It feels like we're experiencing the first reverberations from the influence of "internet fashion" and fashion forums/boards. Whether it was /fa/, caretags, SZ, KTT, Styleforum, r/mfa, SuperFuture, buy/sell Facebook groups, the Rick Owens Discord, and Instagram, the way fashion knowledge is distributed has changed a lot. How do you relate to the influence of "internet fashion" and its effect on the industry?

LUKA: I think that the internet has introduced fashion into a lot of people's lives, and has reached an audience that fashion before probably wouldn't have reached, and in effect has peaked a lot of people's interest in fashion (people that wouldn’t typically be interested). Between tiktok, instagram and twitter etc… fashion now is subjected to so many more opinions, critiques and comments from millions of people, which in effect can influence a potential consumer that is new to fashion and looking at the internet for advice and opinions. Everyone has a voice now, and everyone has a platform, but many people also don't have their own thoughts and haven't figured out their own identity yet and use the internet to find out what is cool, what is not cool and over all dictate their view on the industry.

Luka, your decade-ish long career has been surreal to witness, from /fa/ shitposts and inspo threads to runways and now starting your own brand with James. Tell us more about the origin story of your current collaboration.

LUKA: Funny enough, James and I were mutuals on buying/selling Luxury NYC forums on facebook and were both part of this niche new york internet fashion circuit. Though we never had crossed paths before, we were cut from very similar clothes. We both lived through our teens in New York, being in Soho, hanging out in st marks, being on the internet, chronically doing research on music, movies and all things of the sort. I ended up buying his first product online through a kid I follow on instagram who had posted his hat. Once I got the hat, a lightbulb popped over my head and i had an idea to collaborate with him, because of his savoir faire in textiles and distressing. When we finally met, all the years of knowledge, lore, references clicked and at that point the brand started itself. We both had love for the same things, I had always wanted to start a brand, he had just started experimenting with making products and we found a way to mesh those two things and create marking distance.

 "[...] ‘a lightbulb popped over my head and i had an idea to collaborate with him, because of his savoir faire in textiles and distressing. "

James, tell us more about the start of your textile experimentations in dyeing and manufacturing. As well as the influence of Crust Punk to your techniques.

JAMES: I always found it interesting that you could see the same ideology and techniques applied to the construction of pieces like battle vests or crust pants that you see in so many “high end” or “avant garde” designers. The same way so many people in the black metal scene will bury their leather jackets in dirt to rot them, designers like Rick (owens) were doing the same thing to develop their washes for lines like SLAB. Similarly a classic whip stitch with dental floss emulates the look and rigidness of a CCP overlock jacket. So, I just always wanted to take this same DIY/customization idea and pump it the max. I just think about what's gonna happen if I leave this hoodie on the roof for a month, what about dipping these jeans in tar, but honestly most of the best results are just accidents from some weird “mad scientist” type experiment.

 "[...] ‘I just always wanted to take this same DIY/customization idea and pump it the max. "

  MARKING DISTANCE - SS25, bts

What initially drew you to H. Lorenzo?

JAMES: Honestly just the diversity of the brands they carry. As I mentioned above I have always been fascinated by the techniques of avant garde designers like Deepti, MA+, or Leopold Bossert and I admire how much H.Lorenzo has become such a home for that design language. So I think it was really fun to be able to come in and offer garments that are inspired by that same production process but in more “familiar” or “classic” silhouettes.

LUKA: I had lived in LA for quite some time, I used to live at a chateau on sunset, and also frequented cha cha matcha on robertson. I say this to say that both of those places are extremely close to H.Lorenzo locations and over the years of me living in LA, I started going into the stores. Seeing the range of brands they carry, from new designers, to avant garde designers, japanese designers, to big designers, i started shopping there myself. There was always something for me to buy in there. Over the years I started getting friendly with the staff and the people there and we always kept in contact. When we finally launched the brand, one of my friends from H.Lorenzo checked in with me and wanted to see what it was all about, and it all made sense from there.

"[...] I admire how much H.Lorenzo has become such a home for that design language."

The process of making your garments is time-consuming, sun-fading denim, burying jeans in the dirt, etc. The brand is creating one collection a year as opposed to seasonally. How do you see your work in a context of authenticity, vintage, and artisanal?

