{"id":9815,"date":"2023-04-07T09:00:46","date_gmt":"2023-04-07T07:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hhv-journal.com\/?p=9815"},"modified":"2024-02-22T13:04:06","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T12:04:06","slug":"magic-castles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hhv-journal.com\/en\/news\/magic-castles\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Streetwear Brand Magic Castles is Channeling the Aesthetics of Sound"},"content":{"rendered":"

UK Streetwear Brand Magic Castles is Channeling the Aesthetics of Sound<\/h1>\n
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Words: Chris Danforth<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Magic Castles is the latest to join HHV\u2019s brand roster. Co-founder Chris Stoker<\/a> notes that the brand is first and foremost an expression of musical aesthetics sourced from promotional materials like \u2018zines and more. The resulting graphics define Magic Castles<\/a>\u2019 trippy design language that resembles elevated concert T-shirts, plus cut-and-sew items like caps and kimonos, reflecting Stoker\u2019s love for Japanese fashion. Below, we chat with Chris about the inspiration behind the brand, and how he goes about designing his collections.<\/p>\n

Hey Chris, can you tell me a bit about your background? What were you doing before you started Magic Castles?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I was doing design at uni\u2019 but it didn\u2019t last that long, my heart wasn’t really in it. It coincided with me getting into the cities Club scene. I needed a job, so I started working in a sneaker store in Newcastle called Aspecto. From there I ended up being a buyer for a store called Strand. I worked for Nike in Amsterdam for a bit as well. After that, I moved to London to work for a brand called Folk. That\u2019s where I met Cathal McAteer, he\u2019s my partner in Magic Castles and the founder of Folk.<\/p>\n

Eventually, I left Folk. I was leaving a leading a bit of a double life because I had a record label and I was DJing so wanted to work freelance so I could be more in charge of my time. This is when Cathal proposed that we start a brand together with the focus being on music because that’s what we bonded over when I worked at Folk.<\/p>\n