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For the Love of Thrifting with Bryan Cardenas
53 Plays2 years ago
Our guest is self-proclaimed foodie, clothing connoisseur, customer success guru, The Titan of Thrifting, The Vintage Vampire, friend of the show, Bryan Cardenas.
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Transcript
Introduction to Brian Cardenas
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to Apocalypse Duds. I'm Connor Fowler. And I'm Matt Smith. And today, our guest is self-proclaimed foodie, clothing connoisseur, customer success guru, the titan of thrifting, the vintage vampire. Please welcome friend of the show, Brian Cardenas. What an introduction, man. We pride ourselves in the intros. Yeah, we pride ourselves in the intros.
Brian's Work and Remote Life
00:00:24
Speaker
So first off, what are you wearing today? Top to bottom or vice versa? Whatever order you prefer.
00:00:30
Speaker
Okay. Okay. Yeah. Right now, as I was telling you guys earlier today, I had a pretty rough day. So my outfit right now for working from home is pretty basic. I'm wearing some shorts. I'm wearing a basic white t-shirt and some new door dents that I got. Nice. Nice. Nice. I saw the picture. He has a really impressive microphone also.
00:01:01
Speaker
Yeah, it's a comfortable at home fit. No, it's all good. I said he has a very impressive microphone. Oh, yeah. I would assume that probably has something to do with your day job, Brian.
00:01:15
Speaker
Yeah, that was what it's about to say because I have to really have a lot of great audio because I'm on meetings most of the day. So I really need to get like my message out there very clear with the clients and with my team. So it was a gift from the company. Oh, very good. Yeah, so what do you do? Yeah.
Relocation to Mexico City
00:01:40
Speaker
I work in customer success right now. I'm a customer success manager, if you will. I work with a lot of clients based in all over the world. And basically my job is to really retain those customers and to grow their portfolio within the company.
00:02:04
Speaker
And also, I have a side hustle right now that you guys are having the premise is that I'm opening up a company with my fiance for pets. So yeah, so we're targeting the market right now for pets in Mexico because we saw
00:02:23
Speaker
that there's a lot of opportunity out there because there's a lot of retail stores, but not really like design, focus on design. So we're basically targeting that. We're hoping to launch in November. So you guys will hear about me. Oh, hell yeah. That's awesome. And so you're based in Mexico?
00:02:45
Speaker
I'm based in Mexico City. I've been living here for six months now, I believe. I moved in in March. Before that, I was living in Merida Yucatan, which is like three hours away from Tulum for a more basic reference. Yeah, so I was living in the Caribbean and I lived there for seven years.
00:03:08
Speaker
So the move was a big move for me. I think my friends and I laugh because we always say that we never imagined that I would move from the Caribbean. And they were like, well, now you fell in love and things change. And now you're living in this big city. And here I am. If there is a place to go from the Caribbean, Mexico City is a worthy place to go, certainly.
00:03:34
Speaker
Oh, 1000%. 1000%. I never imagined myself moving like the first time that I moved there. I fell in love immediately. And it was great because at the time, I mean, I was single and I was just starting like my work life and I always like have remote jobs like I'm proud to say that I've never stopped. I never stepped through it in an office. So
00:03:58
Speaker
It was great because I got to know the city so well and I got to meet a lot of people that I probably wouldn't have if I wasn't in office. So the entire experience of living there by myself in a different city in the Caribbean with so many gorgeous beaches out there and so many things to do, it was an incredible seven-year experience for me.
00:04:25
Speaker
Oh, that's awesome. Wow. So are you from a different part of Mexico originally? Yeah, I'm originally from Veracruz, which is a small town in the north. It's in the coast as well, but more up north. Okay. Gotcha. Gotcha. Man, that sounds like a really enjoyable path that you've taken, like moving from a tiny town to the Caribbean to now Mexico City.
00:04:54
Speaker
Yeah, and it has been like really like I open it in a way because I mean, I'm as I was telling from a small town and then I live in the Caribbean, which is not really such that like that big of a city. And right now, like living in a huge city, like one of the largest cities in the world, it has it has been honestly, it has been a ride.
