of it for me. I think you do have to be very prepared in certain ways, because a wedding is a scenario where there is absolutely no margin of error. You MUST get the energy up and make people dance. But again, that element of not knowing in advance what will work for sure, and feeling out the crowd has almost always led to good creative results for me and kept it fresh and interesting.
Q. With such a wide range of clients, from global icons to fashion brands to weddings, what have you learned about tailoring music to fit different kinds of energy?
A. I always try to have a few songs that I'm excited to play that anchor me throughout the night and keep me inspired. I am constantly listening to music. And I have always found that if I was excited about what i was playing, then usually the crowd would get excited as well and go on my journey with me. I have always been very enthusiastic about exposing people to new music, or music they don’t necessarily know and this passion almost always resonates.
Q. Do you work with music playing or in silence? What music do you like to work to?
A. It depends on the day. Some tasks require silence. But I listen to music most of the time. There is almost no genre besides mumbly autotune nonsense and pop country that I don’t work to at some point in any given month. Lately it's been a lot of ambient 90s music like Orbital, Slowdive, and Massive Attack and more modern stuff from Dry Cleaning, Audiobooks, and Automatic. The new Soulwax is sick too.
Q. You’ve had a few clothing stores. What’s the craziest thing an employee did on the clock?
A. I had an employee who was in a fight with his wife and locked himself in one night and slept behind the counter. It wasn’t on the clock, but that’s crazy. This guy was always up to some shenanigans. He didn't last long with me.
Q. What’s the most special shirt in your collection?
A. I don’t really have much of a “collection” anymore, but I have a few things that I love, including a rare promo shirt for the song “The Dominatrix Sleeps Tonight” by Dominatrix. It was a 12” dance single - a club kid anthem in late 1980s NYC and one of my favorite dance songs
Q. If you could only keep one piece of art you have, what would it be and why?
A. Probably the painting my late friend Martin Hirigoyen Kelly gave me for my 24th birthday. Martin was an extraordinary man and was taken too young. He did so much good for the world.
Q. What was your favorite piece that you acted in?
A. I've done a lot of theater that I've loved. But in terms of film and TV, I think I’ve only gotten to play a good guy once - in an indie film called Acts Of Worship. That was probably my favorite. Or the episode of Law & Order that I did. I liked my work in that.
Q. What was your most Rock and Roll night?
A. The MOST Rock and Roll night? I’m not sure if it would be prudent for me to talk about that in today’s climate!
Guns N’ Roses Lies dog tags from Kelly Cole USA. Silver dog tag pendants featuring a skull with roses on one and “LIES” on the other.
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