Gucci: Yo, There’s A Ghost In My House

TREVOR ANDREW: “My name’s Trevor Andrew, aka Trouble Andrew.”
ALISON VENESS: “Why trouble?”
TA: “I mean, it’s not me. I think it’s more just maybe because I like to challenge certain ideas. I’m not trouble like that. Trouble in a good way.”

AV: “Where do you live?”

TA: “Brooklyn, New York.”

AV: “Have you always lived there?”

TA: “No, I’ve lived there for about 15 years, but I was born in Nova Scotia [Canada], in a small farm town.”

AV: “So, was it about rebelling against the farm-town life?”
TA: “It definitely wasn’t intentional, not at all. I think it was more that I had a lot of older friends, because my mum would take people in sometimes. So there were a couple of older guys who would stay at the house, who were into skateboarding and different music and stuff like that. So they kind of educated me in that culture early on and I just kind of fell in love with it, because it was something that wasn’t a structured idea.

“I remember feeling humiliated, when I was about seven years old, because I tried out for the soccer team and I didn’t make the cut, and that idea was just, like, ‘What? But I want to play.’ So when I discovered skateboarding, it was like, ‘There are no rules, there’s no right way to do it.’ That idea really stayed with me. I loved how I was discovering so many other things through skateboarding, beyond the physical act of doing it and becoming obsessed and doing it for hours and hours, without knowing I was doing it for hours and hours.”

AV: “When did the double-G idea come to you?”
TA: “I started that project by writing it on everything probably about four years ago, but my Gucci obsession started really young. When I first had money to buy something, the first money I earned, I spent it on a Gucci watch. I really loved how the watch looked, but it was more that I was able to buy a Gucci watch that meant something, you know what I mean? So, from that point, the watch represented a whole lot more than just the watch.”

AV: “Why GucciGhost?”

TA: “I was creating an alternative view. It was my perception of where Gucci could be. So I was the ghost doing these things on my own.

“But, really, the initial idea sparked from when I made a Hallowe’en costume and it was a Gucci piece of material and I cut eyeholes in it and I wore it around New York to see how people reacted just from that one night. It was an easy thing. ‘Guccighost!’ – everyone was saying it, and it made people laugh and notice it among the whole city that was out in costumes. It just resonated with people.

“Then I started doing the art and drawing that image of the Gucci ghost and putting that idea to a bunch of different mediums, such as making films that had this theme in it, making a musical that was based on it.”

AV: “So, tell us a bit about the Gucci trap house.”
TA: “The Gucci trap house is my creative space. I was working within my house in Brooklyn and it became too small a space. So I found a spot a couple of blocks from my house and it was a little apartment that I transformed into a workspace. One room was just a studio room to record music in, another room had a green screen, another room was open to paint and then I painted the whole house and friends would come over and paint.

“It was a creative hub and then, recently, I moved a couple blocks round the corner from there, so then I started the Gucci trap house number two.”

AV: “Is it surreal for you to be here now at Gucci HQ in Milano and, in that sense of a building, at a real Gucci trap house for Gucci on the catwalk yesterday?”

TA: “Yeah, it really is, for real. Essentially, it was my goal, as much as I was just taking things that were simple and maybe not so pretty and trying to transform them into this beautiful thing. I wanted Gucci to notice. At the same time, I was just doing it. I don’t know, something in me kept driving me to do it. People were like, ‘Yo, that’s crazy, I don’t understand it, what are you doing?’”

AV: “What was your reaction when you were approached by Gucci?”
TA: “Ari Marcopoulos had shot the look book and he’s an old friend of mine and he hit me up, like, ‘Yo, I just shot the Gucci look book.’ He knew I’d be so excited.

So he was like, ‘Yo, I’m at Gucci, send me some pictures of what you’ve been doing’, because I always send him little videos of things I’m doing. And he showed everybody and he wrote back and he was like, ‘Yo, they think it’s cool.’ And I was like, ‘I made it! They noticed me!’ And that was it.

