Artist Spotlight: Y.T.G.

I’m REALLY excited about this one.

Out of every clothing brand I shell out cash for, no one perfectly fits the “shut up and take my money” meme template more than my current favorite: Y.T.G.

A photo of Y.T.G's museum-worthy Landscape Waterpaint shirt from Spring/Summer of 2019

The Los Angeles based startup brand is experiencing a steady rise in popularity as it continues to slide through the underground fashion world. From every angle, the brand oozes the quality and professionalism of a long established high end clothing line. Considering just how much care goes into each and every collection, It’s hard to believe that they aren’t a more common name by now. Still, they have managed to gain almost 20,000 followers on Instagram and features in big magazines like GQ. A good handful of celebrities have also caught on to the wave. Pieces by Y.T.G. have been worn by big names like musicians Justin Timberlake, Oliver Tree, and 24kgoldn. Milwaukee Bucks player D.J Wilson was also spotted in a Y.T.G. jacket.

J.T wearing the Colorblock Corduroy Blouson Jacket during a show; photo by Mark Nguyen

I personally discovered Y.T.G. by browsing Reddit one day, only to fall in love with the colorful, eye-catching design ideas that they were releasing. I can appreciate that they don’t just screen print out tee shirts and hoodies like a typical streetwear startup, they take the time to curate long lasting closet mainstays with functionality. Whether it be a silky smooth feeling button up shirt, or cruelty-free fur coat that’s as soft as a hug from mom, Y.T.G. emphasizes quality. Since finding out about them, I’ve purchased a variety of garments from different drops and each piece is just as high quality as the next. Just by looking at the photos on the site you can see how much they value attention to detail. However, the level of care put into a piece is most evident when it’s actually in your hands. The brand has also been steadily improving on their use of sustainable materials, which is an added plus. It’s just easy to pick something from Y.T.G. out of your stash if you need a crowd pleaser for the night.

The insane details on the Citrus Melange Knitted Jacket from Fall/Winter 2019

In a dream come true scenario, I was lucky enough to talk with the brand’s founder, Yitai Geng, a University of Southern California Business School student who is innovating at every big step he takes.

RW: Yitai right?

Yitai Geng: Yep.

RW: Thanks for doing this with me, man.

RW: How did you get your start? I know successful brands like Alex’s Stupid Shirts, Steady Hands, and Bound all got a lot of their hype on the street-wear startup subreddit. Would you say that’s a big contributor to getting off the ground?

Yitai Geng: Well, regarding Reddit, It didn’t contribute to a HUGE chunk of Y.T.G’s success. I think Reddit’s audience is somewhat weird. People will like something really fast and not like something the next day. Lots of things there focus on the collective belief that something is either good or bad, but most of the things that contribute to Y.T.G’s success are the products. If you make unique enough designs and silhouettes, people will discover you and like you for who you are.

RW: That’s something I’ve personally loved about Y.T.G. You guys emphasize quality over quantity. There aren’t these big sprawling collections of like, 20 tee shirts, there’s just a few carefully crafted pieces. Would you say that that’s a good mentality to have for people who are pursuing careers within their own brand?

Yitai Geng: There are some brands that emphasize quantity and they do great jobs at it, but in terms of longevity, which is my belief, then quality really matters. If you’re trying to create a brand that can last for an extended period of time then definitely pay attention to quality and designs. Loving what you do, too. That’s what matters.

RW: If you look back at all of the collections, it’s almost like it tells a story. You could tell that with each drop, the brand was gaining more personality and flare. It really feels like you found a niche. How long did it take for you to figure out your brand identity or direction?

Yitai Geng: I actually don’t think the brand really has an identity. I don’t want to fit it into any type of category. The brand is more of a reflection of myself. Before I was into dark and minimal colors, and now I like a lot of colorful stuff. I’ve been getting more into products with more functionality and sustainability, as well as designing with a sense of purpose. If possible, I don’t want the brand to ever have a solid personality. I want it to continually change. I don’t ever want to stop on one thing.

RW: So a focus more on being adaptive?

Yitai Geng: Exactly.

RW: I know I saw somewhere that you mentioned a trip to Eastern Asia that inspired the landscape button-up, which I own. It’s one of my favorites. Are there any other experiences like that that inspire your designs? Any influences similar to that?

Yitai Geng: So I’m Chinese myself and was born in China, so I’ve always been into the Chinese culture. I haven’t really seen any other brands that represent that culture in an authentic manner. In regards to other things, movies or anything that I see. I have a short term memory but once I get inspired I’ll jot down some notes or do I sketch so I can go back and reference it later on.

RW: You’re a USC guy right?

Yitai Geng: I’m an upcoming Senior.

RW: What’s your degree in?

Yitai Geng: Business.

RW: How does your business degree factor into Y.T.G, if at all? I imagine that you’ve picked up some useful skills at a place like USC.

Yitai Geng: To be honest, I haven’t found any important information there that factors into the success of Y.T.G. Not from USC, at least. I’m very lucky to have met some people there, though, who are like minded. Overall they’re people I can share ideas and form a network with.

