Despierta-a Representation of LIC Culture through Apparel

“We were hanging out one day, just chilling, drawing, painting on canvases,” John Alicea, 22, said as he was toying around with Illustrator, a design program, on his Mac computer, “Then we just thought, why don’t we all put our artistic abilities together to create a brand out of it.”

Alicea, along with Jonathan Lopez, Rashad Farrakhan, and Omar Guerrero, all of whom are 24 years old, created Despierta, one of the latest street-wear companies to come out of Long Island City.

“It took us about two years to actually become a company,” said Alicea, who is a current advertising and communications student at CUNY City-Tech, “At first we were called ‘Wake Up Inc’ but people kept thinking we were a tattoo parlor.” Despierta, which actually means, “wake up” in spanish, became an official LLC in 2013. Since then they have collaborated with skateboard shops, rappers, and videographers. “Despierta is something that we do every single day, you see things that open your mind, you’re always waking up,” Farrakhan interjected while flashing a row of gold teeth.

Most people who have opened a small business will tell you that it is not easy. “We all are trying to eat,” Farrakhan said with a discouraged grin, referring to the vast competition in the street-wear industry. “Money is a big factor. We all have jobs on the side   to support the company.” Alicea added. Since the business began they have made progress. “We used to sell about one to two items a month, through word of mouth,” Lopez said. “Now we sell a couple of items a week, through our website as well.”

Money is not the only issue of concern to Despierta. “It’s about consistency, and trying to remain relevant.” Alicea said, as if he revealed the secret to success. “Also keeping up with the trends of what people want, and appealing to your audience.” With younger people claiming that street-wear giants like Supreme and Stussy are appealing less to them, this task could prove to be difficult for any new start-up.

Complex Magazine described New York City as the “intersection of hip-hop, high fashion, and a cultural melting pot,” making it highly susceptible to emerging street-wear companies. With New York-native brands like Obey and Mishka having flourished on a national level, street-wear has become a prominent aspect of not only New York’s underground hip-hop and skate scene, but the mainstream one as well. “We want this to be more than just clothing; this is going to be a lifestyle brand.” Farrakhan said in the Long Island City apartment which doubles as Despierta’s headquarters.

As the designers for their brand, the member’s individual lifestyles have played a major role in influencing their art and design. “We are definitely a product of our environment,” Alacea said, “We all come from different street sub-cultures within New York City and we want to incorporate all of these styles into one. Despierta is like that street in New York City, where it smells like a bakery, and then two feet later it smells like garbage.”

Like many street-wear brands, Despierta is heavily influenced by graffiti and street art. In this case, the members were inspired by their own art as well as art throughout Long Island City, like the  iconic 5Pointz building. 5Pointz was an outdoor, 200,000-square-feet art exhibit, easily viewed from the 7 Train commute. Establishing L.I.C. as the graffiti Mecca of the world, 5Pointz not only attracted artists from around the glo be but several musical artists as well, including Doug E. Fresh, Kurtis Blow, Grandmaster Kaz, Mobb Deep, Joan Jett, and Joss Stone. As of one year ago, however, the building has been white-washed, so the members find inspiration elsewhere. “We get together every Thursday and go to galleries and try to find inspiration for new projects. There’s also free beer sometimes,” Alicea said with a laugh.

However, when most people get involved with graffiti, there is usually a reason. “My dad is an artist. I remember him drawing, and then me adding to it, so there was a special bond there. Eventually graffiti was introduced,” said Lopez, who is a tattoo artist on the side. “For me, skating and graffiti was escapism. The people I was with became my surrogate family,” Farrakhan, whose mother left at the age of six, said. Currently, creating food is one of his escapes, since he is a Thai-food chef for a Brooklyn restaurant during the weekdays.

Broken homes and troubled childhoods did not get in the way. Their motivation is to help the next generation. “We definitely want to start a project where we give back to the community,” Alicea said optimistically, “We’d like to do workshops with children, to teach them what we know about art or computer programs.”

Despierta is also a believer in supporting neighborhood businesses to facilitate their economic growth, “I’d rather work with people locally,” Lopez said, “We like working with the mom and pop shops around Sunnyside. We get to meet the owners and really get to know them and build relationships with them.”

In the future, Despierta hopes to expand into a consulting and a design firm. “We want to build a foundation for helping other artists as well, especially small brands and small companies.” Lopez said. It appears the sky is the limit for Despierta.