Luka: You can't rush greatness, Quality over Quantity. There are already so many things in the market, especially with the resurgence of archival fashion, the boom in vintage and the influx of new brands and new designers. Being part of the fashion circuit for so long, going to all the fashion weeks, seeing so many clothes ALL THE TIME, we wanted to make something with purpose and a story. Why would someone buy marking distance? What makes our brand different from the next? What would i want to buy? What would I want to wear? These are all questions i asked myself while working on this project. We wanted to make pieces that you could truly wear every day, made at the highest level, with intent and attention to detail, from the hardware, to washes, to the distressing. We didnt want to make anything too trendy, or of the now, something you can weave into your personal style. I also wanted it to be true to me, my style and paying homage to our references. Everything is handmade, every piece is hand distressed, the flex jeans are hand painted, the studding and embellishment is done by italian artisans, the washes were thought out. We wanted to account for everything. A Lot of the design process was thinking of things that i would change on some of the vintage pieces i already own, how could i make it better, more comfortable, have a better shape, drape better, making it stiffer etc… Our team is also very small, it's me, james and last but definitely not least, my manager over 10 years Noel. That's it, that is our whole brand. To achieve what we have took a lot of time, effort, trials and error. We would love to one day have more than a collection a year, but for where are right now and how small of a team we are, we really want to focus on what marking distance and whats sets us apart, and we cannot rush that process.

The Marking Distance website is stylized like 4chan, tell me about the vision you two have for the website and forum features.

LUKA: Marking Distance is a brand, but it's also a world, and with time I want to build that world and community through our website. I am also working on music, photography, furniture, art etc... and I would love to build a community of like minded people.

Where do you see your brand's hometown? Do you see the brand as a global/ international brand or one that is New York-based, Paris-based, etc.?

JAMES: I don’t think you can place it in a single city. You know, even the name of the brand was created through traveling: Marking the Distance between all the places we’ve been and seen. As much as New York raised us, cities like Paris, Berlin or Tokyo have served as equally important sources of inspiration through their fashion history, rave culture, or punk scenes. 

LUKA: The name Marking Distance originated from a page i started on instagram where i would mark the distance between all the places in the world i traveled, people i met, things ive seen and more. It is also what inspires the brand, and i am still always on the move. Its hard to pin down the home of Marking Distance, because the very inception of it spawns from being everywhere all the time.

Inspired by kink, piss, and shit, what attracts each of you to the erotic and grotesque? Tell us more about how the tension between public and private fixations plays into your debut collection?

LUKA: Sex is always one of the most taboo subjects, but everyone has kinks, and everyone fucks! We wanted to take it to an extreme and find ways to weave into personal style without being too vulgar. All the bdsm gear in the collection is optional, though they are on the clothing, its removable. You as the consumer can choose to wear it that way and show off your kinky side, or be conservative. We want to put the power in the consumer's hand and let people be who they want to be... or not. 

JAMES: I know it's a bit cliche but it’s really about finding beauty in what many consider to be taboo. For me, alot of it also has to do with process and technique. For example, while Japanese Shibari may be considered erotic by nature, I find the actual act of tyeing to be quite beautiful as so much care and skill goes into being able to do it, it’s truly an art form. So it was that same ideology that was incorporated into the collection, while a garment may look dirty or have a somewhat off putting texture, the labor and techniques that went into developing that was extremely laborious and a very difficult task.

"[...] ‘everyone has kinks, and everyone fucks! "

Although it's early days, are you developing a character, a muse, or a particular type of person that you envision wearing the clothes? Is there a "Marking Distance" archetype?

JAMES: I don't think there's necessarily a single archetype that we envision, but rather anyone that appreciates the story telling embedded within the garments and the craftsmanship that goes into making them. I think naturally it will be people who are into the same interests as us (fetishism, punk, metal,l etc) that gravitate towards our brand, however by no means is it meant to be strictly confined to that space.

Chateau Marmont, Berghain, Lucien, these spaces are a source of inspiration to the brand's vision(OMIT). How do you relate your artistic vision to the spaces and architecture you cherish?

JAMES: For me physical spaces have always been incredibly important to my design process. I wouldn’t say I relate the actual designs to architecture, but rather to the people and activities that occupy them. For example, I’ve always found it quite interesting how clothing emulates our physical mobility. Materials such as leather or denim and accessories like gauntlet spikes become an essential part of a metalheads uniform as they serve as armor for a mosh pit or are just the only materials that will hold up during these moments. So when I design I like to be thinking about “who would have worn this piece, what would they be doing in it, where would they go”. 

What’s on the horizon for Marking Distance, anything you are especially excited about for the next collection?

JAMES: Yes of course! We have a small capsule releasing next month and then our next full collection in june. I think we are just really excited to see the clothing begin to take on a life of its own in the real world while we continue to build everything else around it whether that be through campaigns, activations, and anything else where we are able to expand on the story being told through the clothes but in a different format.

LUKA: We are working on building the world of Marking, with our first collection we didn't really have t-shirts, very little hoodies. We didn't just want to screen print on blanks, we wanted to abide by the same design rules that we have for the rest of our pieces. So we spent more time dialing the right fabrics, washes patterns for our cottons. We want to introduce more t shirts and hoodies this year and keep dialing our leather and outwear to be even better than what we have now! We are working on campaigns, editorials, new clothes, new content, activations, parties and more!

MARKING DISTANCE 

NOW AT H LORENZO

Interview: Kai Todt

Production: Katy Shayne

Chateau Photgraphy: Gunner Stahl

Director of Special Projects: Aria Daniella

Date: March 19, 2025