Im Interview: Nicholas K

In the past three years, designer Nicholas K has built a tiny cult of guys who will only wear his BBlessing t-shirts - drawn in America, made in Canada, and shipped all over the world.  The fact that his Tuesday night party, Circus '68, just keeps getting bigger only adds to the hype, as BBlessing tees become part of Manhattan's standard party uniform, as long as the bar you visit is in some sort of dungeon (see: The Beatrice Inn, Chloe, Submercer, or Home Sweet Home, where Circus '68 indeed takes place).

Not wanting to break with tradition, we shut off all the lights and turned on our computer for this IM interview with Nicholas.

Nicholas K: ok

NYLON: right now?

Nicholas K: I don't mind, doesn't have to be

Nicholas K: we can set up a time that's better for you

NYLON: no we can do it now, no worries

NYLON: can I please have your vital stats?

NYLON: name, age, physical location, mental location

Nicholas K: man I gained so much weight

NYLON: from holidays?

Nicholas K: from sandwiches

NYLON: from where?

Nicholas K: I make these huge sandwiches at home every night and I totally eat the whole thing

NYLON: and this is at odds with your current fashion aesthetic?

Nicholas K:I don't know.  When summer started I wanted to try to get a Buddha belly so I had those big mint mocha frappucinos

Nicholas K:they were great, but I didn't get that belly.  Now I am and it's because of something I thought was healthier

NYLON: it's weird so many guys are obsessed with being really skinny

Nicholas K: I’m not trying to look like a victim

Nicholas K:  but the whole more-to-love thing is new to me

Nicholas K:  anyway yeah my name is Nicholas Kratochvil

Nicholas K: I’m 26 and I live in New York City

NYLON: so Nicholas

Nicholas K: yes f?

NYLON: how long have you been cooler than everybody else?

Nicholas K: since it started getting really cold.  I don't usually wear socks and there you have it.

NYLON: indeed.

NYLON: and when did you decide you wanted to design clothes?

Nicholas K: I tried to start this t-shirt thing when I was in middle school and Mossimo was huge

Nicholas K: my mother took me to some screen-printing factories and everything but nothing really got off the groun

Nicholas K: but I guess around 04 or 05 I was making my own t-shirts and selling them through pay pal

NYLON: the same kind of tees?

Nicholas K: no it was like the most rubbery ink ever on a Hanes beefy t

Nicholas K: the ones I’m doing for bblessing are a really soft enzyme washed cotton and you can barely feel the ink

NYLON: and when did you start working with them?

Nicholas K: before bblessing was called bblessing

NYLON: when it was just one b?

Nicholas K: haha

Nicholas K: the owners opened a shop in Tokyo called BBS, and I was working on a graphic line for them at the time with a bunch of other artists from New York

NYLON: so do you have a goal for BBlessing?

NYLON: in terms of filling a void, or seeing more guys dress a certain way?

NYLON: Or clothing someone on Gossip Girl, which is obviously the most important thing?

Nicholas K: That would make my world.  I can imagine a scene where Eleanor picks Blair up from some dude's dingy apt in Chinatown and she answers the door in an oversized BBlessing t-shirt.

Nicholas K: I totally write Gossip Girl fan fiction

Nicholas K: who do you think the love child is?

NYLON: maybe Jamie Bell

Nicholas K: Is that a spoiler?  DO YOU KNOW?

NYLON: no!

Nicholas K: So many people think it's actually chuck

NYLON: WTF

NYLON: you really think it's Chuck?

NYLON: what if it's Aaron Rose?!

NYLON: what if Serena SLEPT WITH HER OWN BROTHER?!!!!!

NYLON: ok we really have to stop discussing this

NYLON: back to you

NYLON: goal with BBlessing

Nicholas K: shoot

NYLON: not involving Eleanor Waldorf

Nicholas K: haha

Nicholas K: As far as filling a void goes, the t-shirt market is pretty saturated so I'm not reinventing the wheel here.  But every season I try to have a kind of theme translate from piece to piece.  For this coming Spring I was very influenced by Richard Adams books,specifically Watership Down and The Plague Dogs.  Then I mixed some Egyptian things in there too.  So I drew rabbit pharaohs and dogs with the Eye of Horus.

Nicholas K: They don't necessarily make sense together but to have a platform to make these drawings and put them out into the world is really fun for me to try to do and see what the reaction is.

Nicholas K: And to see someone wearing the t-shirt makes me happy, because even though some of the graphics are nonsense it's cool that people 'get it'.  For this past season, I drew a big square and put the word SURVIVOR on top of it and it was the best selling one!

NYLON: why do you also DJ?

Nicholas K: I love good music and people who love good music.  Any reason to share it is good enough for me, whether that involves me DJing or me dancing.

Nicholas K: My two favorite genres are 60s psychedelic and 90s R&B.  I didn't know of any of those kinds of nights that my friends went to so a friend of mine and I started Circus '68 in May of 07.  Though the DJ line-up has changed the party is almost 2 years old.

Nicholas K: It's fun, great people show up, and it's still great music.

NYLON: so what is the worst advice you've ever gotten?

Nicholas K: probably Join Facebook

Nicholas K: I am hooked on Facebook

Nicholas K: I wish my friends never told me to get on it

Nicholas K: worst advice

Nicholas K: WORST

NYLON: ha

NYLON: final question

Nicholas K: bingo

NYLON: is it true you have a crush on Tinsley Mortimer

NYLON: and if so, how would you get her to go on a date with you?

Nicholas K: Wow, this is the  $10,000 question.

Nicholas K: I have a.. certain fascination... with Mrs. Mortimer.  Note the Mrs.  I would not try to get her to go on a date with me.  I like her handbags, her look, her cross-legged pose, and her cameos on Gossip Girl.

Nicholas K: She is the queen of New York Society, what's not to like?  People look up to Obama.  I'm not sure if there is a connection between those two sentences.

NYLON: okay.

Nicholas K: How did you hear that?

NYLON: Hear what?

Nicholas K: Tins crush

NYLON:  it's your Facebook status

Nicholas K: OMG FACEBOOK

Nicholas K: WORST ADVICE

--bblessing.com--

FARAN KRENTCIL