The Tastemakers Society

 

Young hustlers are just one term you could use to describe the Proof 7 boys, Laurence and Josh. They’re part of that need breed, that new generation of entrepreneurs and hustlers, they’re one of the front runners in our generation to show how to go get what you want and fuck all the bullshit in between. The fellas run a three pronged company, a clothing line, printing and events planning all under the Proof 7 umbrella, they’re true hustlers and true New Yorkers never stopping just keeping it moving. So read, and read carefully to see how these weed smoking, model pimping, quick tempered guys go from the streets to the board room with ease.

Who is Laurence and who is Josh, a little bit of history please, and let’s not forget the part about how you met.

L: Proof 7 began as a high-end event planning company - a euphemism for getting paid to take underage models to restaurants and nightclubs in NYC. Joshua and I came together through our mutual interests in girls, money, and chronic and since then Proof 7 has emerged as one of New York’s premier specialty print houses as well as rapidly expanding clothing line, P7.

J: I’m native to NYC…grew up in the village…met Laurence in college, seen the sneakers he was wearing in the elevator one day and said what’s good. My roommate and I at the time were flippin trees in the dorm so we gots to burnin and Proof 7 began…started a little events company and had strong ties to the fashion/model world thru printing. We started making friends in the industry and club owners sought us out to bring the beautiful people to their venue, it was all very vain and ended up being just a stepping stone to bigger projects. You try being around little foreign girls no older than 18 with millions in th bank and see how long you can keep your head on straight and actually do business.

What is Proof 7?

L: Proof 7 is our brand that represents our lifestyles. We live in a time where world’s that were once distinct to each now collide and connect - where design meets hip hop - meets skateboarding all fueled by technology and the internet. Proof 7 is our imprint on the culture, to our printing clients it represents supreme quality, insane turnaround, and absolute dedication. To the P7 consumers and those who check the P7 NYC blog it represents New York, parties, insight, knowledge, ill design, attention to detail and young money! Whether dealing with event production, printing, or marketing clothing we have always prided ourselves on living up to our world. It has been our belief that the way you continue to move forward is by delivering and so that is what we do and this is why we have continued to expand.

J: To me Proof 7 is life…it is everything I don’t know and am teaching myself how to do…I went to school for communications and marketing…I am using these but for the most part I am making something out of nothing. My family has a strong background in printing, my grandfather was a printer and so is my father. We’re hustlin like every other New Yorker and Proof 7 is the way we do our thing.

When did the idea come about and who came up with the original concept of Proof 7?

L: The concept was to create something original. We are consumers - we collect sneakers, tshirts, and respect dope young brands and it is this interest and our desire to put out a quality product inspired us to launch the P7 clothing line. Our work in the printing industry has given us the opportunity to work with some of the world’s premier designers, artists, photographers, and models. Along the road we have had the opportunity to work with your rapper’s favorite strategist, David Gensler, to produce the Royal magazine. This lead to our interaction with the word’s largest global collective, the KDU - their members read like a creative dream team. Working with famed and respected talents as Electric Heat’s Nigel Dennis, No Pattern’s Chuck Anderson, Kareem Black, Matthew Salacuse, Von, and False, forces us to think outside the corporate blueprint. There are so many young talented people that don’t want a 9 to 5 or a desk job and don’t want a boss and are doing it and this is what inspires us. It is our goal to continue to exist as the intermediate that provides the platform for these individuals to continue to create.

How do you mix print/publishing with fashion and design?

L: I can’t imagine any of these existing without the other. Music, art, print and technology are all infused and interconnected through design. It is the seamless link that ties all of us who continue to check blogs, collect art and value the rare finer things in life. The kid who spent his morning waiting in line for a sneaker is the same as the creative head of a modeling agency who wants the most elaborate showbox for Fashion Week - they value the details, the individuality, the nuance that is design. We take great care in publishing a book for a designer - the designer leads his style to interpret our logo - we produce a garment with that design and distribute with the book and everyone promotes al projects through their own channels. The cycle continues…

J: It’s all a big mix….I just burn mad chronic and hope my temper doesn’t catch up with me. We do so much at Proof 7 that stress and tension in the office are just the norm. One thing that’s funny universally though is a lot of people think they don’t have to pay for their printing…that’s why we implemented the Department of Collections…

Laurence, tell me about your experience with BET’s Ultimate Hustler, your true thoughts about the whole show, Dame, how you left and the inner workings of that show. And josh tell me what you thought about Laurence being on the show?