00:05:21
Speaker
That is very funny. That is one of the questions. And I was going to say, what is it like living in one of the biggest cities on earth? I have been to New York many times. You never really get a sense of it.
Adapting to Mexico City Life
00:05:33
Speaker
I have been to Mexico City a few times. You can't conceive it. You can't comprehend it. It is monstrous.
00:05:42
Speaker
Right. And how is it like to live in one of the biggest cities? It's scary. It is scary. It is scary. I was, I used to be a social person. Like what I mean by that is I used to go out a lot to coffee shops and Connor even following me for a long time. And you've seen that I'm always like in a new places and I'm always going to new coffee shops, going thrifting, etc, etc. And right now I have stopped like doing that.
00:06:11
Speaker
as much as i was doing it back then because it is scary like and there's a lot of traffic as well i'm not getting used to the traffic as fast as i thought i will be getting used to it because from where i live to maybe like a cool trip shop or like the cool
00:06:28
Speaker
uh part of the city it's like a two and a half hour drive so imagine that yeah that's really crazy yeah and there's it like the transportation like you can take uh the subway or like you can take like the bus whatever
00:06:44
Speaker
But I still like coming from someone who has always lived in a small cities like living in this big city, even though I enjoy the adventure, I always have that fear of getting lost or like not to talk shit about like Mexico, but like we're getting rough, you know, so I'm just like very cautious. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So to the meat of the show,
00:07:11
Speaker
When did you first know that you were interested in clothing or style? Oh, this is such a good question. Like ever since I'm aware that I like clothes. When was that? I think it was probably at four or five years old. I grew up with a single mom and my mom is addictive to shoes.
00:07:41
Speaker
Therefore, she is addicted to clothes. So growing up, I have like that example, like that tangible living example of clothing and just like putting up outfits and maybe buying shoes, buying staple shoes or buying like a staple piece in your wardrobe that will be timeless, you know, or that maybe that like statement piece that you can wear with a real bit of casual outfit and just like
00:08:08
Speaker
to have that spark in your fit. I had that example when I was growing up, and I think I have developed a lot of love for clothes and for different styles even.
Sneaker Passion and Thrifting
00:08:22
Speaker
Yeah, it seems like your style is pretty eclectic and eccentric, for lack of a better word. It has a broad range, and you mentioning Jordans. Were sneakers one of those things that
00:08:38
Speaker
you were into as a kid that helped you develop? How did you develop your kind of taste and style? Yeah, funny enough. When it comes to sneakers, I've never looked like a sneakerhead when I was growing up. I used to look at Jordans and I used to look at this trendy sneakers or timeless sneakers that there is out there. And one, they're super expensive here in Mexico. I'm still thinking that I can't afford them right now.
00:09:09
Speaker
Growing up, it was just like wanting them but not really being able to afford them. So I will just like, no shame, I will just like get the dupe or like something similar. Just the kind of feeling of style and in a way, it really helped me because I had like the vision, you know, and now that I'm like able to afford them, I know that they look great because I already envisioned myself with them and I already experienced and
00:09:37
Speaker
put them and wear them you know right yeah so did you since you you know couldn't really afford things growing up is that kind of where your thrifting uh interest came from as well yeah yeah i think like the interest of the fashion was always there uh not being able to afford the things that i wanted maybe i don't know like to say something a
00:10:00
Speaker
jacket from Prada, or maybe some even Levi's. Levi's are super expensive here. Maybe I can find like a pair of Levi's and but you know, brand new they were they were super expensive. Yeah, what just out of curiosity, what is the like the US dollar cost for a pair of Levi's in Mexico?
00:10:23
Speaker
And a group of Jordans. And a group of Jordans. For 501s, for 501s, I think they range from $155 to $200. Holy shit. Wow. Yeah. Yeah, they're really impressive. Yeah. So Jordans, as Connor was wondering about, I would imagine at least double that. The range, I think, is from $300 to $400 or even more. Good grief. All right.
