I know a few of you out there may be familiar with artist, producer, trend setter, turned fashion designer through his work with the hip hop/R&B group Sa-Ra. Yet even more may be familiar with him for his daring, exotic fashion sense. This is Taz Arnold a.k.a. TISA.
Raised in the streets of L.A. Taz Arnold, as he says, "I grew up at the beach. Watts is like 10 minutes from the beach’ people don't know that. I lived like west of Watts, like Imperial and Crenshaw’ that’s literally 10 minutes from the beach on the street. I used to boogie board, go snorkeling in the ocean. My dad was a scuba diver; my mom ran on the beach everyday, like 4 miles to the marine and back and she would take me. That was a part of my growing up too, not just the hood. I'm from the hood, but muthafuckas in the hood go to the beach too…it doesn’t cost anything’ it’s free! [Laughs.]"
Growing up so close to the beach yet still in the "hood" Taz was a part of a surf and skate gang called the Nerdz who were up on their fashion game with brands like Maui and sons, Gothca, and T&C, to name a few. The gang was also into petty crimes like selling weed and shoplifting, but Taz was always on his fashion game. He never really got too involved, but he always found the time to procure luxury labels as Gucci, Polo, or MCM. For many as Taz says,” Growing up, MCM was how Gucci and Louis is at the top now. For people with money and young professionals like black lawyers, hip lawyers in LA, MCM rivaled Gucci and Louis Vuitton and it was something that was celebrated as an equal. Way over GUESS, Fila and everything. This is a luxury brand, a bonafide, real, authentic luxury brand when I was growing up."
As time past Taz was able to travel and get a better perspective of this fashion thing as he says, "Cats don't travel! They got to go to like Japan and see…there's killers in this world with this style shit…muthafuckin’ ninjas that will slice your neck quick. You think you fresh rolling up with your little Gucci, and muthafuckas up there wearing dresses and shit with beards. But they not gay, they just wearing a kilt and their shit is fresh! They sitting there hanging out with fucking Karl Lagerfeld. He’s worked with me, how the fuck are you gonna call him wack? Muthafuckas don't have their minds right. This is art, man. This shit ain't about fucking like “hip-hop rules” or no shit like that. This shit is Basquiat and Andy Warhol."
The time came when through his trend setting efforts he says, "I started seeing people in Japan dress like me with the bow ties, the MCM jackets with the rope chains. That’s my original style. My friends in Tokyo were looking to help me develop my brand and my aesthetic 'cause they just really appreciated the demonstration. I was designing my new line, and then my buddy Big O said, “Yo, do you wanna do MCM?” So that opportunity just came to me through Big O and a couple other cats. Cats basically presented me with that. So I started designing pieces."
Now this TISA movement is beginning to take hold 3 years deep as another fashion icon and artist Kanye West has been taking part as Taz continues, Fuck yeah, I feel vindicated that my boy Kanye could be influenced by this style that's original and it's free, and be brave enough to take that style on for himself and run with that ball too. To join up on that team and be like, “Yo, I'm with this too.” Like, “Yeah, I'm taking these blows with you 'cause I'm early on this with you. I've been around the world too and now I see this shit. This shit is right.”…and you know if we can get Pharrell to swag out…it's a system for dudes and chicks. It's called TI$A."
To understand this TISA movement check out the video below all in Taz's own words.
As an artist/designer I look to these bold and outspoken trend setters not to copy, but I embrace the freedom they partake in to do what you feel and go at it with all you got. So as this ARTIST/DESIGNER PROFILE: comes to a close check out more Taz TISA Arnold photos that I've posted this cat is amazing, leave comments, we love that, tell us we you think, and follow us so you can be updated on future posts. And as TAZ says your own fashion sense and style is within, you just gotta go for it and not try to be someone else.
LETS GET IT!!!
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