Interview No. VII

Relly Luv

Relly to me, Relly Luv or Jerrell Funtila to some, and the mind behind R.I.P Studio 54 to others. To know Relly is to know his version of things. You might see Relly on the hunt for the latest and greatest vintage t-shirts or at Corridor, where he works in SoHo. You’ll probably spot him out in LES on any given Friday night, on his way to an after-hours party at some clothing store or meeting up with friends. He’ll likely sport a beanie, an oversized sweatshirt (even in the summertime) and baggy jeans. I’ve seen Relly’s knees twice. Both times while playing basketball together with teenagers in Bushwick. To know him is to love him. Here’s Relly Luv.

Where did you grow up?

I’m from Richmond, Virginia. 2 up 2 down! But more specifically, Chesterfield County.

How did your upbringing influence who you are now and your sense of creativity?

My upbringing is kinda interesting. I’m Filipino-American. I grew up in a predominately Black and Brown neighborhood. Went to schools filled with predominately Black and Brown students. Being in that environment, I was the only Filipino — people would laugh and tell me I was Chinese. So I went through a little bit of bullying, but it didn’t bother me too much. I made a lot of friends because of basketball. I gained a lot of street cred — or whatever you wanna call it — by being good in pickup games at the park. I also made friends just by being goofy. That could’ve been a subconscious way of trying to show out because I knew I was the only Filipino person around. But so much of what I’m interested in culturally came from how I grew up — hip-hop and streetwear culture was a huge part of that. True Religion, Coogi, Ecko, Rocawear, Baby Phat — I was surrounded by those brands and wore them. The food I eat, how I talk, what I listen to, what I wear now — it comes from growing up in a place like Chesterfield County. I hold my friends from there so close to my heart. But growing up in a place like that, too, a lot of people were scared to be different and dress differently. Once I got to high school, I wanted to branch out. I started wearing Doc Martens and immediately got made fun of.

Who did you look up to growing up?

Honestly, I never really idolized any celebrities. I think I cared more about basketball players since I started playing at a young age. T-Mac (Tracy McGrady) is my favorite player of all time. Then I’d say Allen Iverson and Dwyane Wade. It wasn’t until around high school that I started to idolize people like J. Cole, Pharrell, Mac Miller, Tyler The Creator, and Childish Gambino.

I already know you were listening to a ton of music. What was in the regular rotation?

I was mainly a hip-hop head. I would listen to what my older brother would play which was usually classic hip-hop. Nas, Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, all that. All my friends and people around me listened to it — so it was easy to get into. Also, a bit of oldies. My dad is a big fan of bands like The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Beegees, and The Eagles. But hip-hop for sure.

So, when and why did you get into fashion?

I got into fashion because of Tumblr. But I started to learn how to coordinate clothes with my big brother. He taught me how to put a fit on. Tumblr showed me the aesthetics of fashion — stuff I wasn’t seeing in my community. I took what I saw on Tumblr and tried to make it my own. People called me “funny” throughout high school just for cuffing my pants a certain way.

Walk me through your fashion career so far.

Growing up in Chesterfield County, there were a lot of gangs. I started my own called “Lifestyle Wavy,” but honestly all we would do is just try to dress nice and talk to girls. Just get fly, take pics, and talk to girls. It got to the point where we would post these group pictures, and we got this little ounce of clout for being fly around the neighborhood. We’d walk around the mall and people would know who we were. That was when I realized I could actually do the fashion thing. Around that time, I also started making clothes with my boy, Bejxy. We would make heartbreak shirts — taking an embroidered heart from Michaels, making it into a broken heart, and then sewing it on the chest of the shirt. Also bleaching peoples’ pants and distressing them for money. Me and my friend Floaty, who I’m still really close with, we’d just spend time scheming up brands and all that. I went to college and started styling and doing fashion photography. Did an internship with Urban Outfitters styling e-commerce. I really fucked with that. After I graduated, did a similar thing, styling, steaming, dressing models. Then I started working in retail. Now, I do a lot of freelance styling gigs — recently, I style-assisted a shoot with J-Balvin for L’Officiel and another with Rita Ora for L’Officiel. I’ve done Thom Browne too. Just trying to do what I can do. That all led up to my zine, R.I.P Studio 54.