00:10:54
Speaker
Wow. Wow. That's outrageous. So in the same vein, how have you noticed trends spreading from America to Mexico and vice versa? Since we share a border, we have that proximity. We have a lot of things culturally aligned, I would say as well.
Fashion Trends in Mexico
00:11:16
Speaker
Right. That's such a good question. I think I've experienced and I still experience like trends in a different way because I mean here in Mexico you really it is not really like a black and white when it comes to trends or when it comes to clothes. Like you really get to see like people with maybe
00:11:34
Speaker
that they're like cannot afford clothes and they're trying to, you know, jump into the trend or maybe you see people that really don't have any taste and they just follow the trends that there is. An example that I have is the sock, like the sock shoe from Balenciaga, because all the people here will wear them and they look like
00:11:57
Speaker
atrocious and all of those people but you know they were following they were following the trend and the same with Gucci and all branded stuff and then you see like a more niche kind of like fashion people here which i think i consider myself in that like niche people fashion people here why because that's the people who like
00:12:24
Speaker
They include the trends in their day-to-day and they experiment with a lot of different styles. But at the same time, they don't lose their essence, which I think is very important with all these trends, you know? Because I've seen people just wear track suits and wear all kinds of things that is trendy on TikTok or maybe trendy on Instagram back in the day. I remember 2018.
00:12:49
Speaker
It was when I realized how much of an impact the US have in Mexico. When, I don't know if you guys like live this time in the internet with me or you were like doing other things, but per se, Jeffree Star. When Jeffree Star was booming in 2018.
00:13:08
Speaker
And they have where all the tracksuits and you know, like people here will wear that because of that style, you know, or the Gucci slides even, you know. So I recall that era a lot because it was when I realized how much of an impact it had.
00:13:29
Speaker
Yeah, so kind of like on the cusp of that, you know, has social media and, you know, things like gentrification and just kind of a more open world as far as fashion goes. Like, has that have you noticed that that impacts kind of the scenes and things around you like over the years?
00:13:58
Speaker
in a way, in a way. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You know, it, it's one of those things, like you mentioned a very specific kind of point in 2018. Um, and as you've, you know, now moved to a bigger area, like I didn't know if, uh, if that kind of, that kind of like influence had, had been something you registered really.
00:14:26
Speaker
Well, I think living here now, I feel more free of wearing things that I wouldn't wear in the Caribbean. And one of the biggest reasons as to why is because of the weather. I was talking to Connor about this a few days ago.
00:14:44
Speaker
like the weather here in Mexico City is kind of like California like if you're in the shade it's like chilly but the sun like hits really hard during the day and at night it's really cold so you really get to wear a lot of outfits and not really like
00:15:02
Speaker
close yourself to just one style. Yeah, totally. It's so sick. It's so awesome. Yes, I was living in the Caribbean because it's so freaking hot that I will just wear linen and I will wear denim, but really light denim and t-shirts and a lot of sandals and a lot of just like
00:15:25
Speaker
fresh shoes, as we call them here. Right. Yeah. It's amazing how like you said, what, Mexico City is three and a half hours from where you were. But like there's that drastic of a difference in climate, which negates you being able to wear a lot wider of a range of things.
00:15:47
Speaker
Right. And right now I think I feel more free because I get to wear a lot of things as I was saying. For example, like I'm very big on wearing jackets and wearing like sweaters and hoodies and all of that because I like the layer of my outfits. So for me to be able to do that, it's just incredible because that way I love to take IG pics. We all know that. Oh, it really gives me a lot of room to
00:16:17
Speaker
Take a lot of pictures. It's like, okay, maybe if I take a picture at 6 p.m., I can just wear the entire layer outfit. But if I go out before that, I can just wear my jeans or whatever bottoms I'm wearing in my t-shirt or the shirt that I'm wearing in the shoes or that kind of thing.
Dining and Fashion Synergy
00:16:40
Speaker
Yeah, definitely.
00:16:45
Speaker
Yeah, that sounds like a much more enjoyable existence. It is. It is. So Brian, you are a big poster. And I followed you. We met through Throwing Fits. And I look at your posts and I am envious of basically every part of it. The architecture.
