TK: When did your sense of style start to come into play? I know you were into skating and other subcultures growing up. Did your personal style overlap with that?
SW: Definitely. I was influenced by skating and subcultures early on, but I don’t think I thought about it too deeply as a teenager. Then in college, I got more into music, and my friends who were musicians always had great style. That rubbed off on me. I started noticing how people dressed and how that translated in photos—especially portraits and documentary work.
After school I moved to New York, and that’s when it all really opened up. You’re just surrounded by people with amazing personal style. It was also peak menswear era—the late 2000s. One of my best friends was shooting for a men’s shop in Williamsburg called Gentry, and I started working with them right after I arrived. That experience shaped my style.
I was assisting photographers and working in studios, so I couldn’t exactly wear tailoring every day, but I picked up pieces where I could. I was in my 20s, figuring it out, being thrifty—but that period definitely informed what I liked to wear and how I wanted my work to look.
Film cameras were more interesting at that time—digital cameras were new, expensive, and not that great. I loved the darkroom process and experimenting in there. It stuck with me, and by the end of high school I was shooting a lot of short videos and film projects, even if I wasn’t totally committing to it yet.
TK: When did your sense of style start to come into play? I know you were into skating and other subcultures growing up. Did your personal style overlap with that?
SW: Definitely. I was influenced by skating and subcultures early on, but I don’t think I thought about it too deeply as a teenager. Then in college, I got more into music, and my friends who were musicians always had great style. That rubbed off on me. I started noticing how people dressed and how that translated in photos—especially portraits and documentary work.
After school I moved to New York, and that’s when it all really opened up. You’re just surrounded by people with amazing personal style. It was also peak menswear era—the late 2000s. One of my best friends was shooting for a men’s shop in Williamsburg called Gentry, and I started working with them right after I arrived. That experience shaped my style.
I was assisting photographers and working in studios, so I couldn’t exactly wear tailoring every day, but I picked up pieces where I could. I was in my 20s, figuring it out, being thrifty—but that period definitely informed what I liked to wear and how I wanted my work to look.
TK: Who or what made the biggest mark on your perspective—photographers, musicians, cultural references? Was New York the defining moment?
SW: My aesthetic started forming earlier, probably in college, and then it just refined in New York. I learned technical things from other photographers, but the city itself wasn’t what I wanted to photograph—it was the people.
Travel also shaped me. Once I started assisting more established photographers, I got to travel all over and meet stylists, editors, and all these people behind the scenes who were making shoots happen. Some of them have their own lines now. Back then, we were all just figuring it out together.
TK: You and I have always bonded over music. Ryan and I have talked about how many people in menswear come from hardcore or punk backgrounds—but you and I definitely didn’t. We’re more Dead, Van Morrison, Bon Iver types. How does music like that influence your work or set the tone for a shoot?
SW: I was just talking about this with my friend Tess Sullivan, who’s a great stylist. We did a shoot together earlier this year, and afterward we realized it was basically inspired by musicians from the 60s and 70s—people like Leonard Cohen or Mick Jagger.
Those musicians took tailoring and gave it a looseness and edge. It’s timeless. Maybe some of the looks are too wild for me, but the subtler ones—those have always been my reference points. They’re cool in a way that never really goes out of style.
TK: Your work feels warm, textured, and a little analog—like the music you’re describing. Is that intentional?
SW: Definitely. I go through the trouble of shooting film because I can’t imagine doing personal work any other way. It’s not convenient, but it’s the look and the process I’m drawn to.
It’s similar to the music I love—recorded on tape, a little imperfect, captured in the moment. I’m attracted to imperfection, to that first-thought-best-thought energy.
I just listened to an interview with Buck Meek from Big Thief, and he talked about how they recorded their new album—live, with trusted players, minimal edits. That approach resonates with me. You give yourself some boundaries and work within them. Digital tools let you do anything, but that freedom can be paralyzing. Limitations keep things honest.
TK: You mentioned that moving to California allowed you to relax into your style. You live in Sausalito now, surrounded by the ghosts of so many of our musical heroes—Van, the Dead, all of that. Has California changed you or just confirmed that this is where you belong?
SW: It’s definitely influenced my style. It let me wear the things I wanted to wear in New York more often—as part of my daily uniform. The weather’s mild, so I can wear jackets, oxford shirts, and trousers year-round.
Natural fibers—linen, cotton, wool—they just make sense here. They fit the climate and the landscape. There’s a kind of analog connection there, too. Film, tape, natural fibers—they’re all about texture and feel.
TK: You still travel constantly—back and forth to the East Coast, shoots all over the country. How do you dress when you travel? Are you a comfort-first guy or do you go full tailoring?
SW: I wear suits on planes—which, when it’s the right cotton suit, is comfortable and practical.
In my previous job I traveled constantly, and I learned that how you present yourself matters. It affects how you’re treated, and it gives clients confidence—especially when you’re shooting apparel.
That said, if I’m shooting on location, I’ll bring denim, boots—things I can roll around on the ground in. But I always bring a jacket or overshirt with big pockets. Even if it’s hot, I need those pockets for film. It’s become part of my kit.
Our Locations
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Our newest showroom in Palo Alto opened in 2023, and is tucked away at 433 Hamilton Avenue.
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