RW: Ah, so networking there has helped in some capacity?

Yitai Geng: Not for the brand directly, but I’ve definitely met people who inspire me.

RW: You’ve accomplished so much already and made such a variety of garments. What do you in Y.T.G’s future long-term? Like, what’s your final vision? Do you want to own retail outlets or factories?

Yitai Geng: I don’t want to stop. I don’t want to hit a plateau. I hope that the brand will evolve into something that no one is expecting. In terms of operation, vertical integration will be ideal, but that comes at a large expense. But, I also want my own retail store. I don’t just want to do any type of boring retail store. I want to make sure it’s fun. I want people to want to come here for reasons other than shopping. It won’t just be a store. Not something plain, but instead something people can experience. For example, maybe like a cafe inside the store. Stuff like that.

RW: Wow, yeah, that’s really inspiring. It seems like Y.T.G’s forward thinking mindset would apply really well to a retail store. It’s inspirational to hear that you’re going for a more communal vibe and build a culture around the brand. The teasers for the next collection have been NUTS. When is it and what else can we expect? Because, as a fan of the brand, I’m dying to know and I bet a lot of people are, too.

Yitai Geng: Well, the next collection, while keeping it lowkey, will be the best we’ve ever done in terms of quality, looks, designs and the ways we merchandize. It will be very refreshing and will have a lot of wow-factors. We’re just teasing people online and have been lucky enough to get some very positive reactions. Also, thank you, Riley, for being a long time supporter.

RW: Of course! Do you have a rough date for the next collection?

Yitai Geng: We’re looking at late July. And another thing that’s cool is that we’re making a lot of changes. Like, for the last collection we did pre-orders. Right now, everything is currently in production so we can ensure that customers get their products ASAP. Sometimes people don’t understand how pre-orders work and ask us where there things are, because Amazon has set a high standard for everyone. We definitely want to provide good customer service so we’ll also be offering free returns and exchanges for all future orders. We’re also doing a brand new web layout, so when the next collection launches, the site will look different for you.

RW: That’s great that Y.T.G. is established enough now to afford stock and probably sell out of it.

Yitai Geng: That’s part of the reason we did pre-orders before because of such high demand. We’re basically just changing our operation process based on feedback because we really appreciate our supporters.

RW: Well, thank you so much for talking to me man. This is one of the most exciting moments of the summer for me. I hope to have a closet full of your clothes one day.

Yitai Geng: My pleasure. It’s been an honor, and Thank YOU for setting this up.

So, not only does Yitai run a great business, he’s just a great person in general. Talking with another creative mind with that many gears turning was inspiring. His idealist vision for the future came more into frame for me. The best part is, a piece of that future isn’t far at all. Y.T.G. just announced that their newest collection is launching on Saturday, July 25th at 10am PST. And, like Yitai promised, some of the designs are their best yet. Take a sneak peak at just some of the great designs on the way:

To see the full collection, previous releases, more photos, and more information, head over to Y.T.G's website and/or Instagram through the following links to pick up some new heat:

Web Store

Instagram Page

Artist Spotlight: Enzo Dane

To this day, I still find it amazing that I made it out of Vacaville California. It’s a place named appropriately since the most exciting thing going on there are the herds of cows all over the charred hills. The city is on the outskirts of more progressive bay-area cities like San Francisco which makes it somewhat of a nexus for more conservative thought patterns. I never thought much of note would go on in that place until I stumbled across a collective of artists making music by the name of Deep Ends that proved me wrong. This bay area group of authen

tic personalities is sending refreshing waves past all of those barbed wire fences by amassing almost 250,000 streams on Spotify alone last year.

It’s a Brockhampton-esque story, really. A group of friends who grew up together in what seems like the opposite of an individualistic thought harboring environment and managed to just be themselves. As someone who understands what it’s like and had a hard time doing that myself, I admired these guys a lot. Their hunger to create engaging art seemed palpable. Most of them also boast a strong repertoire of solo work.

I had the pleasure of speaking with one of the members, Enzo Dane, who is building an impressive back catalog to his name. Despite us having never talked to one another before, he was nice enough to respond and set up a conversation with me over Discord.

photo by Nico Menicou

RW: Mr. Enzo Dane, it’s a pleasure.

ED: Yes sir

RW: Have you had the time to work on music in quarantine? I know that’s been hard for some creative people because they haven’t had time to go out in the world and be inspired.

ED: It’s a positive and a negative, really. I’m furloughed at my job right now so I’m just chillin at my house all the time, which is great that I have all that time, but it kinda sucks in a sense that I’m not getting out. It was really tough to stay positive and I wasn’t recording anything for the first few months, but I feel like I’ve made up for it recently.

I gravitate toward Enzo’s music a lot. He works with longtime friend, and talented producer Jeffrey Garcia, who operates under the alias of Sister. Enzo has been a big supporter of fellow Deep Ends member, Byemilo, who has received a decent amount of attention from songs like “Bleep Freestyle,” and extended projects like “Summer Thunder.” But, don’t let the comparative streaming numbers on Soundcloud and Spotify fool you. I found Enzo’s music to be just as consistent when it comes to quality and creativity.