00:17:14
Speaker
the clothing, the food, most especially the food, which I think we would really be remiss to not talk about food. And do you think there is a connection between food and clothing?
00:17:31
Speaker
I think there is, and I'm going to tell you what is specifically where is, I think the composition. If you see my Instagram, I cook a lot. Yeah, I do. But all of the dishes that I pose, the composition and even the ambiance of the restaurant, it impacts what I wear. If I look for the restaurant before going there, I try to
00:18:00
Speaker
wear an outfit that will match the aesthetic and that will match the type of food that they're selling. Let's say that if I go to an Indian restaurant, I'm going to try to wear bright colors and have something with a neutral color or
00:18:18
Speaker
If I go to a Mexican restaurant, I wear a lot of reds, I wear a lot of blue, I wear a lot of green. So that kind of thing, I think for me, it's the connection that it has. That's a really interesting way to think about it. So I was wondering also, does your subject change the way that you compose and you edit photos? I mean, obviously, you're going to want to edit a photo of food
00:18:44
Speaker
differently from the way that you would of you standing outside like in scenery. But I'm wondering how much how much your composition changes as you change subjects. I love that. One random fact, again, is I don't edit my photos like at all. Like they're all posted as I took them. So what I try to do is that the same colors that I'm wearing and the same colors that are like
00:19:13
Speaker
the food composition have. That's what I try to like mix in my feed. It's like, okay, maybe I took this picture of the sushi like two months ago, but now I can post it because I have something that I can hear it with. Yeah, I have over 35,000 pictures in my phone.
00:19:37
Speaker
Wow. You know, see, I thought I had a lot because I have like 70 gigabytes of photos on my phone because I have pictures from all the way going back to middle school. Right. But you are in the same league as me and you are much better photographer than I am. Not at all. But I must say you have better things to take photos of.
00:20:02
Speaker
No, and the thing is, Connor, I mean, again, like, going back to my to my roots, like going back to my to my hometown. I think I learned.
00:20:15
Speaker
to really see the small things and to see beauty in small things. What do I mean by that? I mean, my hometown is not pretty at all. It's not aesthetic. It's just a hometown. It's just a small town in Mexico. Have you been taking pictures since you were a kid?
00:20:38
Speaker
and see the beauty and things that maybe people were not looking at. And that helped me a lot because that helped me to be aware of my surroundings and that helped me to really appreciate the little and the small things that there is to enjoy. So did you start taking pictures when you were younger in your hometown because of these kind of things?
00:21:06
Speaker
Yeah, but not really pictures of my outfits or pictures of food. I don't know if you know this, Connor. I think I never told you this. I used to be a bookstagrammer when I was growing up, like circa 2014 until 2017, 2018. Do you guys know what a bookstagrammer is? I don't know. I think I might, but go and explain, please. Well, there's...
00:21:37
Speaker
Back in the day, there was a small community on Instagram that will take like artsy pictures and of their books and share like reviews or even like open a discussion in the comments when Instagram was fun, you know? Yeah, back way back in the day. Back in the day, man. And we had a community there. And obviously, I mean, I wanted to really be
00:22:02
Speaker
taking the same pictures as anyone else maybe in California or maybe like in Oregon where they have like beautiful like woods and you know and I didn't have any of that so I had to get creative. I used to buy a lot of props and I used to go like yeah and I used to go to like coffee shops there that were not really as nice as the ones that I visit like right now
00:22:31
Speaker
But I made it work. The composition and the things that were maybe in the coffee shop, I will just like pull up a chair and put it where I was standing and I will just like stand in the chair so the take was higher. That kind of thing.
00:22:49
Speaker
And funny enough, I grew up following there, like a massive following.
Brian's Bookstagram Journey
00:22:54
Speaker
I have over 135,000 followers. Oh my God. Yeah. When I close my account in 2019, I close it because honestly, I was so sad. I was used to some type of engagement. We all know when Instagram was fun, the engagement was nice. I was not really there.