Why is fashion important to you? What would you say to someone who thinks fashion is superficial or wasteful?

Clothes are a necessity. Everyone needs food, shelter and clothes. Clothes allow you to express yourself without having to say who you are. Fashion says a lot about the individual. You look good and you feel good! As far as the industry, I do think it’s superficial, but I care more about style than fashion which are completely different things. Style is how you put something on and how it’s true to who you are. I hate fast fashion. The industry has attempted to shift to more sustainable clothing because people are starting to care more about where their clothes are coming from. Still, no matter what, we’ll continue to make clothes — which is beautiful and destructive at the same time. It’s a double-edged sword. I also feel like fashion has become a little mainstream. A lot of people care more about buying designer and how expensive their clothes are instead of the quality, the meaning behind the clothes or the context in which they were made.

Tell me about your zine, R.I.P STUDIO 54. How did the idea come about? 

R.I.P STUDIO 54 is a streetwear catalog and zine. Everything in it is based on streetwear culture and clothes. I also sell vintage thrifted clothes too. I drew inspiration from the vintage Japanese magazine, Popeye, and the early issues of Complex when it used to be a catalog magazine. I want to cultivate a creative hub and put people onto what is cool, who is cool, and what is going on right now in New York. It’s a digital zine and I release new issues monthly. I’ll throw in stores, albums, restaurants, emerging designers and pop culture trends I think are cool and relevant for people to see. The name is based on one of the greatest, most legendary clubs of all-time which was called Studio 54. All of the biggest superstars in the world used to party there — Mick Jagger, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson — they would be at this club to have a good time, do hella drugs. It was the it club in the 70s. The bouncers were so strict and exclusive about who they let in. The club was curated. I want to do the same thing with my zine. I want to give people curated content that matters and cut out the fluff.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on so far for R.I.P STUDIOS?

I have two. The first one is the MTA post on how to hop the turnstiles to get into the train station. I showed four different ways of hopping the train entrance turnstile, photographed some people doing it, posted it and it went crazy. I moved super fast on that idea because I was afraid someone would do it before me. The other project was fake IDs as business cards for R.I.P Studios. While I was working on it, HEAVEN by Marc Jacobs posted my exact idea as part of their campaign and now it’s this whole cliche in the fashion and art space — I have the receipts. I had that idea in August and Marc Jacobs posted the same thing in September. So I was like fuck it and then boom! MTA post.

What would you say to a budding creative from a small town who wants to move to the city and work in something creative?

I would say just do it like Nike, bro. I did it and I’m still here 5 years later. It’s hard, but you just have to be disciplined. Get a job in retail or at a restaurant. Be strict with your money. New York is such a great place to live even without all the cool, creative stuff. If you visit New York, hit up pop-ups and stores, tell them who you are, and give them business cards or your IG. Build a little network and then just move.

How does your Filipino identity impact or influence you and your work (if at all)?

It doesn’t influence me at all. I feel like a FRAUD. I’ve never been to the Philippines, I don’t know how to make Filipino food or speak Tagalog. My family does party like Filipinos, though, like the karaoke and the food. I can vibe out another Filipino just by looking at them which is hilarious. Also, liking basketball and shoes is very Filipino. I want to delve more into that part of me. To be Filipino is to be prideful — we’re proud that we’re Filipino.

Who are your friends? How do they influence you?

Welp, you’re my friend. You influence me. Your brother, Dan, all my other friends like Alejandro and Lo influence me. Friendship spans beyond creativity; it’s also about lifestyle and personality. My friends who are creative, though, they give me my drive and motivation. I have friends who do social media and I have friends who have their own families. I commend both. Asking people about what they do and how they do it gets me out of slumps. It’s always good to be around people who you think are better than you at something, ‘cause how else are you gonna get better?