“I didn’t hear from them for three weeks, or maybe a month. Then, all of a sudden, when I was in Jamaica, I got this text from Ari, like, ‘Yo, I want to introduce you to my friend at Gucci, they’re trying to get ahold of you, she’s on copy, reach out to us right away!’ It was surreal. I had to look at it twice.”

AV: “Then what?”

TA: “I got on a conference call with everybody and they were like, ‘Yo, we want to bring you out to Rome next week, will you come?’ I was like, ‘For sure.’ So, I flew out and met with Alessandro [Michele] and met the whole team and then I was really given full creative freedom.”

AV: “So, what did you bring to the AW16 collection?”
TA: “We did so much stuff. We did a lot of prints – it wasn’t just hand-painted stuff. I usually start with a drawing or hand painting and then I tweak it and mash it up with a whole bunch of other ideas on my phone or computer. So I think I brought a more raw, street kind of aesthetic that really got transformed into this hybrid luxury.”

AV: “Are you happy with that?”

TA: “Oh my God, that’s my goal. I’d always wished I had the access to those materials, but I was working with what I had and what I found, which actually translated very well when it was matched up. Alessandro is a genius and was really checking over everything that I brought in and was like, ‘Yo, that’s perfect.’ He didn’t ever ask me to change anything. We took the pieces, he was like, ‘I like this one, let’s build off this one’, and then boom. It was just mind-blowing.”

AV: “Did you research any art and fashion collaborations before you met him, such as Stephen Sprouse?”
TA: “No, not at all. I like Stephen Sprouse and I’m aware of what he did, but I’ve been collaborating with brands since I was 15, working with snowboard brands and having my own products. I really got hipped to the whole process. I have always been into designing and the collaboration aspect, especially when someone has the infrastructure to make your wildest dreams come true.”

AV: “Alessandro has really changed the face of fashion in the past year. Were you already aware of the magnitude of his influence?”

TA: “I was, because I initially found out about him because my wife [the singer and producer Santigold], came home and was like, ‘Oh my gosh, did you see the new Gucci collection? You are going to love the new creative director – he’s supercool and free and is doing all these wild things.’ So, yes, I was [aware of his influence]. And this was before any of this came to fruition.”

AV: “So how did you feel when you found out he did want to work with you?”
TA: “Once I did get the call, it was like, ‘Wow.’ I was a bit nervous, because I didn’t know Gucci’s process or Alessandro’s process. I’ve been in creative environments, making products and stuff, but everybody has a different way of doing them. Especially where I come from, it’s pretty free and driven by the individuals who are involved in skate and snow culture and all these countercultures.”

AV: “What happened when you first got together? It sounds like things clicked straight away.”
TA: “So, when I showed up, first of all nobody told me what they wanted me to do, because I was doing all kinds of different things with the Gucci concept. So I came to Rome kind of blind. I brought a bunch of references, things I had created in the past and a few things I’d whipped up before I came and, when I showed up with everything, [Alessandro] was like, ‘This is stupendous!’ It made me feel so comfortable. Nobody attacked me, saying, ‘Hey, we need to do it like this.’

“It was a very free, fun environment immediately. I was given freedom. It made me feel like I was able to take risks myself and push myself to do different things. I can see that with Alessandro. Everybody around him obviously works hard and is great at what they do, but everybody is really having fun. And that’s the way I work.

“Everything I do is completely driven by emotions and sometimes it’s not rational, but I just do what I feel is right. I’m so thankful that my parents encouraged that at a young age, when I was taking off and leaving home at 15 and on the road, doing things that a lot of people would be against me doing. And other parents were telling my parents, ‘No, you’re crazy.’ I feel like Alessandro is the same [as my parents]. He encourages everybody around him to do what they are passionate about and he trusts them and so everybody trusts each other and trusts him.”

AV: “Are you and he kindred spirits or are you quite different?”
TA: “I think we’re just free spirits. We don’t live within boundaries or limits. We both share that idea of, like, really flowing and not being scared and working freely and living freely. I think that’s what makes us – once we came together and met, it felt like we already knew each other.”

AV: “So, were there a lot of late-night phone calls and spontaneous ideas beyond that one solid burst of work when you went over to Italy?”