00:23:17
Speaker
for the likes or for the recognition that was there for the community. Yeah, and I think that was taken away from me with the algorithm and all of that. So it was all the fun out of it. So I really didn't want the account anymore because it represented like a year or a
00:23:38
Speaker
Really like an era that I had so much fun and I met incredible people that I still talk to till this day. But the fun was not there anymore. So it was just a representation of it. And it got me sad like every time that I would log in. So I deleted the account.
00:23:54
Speaker
But back in the day, I remember one big thing that I did is that I created a book club and it was the first like virtual book club on Instagram. And it got so big because I got like some big names within the community to join my book club that Time magazine interview us in December 2015. Oh my God. Yeah, we had a Time article about us. That's cool as hell, man.
00:24:23
Speaker
You're really accomplished. How old are you? I'm 24. And I was like 17, 16 years old at the time. That's crazy. Wow, dude. That's crazy. That's amazing. Good for you. And like, I've been on Instagram for, you know, a decade at this point or longer than a decade at this point since kind of the inception. But I can't imagine going from that to what
00:24:53
Speaker
it currently is in like experiencing this shift in real time. Right. And I think that like opened my eyes to see Instagram as a creative outlet, not really a place to look for recognition or, you know, you know, and I enjoy it more because right now, like even with my 900 followers, I know that there's people that do give a shit about what I post and that they enjoy the content that I post.
00:25:21
Speaker
Yeah, that's that, like, to me is the whole point of the app. And like, I mean, I sell stuff on it because I do vintage clothing. But at the same time, like I made a ton of friends and like the the general just like support and community building is so much more fun for me personally. And it sounds like you kind of have the same idea about it. Yeah. Yeah, 100 percent.
00:25:50
Speaker
Yeah. That's how Matt and I met. Right. Yeah. I sold Connor a piece of 90s polo and we just started chatting here and there and now we're fucking doing a podcast together. This is what the good that the internet can bring to the world. Yeah. That's so nice that you guys met through Instagram.
00:26:13
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's pretty funny. I mean, we talk all day, every day. And I just like we have never met. We have never met in real life. Right. And like, I mean, Brian, I'm a little bit older than than you, but, you know, like I've been on message boards in the Internet, you know, meeting people for more than half my life at this point. And like, you know, it's it's good. I don't know. It's nice to hear like other other people kind of see things that same way.
00:26:40
Speaker
because I feel like a lot of people can get caught up in the bullshit. And you're obviously not, like you're just stoked. Yeah. That's true, that's true though. And like, I resonate with you, Matt, when you talk like you've been in the internet for so long, because I have as well. I mean, I am 24 years old. Right, yeah, you've got this crazy experience.
00:27:04
Speaker
My internet story began when I was, yeah, began when I was like five years old. Like I have my mind. Exactly. That was five years old. That's crazy. Yeah. You've never known. Yeah. It's like, you've never known a pre, like a pre-internet world, um, which is sort of amazing in its own right. Totally. Yeah. Yeah. Totally. Yeah. I feel like, you know, things like this also, you know, it changes how you approach the world in general and like,
00:27:33
Speaker
the fact that there are younger people like you that have kind of been connected, it's so much better than even just having a crew of friends at school and whatnot. It opens up the fucking world.
00:27:52
Speaker
Right. And I think like it has helped me to be more analytical in a way. Cause yeah, cause let's, let's say that when I'm scrolling through Instagram and I see a post and it's like, I don't know, like a big account and it says like others, instead of like the like count, I'm like, oh shit, like engagement is lacking here. Or maybe they're like going through some shit here cause they're hiding the likes.
00:28:18
Speaker
you know, because I've seen that pattern. Yeah, because I've seen that pattern. And I have a lot of friends who are like influencers. And that's basically your job. So I asked them to quite a few of them. And they were like, Well, at the end of the day, like the brands that we work with, they don't really give a shit about the likes, they do give a shit about the engagement, but the people do give a shit about the likes that make the brand look bad, you know? Yeah, totally. Mm hmm.
