Talkin' Fresh: Evan Wickersham of Infect Co.
Written by Greg Harris
As we focus on a lot of subjects at Modern Life Mag, we don't want to stray from the artists of fashion and those who put in the work to make sure the threads that these stars wear are up to par. In doing that, we wanted to show the spotlight to new designers and trail blazers in the fashion industry to project their voice on our new interview series, "Talkin' Fresh".
In introductory interview, we're heading over to the plains and city life of Philadelphia to get familiar with Evan Wickerson, a individual whose been consistent and persistent with his hustle of becoming one of the influencers in his area and beyond. He started in the game with his brand, "Wyckly" and has spread his wings to introduce the world of his other line, "Infect" to the forefront. They recently had their pop up shop with streetwear and culture app Yugen Creations and rising Connecticut artist Myke Green, and since then the progression of the brand has soared.
We recently spoke to Wickersham about the growth of his brand, coming from the Philly area, how does he want to revolutionize the fashion industry, and more.
Read below.
How’s Your Modern Life
My modern life is great! Waking up each and every day doing what I love to do. It’s truly a blessing.
What are three things you have to do when you first wake up in the morning?
Check social media and connect with new people, listen to music, and most importantly have a good breakfast.
Coming from the Philly area, how was your upbringing?
My upbringing was actually quite good. I grew up with a very supportive family and I’m very thankful for that. Going to high school was rough due to setbacks with depression and bullying, but I decided to fight back with my clothing brand and it worked in my favor.
Seeing that you’re from an area in the Northeast where it’s not necessarily known for fashion, where did you find your influence in this industry?
I found my influence in freshman year of high school. I would spend lots of time in Philly at the different streetwear boutiques and developed a love for brands like Fuct, SSUR, Supreme, XLarge, etc. Nowadays, I try to refrain from finding influence in brands but rather movies, music, and different time periods.
How did you come up with the concept of Infect?
It's actually quite the story.. one that probably will never be fully shared to the public. To put it simply, Ryan Huffman (Infect co-owner) and I had an experience just over a year ago that changed our lives forever. We believe God has called on us to complete a mission, and this brand is only one vital piece to the puzzle in which we intend to solve.
One of the creative things about your brand is the lookbook, it’s filled with quotes and pictures that’s filled with a crumbled paper texture. How did you come with the basis for the lookbook?
To me, lookbooks are a vital opportunity for brands to tell stories to their (potential) customers without just showcasing product, and that is exactly what I try to do in my lookbooks. My personal story is often times portrayed in my work and I like to tell my story without being too explicit.
You recently had a pop up shop with Yugen Creations in CT, how was your experience doing that and how was the reception?
The pop up shop was so cool, I never had hosted something like that before so I went into it not expecting much, but it turned out so dope. Coming from Philly and not knowing anyone in CT, I wasn’t expecting many people to show up but there was a lot of kids who came out to show love, network, and buy product. I’m really thankful for Flahn at ICD who let us host the event at his space, Sam LeBlanc who helped organize it, Myke Green who performed, DJ Andrew Kent who played music all night, and Infect co-owner Ryan Huffman. It wouldn’t have happened without their help.
What are some goals of yours this year?
Right now I really want to keep the momentum going for Infect. I plan on doing this with new releases, more pop up shops in different locations, working more with my favorite photographers Ryan Huffman (ShotByHuff) & Alex Paterson-Jones (@zxnd.r), and work with more rappers.
How do you think Infect can revolutionize fashion in their own way?
Revolutionizing fashion is definitely a hard task. But my plan is to revolutionize by not allowing outside influences infiltrate the mission of my brand. I want to maintain the brands image and core values at all costs.
How do you want to be remembered when it’s all said done?
I want to be remembered as a fearless outcast who helped change the way people look at the world and what goes on in it. I want to become a beacon of light for those lost in an ever darkening world.