L: I have no idea to which you are referring however; I would like to state that if there ever were the opportunity to assist a struggling mogul who I once admired I would seriously consider the opportunity.

J: It was all good fun and laughs. I never seen a celebrity make a bigger fool out of himself on TV then Dame did and Laurence is probably the only person ever to snub him to his face so I’m sure Dame has nightmares about the one white kid who got the best of him.

How do you go about designing for the Proof 7 clothing line, and in this time of over saturation did you have any second thoughts about pursuiting it?

L: Designing each new collection is the dopest component of Proof 7, it truly encapsulates a state of mind and the moment in time in which it was created. We try to never limit ourselves, instead of focusing on a specific theme we try to remain open to interpretation. Josh and I will discuss our ideas for the new collection and then will choose specific designers to work on each piece-insuring there’s never a similar or defining style to the brand. For each new season we start by thinking of what designers and artists we would like to see make their imprint on the Proof 7 aesthetic. 

For people like Electric Heat’s Nigel Dennis, who we have collaborated with frequently, it is easy because we are such fans of his work that there is a supreme confidence that whatever he flips will be ridiculous and it always been. For other collaborations we will provide much more guidance and oversight - for example for this collection we worked with the extremely talented Luca Laurenti otherwise known as MK Lane, Luca resides in Rome, Italy and is a tremendous talent. Prior to creating our new season we engaged in multiple discussions regarding our interests and were surprised to see how many of them transcended cultural boundaries. We both shared an interest in reinterpreting the icons, style, and cultural movements of the late 1960’s and early 70’s that were taking place in America. We decided to focus on Hunter Thompson and the Larger Gonzo movement - Thompson’s drug fueled stream of consciousness style translated well - working with the iconic HST images. Like his early campaign posters for sheriff in Colorado - and referencing his drug induced journey into Las Vegas (paralleling our biannual magic excursions) we felt that this was a perfect project.  

The goal of Prof 7 clothing has never been to be the next cool guy brand, rather we have sought to utilize t-shirts as the medium to allow our favorite artists and designers to create with. As we continue to grow the commercial element of the business has intensified but we have yet to story from our goal which is to create unique pieces of quality garments designed by individuals who continue to push creative boundaries. As far as oversaturation it is not really a concern - our other business ventures provide us the opportunity to fund ourselves, meaning we are not dependent on trends and gimmicks - we can learn from our mistakes and grow the brand organically.

J: Really because we make our paper off of our printing company, no pun intended, the fashion thing is passion driven so we are not affected by the over saturation - nothing is forced…I understand that a lot of brands make tshirts but tshirts are not our only thing. We are in the business of making quality products that we would wear, so in my mind there can’t be an over saturation of our style because we own it. We have only been in this game for a few seasons so when people see us a couple of seasons from now the consumer will understand what we are talking about.

So you’re doing events, printing and a clothing line, does juggling all this get crazy at times, and how do you deal with things to create a perfect balance?

L: It is crazy but that is New York City - there is no 9 to 5; no checking out to relax it is all one big meeting - one blur of handshakes, drinks, plans and plots. It is this energy that pushes us and allows so many seemingly distinct elements to interact. If we’re not crazy than we’re not doing all that we should be, this craziness is an organized confusion - where deadlines, files, seasons, sponsors, and products all merge to create another day in the life.

At this point I wouldn’t change if for the world. One thing leads to the next which helps to support the previous -a cycle that continues to grow. The motivation is the lack of a ceiling - there’s no stop at management, or a salary cap. We cap ourselves and at this point I can’t even fathom where it ends. If something is working it’s time to start on something new and it is this entrepreneurial philosophy that has provided the momentum for all these various divisions.

The real perfect balance occurs when all world’s exist together like in our last event, The Retreat at Tao Beach in Las Vegas. Thru utilizing our events division we secured a premium venue to showcase our new clothing collection where we also premiered our latest printed artifact, the Summer Solstice - Events, Clothing, Print. I don’t really view this as something completely distinct but rather the new model of business - the days of outsourcing to several vendors is gone. Why run in circles when you can get it done in one place. If tomorrow we decided that a new division could better accommodate our clients or consumers, it would be in the works.