00:28:48
Speaker
So yeah, yeah, just a crazy fact that I wanted to share. Dude, I love how this took a very interesting turn because I wouldn't have, we could have never mapped out having that conversation, which is amazing. And that's about the show, dude. Yeah, exactly. So so, Brian, since you've been, you know, since you've been on the Internet for a very long time and I'm I'm sure you do some secondhand shopping on there as well.
Thrifting Scene Evolution in Mexico
00:29:17
Speaker
Um, you know, what, what kind of like, it has been the scene that you've seen or that you've experienced with vintage and thrifting and secondhand stuff. Well, I think like I've been Trifton for a long time, right? So I've seen how Trifton has evolved and has maybe like jump into some trends and
00:29:44
Speaker
I mean, I don't even know how to say it. You know that there's a demand, but I think right now, maybe here in Mexico, the people who sell the clothes, the sellers, you can see that they're not doing it. Most of them, they're not doing it for the love of thrifting and to
00:30:06
Speaker
Give them that piece or that specific piece like a second chance or a third or a fourth chance. They're here for the money, which don't get me wrong that that's great. Everyone has to make a living out of it. But it's absurd here in Mexico. It's like, for example, a shirt.
00:30:22
Speaker
here, you can see a shirt like, I don't know if it has history or whatnot. But even if it's not curated vintage, or if it's just like normal Trifton, it's expensive. And I think that was not the case like three, four years ago. Oh, wow. So like that recent. Yeah, it's very sounds like that sounds like Baltimore, dude. I mean, that's the exact same
00:30:48
Speaker
almost the exact same timeline like the Baltimore used to be lousy with their stores. It is a working class town. It's a place where a lot of people do not have a lot of money. And now all of those stores are closed and a few of the stores that are still open. The prices are very high and they are like so picked through. It's not even worth going.
00:31:10
Speaker
Now in the timeline is the same because I have this like, I'll study it. Uh, it is the same because we have two people with a massive following, right? That have impact in a lot of people around the globe. And we have Sean Waterspoon who opened.
00:31:27
Speaker
uh, round two and like the prices were ridiculous, you know? Um, so, so we have him and, and we have him and his collaboration with Nike that got him like in a very, and in the spotlight in a way. So many people knew him, many like resellers or, or like vintage sellers, like realized that there was this like market and that people were willing to pay like,
00:31:55
Speaker
super high prices for pieces. And we have Emma Chamberlain, which I love her. I've loved her since 2017, 2018. But she used to thrift a lot, but not because she loved it. It was because she didn't have any money at the time. She was not as big as it is right now collaborating with a lot of brands like Cartier and whatnot. And a lot of people who watch her videos started thrifting. That created more demand.
00:32:25
Speaker
Therefore, the prices went up, you know, right? So Amazon like here in Mexico is a huge like reference of that. Interesting. So yeah, it's pretty much like even if you're going to like a true thrift store, you're paying, you know, maybe not vintage store prices necessarily, but you're not, you know, you're not finding things for a buck or two, you're finding things for, you know, probably like way more than you would expect them to be.
00:32:53
Speaker
Right, which is totally fine. I mean, when I go here in Mexico City to create a vintage shops and the pieces have history and the people that are selling you those pieces know the history and they're explaining it to you, then it's worth the price because you know you're getting such a good piece. But if you're just buying a shirt for $500 and you don't even know if like
00:33:16
Speaker
it does have history or if it represents something and they're just like, oh, here's a Harley Davidson shirt that I found that it said like Hawaii and I'm gonna sell it to you for 500 bucks like insane to me. Right. Yeah, dude, same here. I mean, I've been I've been in the vintage clothing for a very long time and like, you know, I like
00:33:39
Speaker
I'm in Atlanta, and we can't charge New York or LA prices, or apparently, I guess, no city prices. But we try to curate things. We try to know history about it. And some people care, some people don't. But it's funny to hear this from other pockets of the world, too, because it's the same damn thing happening everywhere.
00:34:07
Speaker
Yeah, it really is. And like a few weeks ago, I think it was like two weeks ago, I went with my friends, Trifton to like creative into shops. And we had a lot of like a lot of fun and I got a piece that I can like send a picture to Connor and then to you even when we finished the show.
