Occupation and Position.
Creative Director // Founder of K.Z.O (Kazuo)

What neighborhood/city do you closely identify with? What makes your community so unique?
Mostly I identify with Los Angeles because it’s where I’m from and Tokyo, only because I’m there so often……I think that Los Angeles can be construed as “unique” just by the simple fact that so many people from around the world come to the city to live and work just because of the weather and lifestyle. With that, you meet so many different and interesting people. I think that with this there is a lot of creative inspiration that people can draw from. And, if you get sick of the city, you can drive to the beach or to the desert and chill out, go camping, etc…..

What’s the greatest item that you’ve dug up at a local garage/estate sale? How much did it cost?
I’m a huge film and camera nerd, so old point-and-shoot cameras, super eight cameras, projectors, film canisters with old footage of intriguing people I’ve never met, etc….I also found a great military jacket at the Pasadena Flea Market recently. Nothing costs even remotely close to “expensive.”

If you could interview one unsung hero, who would it be? Why?
My Grandfather “Kazuo Iwasaki.” He was the greatest and that’s why I named the brand, “Kazuo” after him. He was one of the most humble and knowledgeable persons that I have ever met. As a Japanese-American during WWII, it wasn’t the easiest time and parallels a lot of what’s going on currently, post 9/11 (minus the internment camps). He was stationed in Puerto Rico during WWII and that’s why a lot of this brand draws from remixing military themes, as well as the “Z” in K.Z.O (Kazuo) coming from the “Z” in the Japanese internment camp “Manzanar.” He passed away ten years ago.

What’s your favorite youtube video?

Where are your favorite local spots to eat?
I love this spot called “Orochon Ramen” in Little Tokyo. You can choose from different “hotness” levels, starting from “–6 through 0” and then “+1 & +2” If you eat “+2” hotness in under thirty minutes, then you get your picture taken and put on “The Wall of Bravery.” You don’t even get a free meal, which is the best! Torture the customers and make then pay. The cult following is crazy, hence the videos, etc……I can only make it to “-3.”

I also like “Malo” in Los Feliz and this really good, cheap taco stand at nights on 2nd and Beaudry (if it doesn’t have a letter health grade, it’s probably good). Better than the one on Alvarado near the Vons, and cheaper. Also, the Red Lion in Silverlake has great German food & beer.

What are your favorite local nightlife scenes?
I prefer more of the bars/lounges to hang out. Nothing is worse than a huge nightclub in Hollywood. DJ Pube$ throws some great events in Downtown LA. La Cita, Vine Bar, etc…Cha Cha Lounge in Silverlake is great. “Shatto 39” bowling (which has forty lanes, not thirty-nine) is always fun. “The Bronson Bar” on Mondays is always fun and this spot on Selma called “The Piano Bar” is a dump but can be fun (if there’s more than ten people in there, and typically they are all your friends). Tokyo has a crazy scene every time and you never know where you are going to end up. Typically the scenario is: Down some empty tiny street. Into a narrow building and up 4 flights of dark stairs. Knock on the door and it opens up into this incredibly crowded and cool lounge.

What songs are at the top of your playlist at this very moment?
1. “After the Curtain” - Beirut
2. “Droppin’” - Soft
3. “West Coast” - Coconut Records
4. “Lights & Music” - Cut Copy
5. “La Rirournelle” - Sebastien Tellier
6. “Homicide” - 999
7. “Tonto” - the Battles
8. “Postcards from Italy” - Beirut
9. “Say Goodbye to Love” - Kenna
10. “The Only Moment We Were Alone” - Explosions in the Sky
11. “Ever Fallen in Love” - The Buzzcocks

What new projects you are building on right now?
Currently I’m getting together the SP09 Collection together right now. It’s a constant cycle of “creativity” and “destruction” season after season. There are always things that you wish you could change and “destroy” but you carry that idea forward into the next season and make it better. We are also got invited to the Los Angeles Magazine “Tastemakers” event with fifteen other designers, architects, etc…So that should be fun. We are creating a room similar to the “installations” that we installed at Fred Segal Santa Monica with 2 X 4 pieces of wood turned on its side for the floor, video screens, and individual strips of tape that cover the wall. Other then that, just taking every day one step at a time.

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www.kazuo.com