TA: “Honestly, no. We had one phone call and I just kept working because I had been creating prior to knowing I was even doing this, so once they gave me the phone call I kind of kicked into high gear and put down a bunch more ideas that I could come out to Italy with and show. Then, once I did that, over that two-week period, we hung out and the ideas started bouncing back and forth.

“Once I got there, it was me creating in my space, painting, bringing stuff upstairs, talking about it, Alessandro having a look at it, making it better, then me going back down into my space, painting and coming back up – going back and forth. It was really fast and we created a lot of stuff.”

AV: “How do you think you’re going to feel when you see someone walking down the street in New York wearing those denim jackets or carrying one of the graffitied bags with your running double G that you’ve really kind of messed up for the house?”

TA: “I’m definitely going to feel proud. I’ll probably feel like running up on them and be like, ‘Yo, what’s up man?’ I would try to meet the person. Obviously I’m super-proud and it’s a major honour, so once I see that in the stores and once I see people walking around, it will be extra

like, ‘This really just happened.’ I’m still in the dream state.”

AV: “Beyond that dream-like state, has the persona of GucciGhost changed for you?”
TA: “No, because I think the general idea of what it stands for was really me shadowing Gucci and creating my own perception of where it could go. I think that’s going to stay there. I don’t know if Ghost will ever go away, [ghosts] kind of linger around.

“What has changed, maybe, is that it was kind of a chase before and, now, I’m actually family with Gucci, which is as exciting as the chase. Sometimes when you chase something and then you achieve it, it’s almost sad because you did it, but this is a little different, because these are relationships I’ve started recently and people I’ve become close to at Gucci.

“Obviously, it still hasn’t hit the stores, so there’s still a lot that I’m really excited about.”

AV: “I was thinking about that idea of the shadows and maybe it feels like there’s a new layered underground movement really coming through. Do you feel that there’s this new fashion underground that was started by Gucci a year ago?”

TA: “I think, yeah, with a lot of things I create, whether it’s music or whatever, I’ve been an underground dude. I really cherish that. The special thing, working with Gucci, was that no one tried to take that away from me. I got to keep my aesthetic and the things that inspire me.

“I think that we’re in the information age and people are doing their research and kids want to know about all kinds of stuff. Even, like, documentaries that come out telling stories about, say, the Sex Pistols or something… I’m just kind of carrying on and bringing that language to a high fashion brand, where it totally applies, because fashion is something where obviously it’s nice to aspire to work with the greatest, but in everyday life we create our own fashion. We put together pieces and everybody dresses themselves how they feel and, for me, I’ve always been doing that and ripping stuff apart and finding stuff at thrift places.

“It will always be a part of what I do.
I like to do that, I like to feel I’ve created > something that feels original to me and it feels good when people compliment you on that and, you know, this was the biggest compliment in the world.”

AV: “Favourite creative tool? Spray can or paintbrush?”
TA: “I like working with spray paint, for sure. I like brushes, too. It depends on what kind of look I’m going for in that moment. But anything – spray paint, paint markers – I mean, spray paint is fun, because it dries fast. It’s like punk, you know. It’s fun. It drips.”

AV: “Would you call yourself a graffiti artist, then?”
TA: “I definitely love graffiti, but there’s a lot in art that I love and a lot that I can do across a lot of different mediums. I don’t just paint, I make films, I make music.

“I’m always experimenting with new ways to express myself. That usually keeps me excited to do one or the other and they’re all connected, you know – the feel, the aesthetic, everything that I’m doing. You go across the board and you look at one of my videos that I’ve made, or some music I’ve made, and it’ll make sense when you look at the paintings. I’m just an artist.”

AV: “What was your first tag, before GucciGhost?”
TA: “I wasn’t really doing a tag, that’s why I don’t refer to myself as a graffiti artist. But I was creating new identities or ways for other brands that I had worked with in my snowboard history.

“I’ve always been remixing things, in a sense. I can take something that somebody already has and not take away from it, but I can add to it, add a different feel, a different perception. I love to do that, it’s fun.”