00:34:26
Speaker
because it was worth it. Like it really was worth it. Like it was a leather and it was a bar city jacket, but they have leather. And yeah, and it was from the forties. So imagine that how that jacket has been alive, you know, and it was in perfect condition. Wow. So a perfect segue, which we have had many of this episode. What is your favorite piece? What is your favorite piece that you have ever had?
00:34:54
Speaker
Oh, man, I think it really, it really depends. I have a lot of t-shirts that I love, that I have, that I've collected over the years. But I think my favorite piece is, oh, there's some boots that I have that are like all ripped. And I still wear them till this day. And it's funny, my fiance when she got many boots that they're like,
00:35:19
Speaker
the exact same boots and I'm like, no, I don't want to fuck them up. I'd rather just wear the boots that I have that I've been wearing for like four years.
00:35:33
Speaker
Connor and I were actually having this exact conversation about my personal sneakers earlier today because I've been wearing some fucked up ones, and I was like, they're just too perfect, man. Yeah, and you can never go wrong with a fucked up pair of sneakers. They have that touch to your outfit. Yeah, you've been the time to destroy these things and make them comfortable. And now you're like, I can't give them up. Even if that is a sacrifice,
00:36:02
Speaker
that I shouldn't be making, I'm gonna make it. Yeah, and there's something special about them. They feel like a second skin to your feet. Oh, totally, totally, man. Yeah. So is that jacket the oldest thing that you have? The oldest thing that I have in the 40s? Yes. Yeah, from the 1940s. Man, it sounds so- Which is pretty impressive. Yeah. Yeah, I mean- Yeah, we definitely need to see pictures of it, which we will post on the Instagram. Yes.
00:36:31
Speaker
So is there something that you wear every single day? Like, I guess it's jewelry for me. But do you have something that you wear all the time?
00:36:41
Speaker
Yeah, I wear it all the time. I have a ring that is one of my favorite rings. I'm wearing it right now. It's just a silver ring that I bought in Colombia when I visited earlier in the year. And before that, one thing that I always wear is socks. I love socks. I didn't even think about that because I never wear socks.
00:37:09
Speaker
Yeah. You're fucking the menswear trend, Brian. You know, the socks, socked over sockless. Yeah, dude, that's funny. You're truly, truly a rebel, which in our final question, final question that I have written down anyway, in a city of almost nine million, how do you stand out without looking like you're trying too hard?
Maintaining Personal Style in Mexico City
00:37:33
Speaker
Just staying true to myself, as I was telling earlier, I do experiment with a lot of trends, but I think the silhouette is what really makes my style my style. If I'm wearing a baggy pant or a baggy jean, I'm gonna wear a tie t-shirt or maybe a true-size t-shirt. I think the silhouette of the things that I wear
00:38:00
Speaker
is how I stand out. Because many people here, you really go out and see people with baggy fits or very fitted fits. So just staying true to that silhouette that I wear and to the things that I...
00:38:17
Speaker
where accessories, you know, like my rings and I'm all tatted up. So all of my tattoos that I have on my sleeve, I think they're part of my fit when I go out. So I'm the only one who has them. So that's special, you know, that's how I stand out. And it's so funny because right now I was telling my fiance this last week because we went out right on a day that I remember I told Connor that I was on a date.
00:38:45
Speaker
And I realized that we were walking in the street and a lot of people will stare at my tattoos. Like they will stare at my tattoos first and then to my feet. And I was like, I'm realizing that a lot of people and then like recently have like have been staring at my tattoos like every time that I go out.
00:39:08
Speaker
Yeah, that's, that's funny, because, you know, you think at this point, like tattoos are not even, not even something that I've noticed, even though like, I've got tattoos, most of my friends do as well. But, you know, being a stylish person, and also being having a lot of ink, it, you know, it kind of draws attention to yourself a little bit, I guess. Right.