J: It is always crazy. We are in a constant meeting, fight, argument, high, client, frenzy. Balance is really what out company is about, life is balance and we are proof. Its all about give and take, yin and yang…we create a balance by intergrating all parts of our business, because we have clothing we sell to boutiques…boutiques need printing so they become our clients, and then we do events and party with all the people we work with…we have a full circle business.

Any current or upcoming projects you could speak on, I saw on your blog that you might be doing some work with Nick Cannon, what’s good with that?

L: Everyday brings a new project. We are so fortunate because everyday is a new experience and sets in motion a new project. We might stop by our boy Vinny Ponte’s store, Rival, and run into fame photog David “Shadi” Perez and plot a new photoshoot, or stop by Gabriel Urists’ World’s Fair and smoke blunts with Redman and wind up plotting on new projects with Brad Digital. We work with some of the world’s premier creative agencies so each day we are going back and forth with people at Anomaly, Strategic Group, Weiden + Kennedy, Seed Gives Life, Naked, pushing boundaries on what can be done.

Currently we are working with PNB on some strategic marketing strategies, kicking around some ideas with some of the most respected brands in the market, plotting on the next Newborn Artist Showcase, planning something never done before for the next Sundance and just always being open to all possibilities.

J: Yea, we work closely with Nick, he’s a friend and business associate. Also we are in the process of finishing the “OUR MONEY GROWS ON TREES” money folder, which is a collaborative effort between P7 and Gabriel Urist.

If you had to choose between doing just one, which would win out printing, events planning or clothing and you have to choose one?

L: If I was ever in a position where I was “forced” to do anything I would give it all up and reinvent myself. My motivation comes from the freedom I have to exercise my opinions and execute my decisions. I have a background in finance and the reason I chose to leave (though I haven’t completely abandoned it) was because at the end of the day I wanted to have to answer to myself and set my own deadlines. And who better a person to work for? It is not one industry or field that commands my full passion it is the idea of constantly creating and innovating.

J: What he said……”cream get the money dolla dolla bill yall”

Laurence tell me about Josh and Josh tell me about Laurence and don’t be afraid to put any embarrassing info on blast.

L: Wow…hmmmm…..how to put this lightly - Josh is a madman and one day will probably burst into flames but until that grand finale he will continue to be my fucking boy for life. Since we first linked up in College we have shared such similar goals whether it was burning 10 blunts a night at the Cabanas when we threw our first weekly, creating a clothing line with no formal fashion training, or just doing everything possible to grow a brand from an idea to product for the masses, we have always operated very differently but with the same vision.

The one thing to know about Josh is that you could be throwing a Ford Models x In the VIP X Playboy, girls only, drinking contest and if it interfered with him going to the gym, it would have to wait. That is a testament to Josh’s dedication and ethic. We prank people all day, clown interns, hit L’s and just keep laughing but there is no one I have ever meant whose business acumen is more on point or who can so easily crush people who are in the wrong as nonchalantly as Josh.  It is this balance of insanity/drive that is the foundation of Proof 7.

J: Laurence is wild he is literally one of the craziest people I know…complete loose cannon, but at the same time intellect and learning come very easy to him so he is a really smart dude…very in tuned with politics, society, the world…Laurence has a background in finance as the hustled through college on the commodities exchange so he has a very unique perspective on the way the world works and the resources that make it work.

However I never seen someone swing quicker…drink more…and get more girls than him so he has a bunch of very unique characteristics that literally make him a wild man…to give you a better image try smashing Tucker Carlson and Gary Buschi together.

Proof 7 has already morphed into a 3 part company, what’s in the future for you both and Proof 7, any specific moves next?

L: The future is continuing to embrace each opportunity that presents itself and working to the accomplish as much as possible before a full days worth of hitting NYC’s finest chronic catches up to you and then starting again. We plan to continue to create, search for new talent, to push the possibilities, collaborate with people we respect, hold down Hudson Street to fullest, and continue to be livin’ Proof…

J: We are ever expanding in all three components…we have the tools to make a full on marketing agency so that may be one of next steps…because we both boarder on the business and creative side of things we consider ourselves more than printers and feel we have the ability to market and brand other companies…with our print resource and network of connections we have a very unique situation and one thing you can count on continuing to see is Proof 7 in the streets and our work in corporate offices around the world.