KHAI SMITH IS LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
Photos and Words by Cameron Dorsey
If you ever get the chance to walk through a museum of European art with designer Khai Smith, his passion for taking this art and putting his own spin on it is evident. The 24-year-old, Portsmouth, VA native is using his brand, 444 The People, to conjure the same warm tones and heavenly themes in his pieces as the Renaissance-era paintings that inspire him. 444 The People feels like the end of the first stretch of Khai’s marathon of self-discovery, and he’s ready to fully flesh it out moving forward. Read our conversation below.
Just to start out, just tell me a little bit about your upbringing.
I mean, honestly, it's difficult to say because, you know, I bounced around a lot as a kid. So, I never really had like, a true identity about who I was, especially not growing up with a true father. It was tough trying to figure out who I was as a person and what direction I wanted to like take my life and stuff. I didn't figure out what I wanted to do, or I didn't find my passion until I was like 20 or 21. So it was like my whole adolescence, I was just like go with the flow, you know, whatever happened happened. I had some difficulties in my childhood and, you know I'm figuring it out now, you know, with therapy and all that, but I mean, I was never hungry, I was never homeless or anything so, my upbringing, it was pretty cool, I can't complain.
What was your earliest experience with fashion?
Middle school, and not because I was like best dressed or anything, but because I couldn't dress. I used to get joked on a lot, like a lot. And I remember one year, my 13th birthday, and this was when if you wore USPA, you were wack or whatever. I got 13 bags of straight USPA from my parents and you know, I had to wear it, you know, I didn't have a job, so I had to wear it to school. So I got joked on a lot. And then my freshman year, I didn't know much about shoes and that's when people start basically judging you off of what you wear, that's when it gets bad. So that experience but, after that, I started working and that's when I kind of figured out like okay, I can dress I just didn't have the clothes, I couldn't really put it together. So that's what kind of developed that passion because everybody joking me, now it's okay, now I'm gonna show y'all I can actually put it on. Growing up, my mom used to go to thrift stores a lot. So when I was around 16, 17, I used to go with her, and that's what really developed my style. I used to find so many pieces from thrift stores just around the area and would put them together. I ended up winning best dressed my senior year of high school and everything I wore, even what I have on now, was thrifted. These pants are thrifted, this jacket is thrifted. I made this hoodie myself, but the key pieces that you'll see me in on Instagram or just day to day were thrifted.
Where did the idea for the brand come from?
It came from my childhood. I was a really big people pleaser and I've always been a provider for my family. So the phrase “for the people”, I would say basically like everything I do is for the people. Sometimes I even felt unappreciated, so that's where the phrase “undefined” came from. That's why like you see that a lot like all my clothes, you see “undefined” or you see “444 The People”, and then the 444 came from when I was going through a difficult time in my life and I saw that number a lot. And then I just put them together, it just made sense. So that's ultimately where it came from and how it started.
So, I noticed in your photoshoots and in any marketing you have for the brand, it's a consistent aesthetic, it has that cloudy, angelic type of feeling. So where did the idea for that come from? And what was that like picking an aesthetic for your brand?
Photos by Christian Dillard (@playknows)
I fell in love with the old-timey Renaissance art with the crazy gold frames and stuff like that. So I've tried to mimic that with every single one of my photoshoots, and I just like the angelic look honestly. Most people spend their life dreaming about what they want and the things they want to achieve, so I really try to convey that with my photoshoots as my main focus. I want to make something as simple as a t-shirt seem super angelic and dreamy. It's like when you look at it, you just kind of feel a warmth in your heart, so that's why I do that.
So earlier, you mentioned therapy, what went into that decision and how has that influenced who you are as a person and how you carry yourself as a designer?
I never wanted to go to therapy honestly, if it wasn't for someone very important in my life I never would've given therapy a proper chance. But I wish I had known when I was like 18, or 19. I've been through a lot growing up and, I feel like my whole life has just been a journey of self-discovery and trying to figure out who I am. I think as a designer, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves, and I have a lot of pressure from my family and it got to a point where I had to find an outlet. Because you know, growing up, especially in like a black household, Jamaican household, you're not taught to express yourself, and I got to a point where I kind of let it overflow in my head. So therapy has helped me express myself. I’m journaling every day now, and I meditate every day. And working out is also a great form of therapy too you know, you can sit in the house doing nothing and feel depressed, you're just gonna be sad, so you got to try to find ways to get some movement in your life. Find emotional outlets and physical outlets, and try to get it all out. So that's one thing that benefits from therapy, I wish I went earlier.
What do you think is next for you and 444 The People?
I want a storefront ultimately, and I want celebrities in my pieces too. I think as of right now, I'm focusing more on the quality of my clothing and the quality of my artwork. Because this past year, I’ve obviously wasted money, but I felt like I was rushing to try to keep up with others around me. So this year, I'm gonna slow it down, I might not drop as many pieces but the pieces I do drop will probably be the best I've ever made. So, I'm just going to buckle down and focus on the quality of the pieces, the message I'm trying to portray, the artwork that we're going to put out, and hopefully, you know, I end up having a storefront this year or next year, try to get some celebrity appearances in my stuff, try to land creative roles outside of doing my own brand, maybe helping other brands or directing other photoshoots, I just really want to challenge myself creatively this year.
What's been the hardest part of trying to develop the brand or the one thing that was really making it difficult for you that you had to overcome?
My family. Because I'm helping my mom, I take care of everybody, I recently bought a house about a year and some change ago so that’s, I’m not gonna say a financial burden, but it's a lot to maintain on top of trying to run a business and have a day job too. So it's like, trying to maintain all the bills that are coming in and trying to keep myself from drowning, that's been the hardest part. And it's not only financially, but mentally draining because you try to keep pushing forward in life and try to remain optimistic, but it's hard when it’s bills coming in. So I'm trying to get my mental right, it's a lot of pressure, especially from the outside. People don't really know what you got going on in your life, so I try to be as transparent as possible. Some people don't understand why a drop might be taking so long, or why I've been so quiet recently, you know, I'm really trying to work on myself for the betterment of my future and the brand's future.
So going through that and coming out on this end where you have a lot of momentum going, what has been something you’ve benefited from and learned during the process?
I've learned to not give up on myself. Sometimes I find myself in dark places, and I try to take a step back and look at the things that I've accomplished rather than the mistakes that I've made. Because growing up how I did, a lot of my choices and decisions in life, they don't just affect me, they affect everyone in my life, so I really try to remain focused, so that's definitely one positive thing. Another positive thing I’d probably say is when outside sources tell me, or they see my stuff out somewhere, like just yesterday, somebody sent me someone out downtown Norfolk, they had my piece on. I just got a picture from this artist in South Carolina, I can’t announce it in the interview, but it's like when he sent me this I was having a rough time mentally, so that kind of brought me back like okay, I'm going through that right now, but I can't give up on myself. Because if I give up, then not only am I gonna let myself down, but I'm letting this person down, or my friends down, you know what I mean? So it's bigger than just me, I'm really doing this for the people.