00:39:37
Speaker
So since you've kind of been interested in fashion for as long as you have and style and clothing, I would really, really wonder kind of your perception of just the kind of stylish people that you encounter on a day-to-day basis in Mexico City versus kind of like other major cities that you've,
00:40:04
Speaker
that you've seen around the world? What's the kind of like, I don't know, what's the things that you notice that are a little bit more specific to your location than elsewhere?
00:40:17
Speaker
Right. I think like from Mexico City, a lot of people take risks in their outfits. But let's say that when I was living in Toronto, because I lived in Canada. Oh, shit. Okay. Whoa. Whoa. Come on. Yeah, we can throw more of this in. Yeah, dude. International Traveler.
00:40:46
Speaker
It's entirely different and why people dare like they do take risks and they don't really give a shit what other people have to say like they their level of Experimental is way different than what Mexico City will look like in 10 years. Why because people here are
00:41:05
Speaker
are very like judgy in a way, you know, even living in a big city, like I think that limits a lot of people to get like fully creative and in their fashion, you know, as to in a city like Toronto that really nobody gives a shit about how you look, they just appreciate the art and how you created your entire outfit and your style as a person. I think that's what I value most.
00:41:35
Speaker
from that experience, yeah. That's cool. Yeah, that's a very interesting answer to the question, because I didn't really know what it was going to be. But yeah, stoked, man. Brian, you're a character, dude. You've got some shit under your belt, apparently. Yeah, seriously, for being 24, that's a lot, man. Seriously, I've been with 38, and I feel like you've lived way, way crazier of a life than I ever could have imagined living.
00:42:04
Speaker
kudos to you, my friend. Those years has been a ride. Like I moved out of my house when I was 16. So I think I have plenty, plenty of time to do a lot of a lot of things. Yeah, that's fucking awesome, man. Well, shit, if you if you ever have an inkling to come to the south, south US, let me know.
00:42:25
Speaker
because you can... Yeah, for sure, man. I feel like Atlanta is definitely an interesting place. With what you're into, food and clothing and whatnot, it's a hidden gem for sure.
00:42:39
Speaker
Yeah, I totally have to pay a visit there. Hell yeah. And you know you're coming to Baltimore in one of these days. But I probably will go to Mexico City first. Stay with me, man. I'll be your tourist guy. Dude, yeah. I've only been to Tijuana, which I feel like is not the best experience of being in Mexico. So I need to explore that also.
00:43:01
Speaker
No, man, if any of you want to come or even like both of you want to come at the same time, like you have your house here, like whenever you want. All right. Potential vacation for the apocalypse. Yes. That'd be a cool episode, dude, like to record an episode in Mexico City, like talking or even a video, you know, like in a vintage shop. That could be fun. Yeah.
00:43:28
Speaker
All right. We may have to put this on the 2023 calendar. We could expense it. Oh, yeah. Write it off on our taxes. It's a write-off. It's a business expense. Yeah. Brian, it's been hell of fun talking to you, dude. And I look forward to seeing more of your fits and your food pics and whatnot on Instagram. And you want to give yourself a shout out if you want to maybe get some potential followers?
00:43:59
Speaker
Yeah, you guys can follow me at D-R-Y-N, Cardenas, which is C-A-R-D-E-N-A-S. That's a hell of a name. But yeah, you guys can see my tag in Puckalips Dudes. So if you guys want to pay a follow, that'd be really appreciated. And thank you for having me. I've had a lot of fun honoring that.
00:44:24
Speaker
it's always fun just like you know shooting the shit and getting to know people and just kind of seeing uh seeing what they're into so we appreciate you coming on i don't use the word in enlightening a lot but i think it was an enlightening interview agreed i'm glad to hear that man yeah well yeah it was a pleasure guys
00:44:46
Speaker
Well, thank you, Brian. And thanks for listening. I hope you enjoyed. If you want to check us out on Instagram, it's at apocalypseduds. If you have any questions or thoughts, apocalypseduds.com. I'm Matt Smith, at Rebels Rogues. And I'm Connor Fowler, at Connor Fowler. And yeah, we'll talk to you soon. Take care. Thanks for listening.