AV: “I looked at some of your animated film clips – they seem a bit Beavis and Butt-Head. Are you a fan of early 1990s cartoons, then?”

TA: “[Laughs.] I’ve got a bunch of Beavis and Butt-Head VHS tapes that I still watch. I definitely like the 1990s. I often go back and I don’t even have a television – like, I’ve got a VHS television, I’ve got, like, 10 VHS televisions, and when I’m in my studio painting or creating music, I usually have, like, 10 different videos, playing anything, from Beavis and Butt- Head to old skateboard videos to classic films like Taxi Driver.

“I’ve got a crazy collection. I’m a hoarder, for real. I like to tap into things that inspire me. I love to discover new things, but it just happens I’ve held on to a lot of memories from those times.”

AV: “It sounds fun, your studio. I’d like to be there. It sounds a bit like The Factory.”
TA: “I definitely like to have an environment where I can host other artists and we can all hang out and share and create things together and have little parties. So it makes sense. It’s definitely a free, creative zone like that – no boundaries. A lot of progressive people come through and hang out and talk and make stuff. It’s fun.”

AV: “Is there anyone in particular who really inspires you?”
TA: “Yeah, one of the guys – you mentioned the animated stuff – a friend of mine, Drew Toonz, does that stuff with me. He’s a genius. Man, he’s hilarious. You should actually check out his stuff.

“There are so many people around me – I mean, everybody who has a positive, forward-thinking outlook, whatever your aesthetic… It’s not always about art, it’s about a way of making. I’m constantly looking for people to inspire me and that’s so I can grow as a person, which will help me grow as an artist. That’s why I love to travel. I like to be around new people and be around people who are living their lives not necessarily the same way as me. I’m constantly cruising around and am often affected by people – in both good and bad ways.”

AV: “I wonder if, through your art, without knowing it, you’re an activist – or would you say you are more a social commentator?”

TA: “I think I am an activist, in a way. As long as your heart is in the right place, you can really manifest whatever you want. That’s the beautiful thing about this Gucci opportunity. A lot of people saw me doing that for a long time and they might have not really understood it, but when it came to fruition, a lot of people came up to me and said, ‘Yo, man, that really changed my whole perception of what can happen and how you can really manifest things.’

“I spent a lot of time talking to my friends, who I feel are better than me in a lot of ways, and saying to them, ‘Hey, man, you can do this, you can really be a musician, you could really be an artist, you could really do this and I see the talent in you and you don’t see it in yourself.’

“I think that, through social conditioning and everything that happens in your life, a lot of people become afraid to try and they become afraid to go outside the boundaries and do stuff, whereas that’s where I’ve lived my whole life. I’ve just done things that have had people saying things like, ‘Oh man, you can’t do that, you’re never going to be a pro snowboarder, you’re from Nova Scotia, there aren’t even any mountains here. You’re never going be a musician.’

“I feel like I see these things for people, even before they happen, like, man, they’re going to be huge. Even my wife, when I met her, she was playing shows for, like, 10 people, like punk-rock shows, and I just remember being like, ‘Yo, she’s got it, she’s amazing.’

“People just don’t allow themselves to believe, but it happens if you keep pushing. So, my main thing is just to try to help people believe in themselves and to go after the things they truly love, otherwise you end up living this life where you’re afraid and you’re unhappy and that’s lame. I just want to be around people who go for it and take risks and love what they do.”

AV: “So what came first for you? Gucci or Gucci Mane?”
TA: “Gucci, for sure, but Gucci Mane I’ve loved ever since he came out. I’m a huge fan.”

AV: “Are you good friends?”

TA: “We have a few mutual friends, but hopefully I’ll meet him when he gets out of prison soon.”

AV: “In years to come, when people look back at the Gucci archives, what do you hope they might feel when they look at what you did with Alessandro?”

TA: “I haven’t really thought about that, but I think that what they’ll most likely feel when they look at is they’ll be like, ‘Damn, this is the first time Gucci ever did that.’

“I think that us being pioneers together – really just going off of a street aesthetic and punk and everything that really resonated with me as a kid and to this day – to have infused that into the Gucci house is really a special thing.”