RW: Have you been working with some of the other guys still, or are you branching out?

ED: I did a feature for this one guy named Joey that I’ve never worked with before so I thought that was cool because it was something new. But, I've been doing stuff for Milo, too.

RW: How involved are you with production? Are you working with Jeff (Sister) on beats?

ED: I mainly just do vocals but I do play guitar. There is this song that I’m gonna be dropping like my song “No More” that I play on. But, usually I just sit in a room with Jeff and say ‘oh let’s add this or do this’ and we’ll kinda get into a groove where we’re getting on a similar wave together.

RW: A lot of musicians don’t have an advantage like that, so that’s nice! Was there someone who inspired you to put your foot out there musically? I know that’s a big step to take saying “I‘m actually gonna try and give this a shot.” Was there any person that inspired you?

ED: Jeff, aka Sister, inspired me to make music. Before this I was never really interested in making music, but I’ve always been a creative person. I was a little into programming and graphic design and what not when I was younger. I’ve always been into making things, but never decided to branch out to music except playing around with EDM shit in FL studio back in the day. But, yeah we (me and Jeff) were just talking about these people at our school one day who kept saying they were rappers but never had any songs out except for those like car freestyles. We were just complaining like “Bro, if I wanted to, I could do this shit.”

RW: Like “we could do better than this?”

ED: (laughs) yeah, and he was like “do it then,” so I said “ok.”

RW: was he already making beats before then?

ED: Oh, yeah, he’s been making beats for dumbass long. Probably since like 2014. It’s been a minute.

RW: I’m excited to talk to him eventually. I’ll try to reach out to Milo, too. Do you feed off of the energy from those guys?

ED: Definitely. When I’m with my friends I’m my most productive. Music has a social aspect to it. When we’re around each other we bounce ideas off each other. We play around and see what hits and what doesn’t.

RW: Do you ever have something you want to save for yourself? Or, do you think “Nah, I should get the other guys on this?” Like your song, 1TIME4GENE, one of my favorites ones (of yours) which has like half of Deep Ends.

ED: Like, what goes to the group and what goes to your solo work? It can be complicated sometimes. Jeff will send out beats, but someone will claim it, and he keeps track of who has what. When we were making Eighty, I had this song called “Watch” which eventually became WYD, but I had that hook. People kept telling me we had to use it for Eighty since it fits the sound so well. I was hesitant at first.

RW: But it was for the team? (laughs)

ED: It sounds good in the context of the project. But, it really just depends if it fits Deep Ends sound better or my sound better.

RW: What would you say is the biggest difference?

ED: Well, I don’t stick to a genre. I have songs that are like Alt-Rock but songs which are experimental hip-hop like 1TIME4GENE and SLYDE.

Slyde is one of the primary standout tracks to me. It features this great high energy and punchy instrumental by one of his main producers, Sister. The beat really feels like a basketball that Enzo dribbles comfortably and shoots for a smooth three. He’s got a smooth delivery and sounds more than secure rapping over hard hitting production. I had a similar listening experience with the track “1TIME4GENE,” where Enzo, Milo, and Drool Audrey give one fired up verse after another. Slyde is a bit different, though, because it completely switches pace in the middle.

RW: Man, SLYDE, I think that’s my favorite song by you right now, man.

ED: Aw, thank you. It’s underappreciated right now.

RW: It’s really cool because the first half is this abrasive, hard as nails sound like you’re in your zone and then halfway through it totally goes into what you were talking about earlier which is more alternative. There’s a good duality there. Are there any artists or group of artists that you draw from?

ED: Yeah, there’s a few. A big favorite of mine is JPEGMAFIA.

RW: ooh, one of my favorites.

ED: Yeah, he’s got a really abrasive sound, too. I’ve been listening to a lot of Bay music like E-40. One thing about him and someone like Young Thug, and I wouldn’t put them in the same boat, but they’re both two people who use their voice in completely different ways. On the surface, people laugh at it but they really change scenes with how they use their voice in different ways. Anyone who uses their voice like an instrument is really inspiring to me.

RW: The way that people use their voice is kind of parallel to how Peggy (JPEGMAFIA) uses his production. The dude can use HIMSELF as a sample which is so creative and boundary pushing right now. I wanna talk more about Slyde. That got me hungry. What can we expect that’s coming?

ED: I’d say a lot of the stuff I have that’s coming is a little different from SLYDE. The next couple songs I’m putting out are more focused on a hook and more focused on being catchy but I do love experimenting. I have tons of unreleased songs but it’s just a matter of how I should put them out.

Enzo has accomplished a lot already. He’s performed live with Deep Ends in San Francisco, but I had to ask if there were any other big plans like an Album or EP.

RW: Do you have any projects in the plan? Do you have something you’re working towards right now?

ED: It’s hard. I’d love to make an EP like how Drool had his 5% EP, but then again, dropping singles gets more attention, and the worst thing is when you create something and nobody sees it and nobody hears it. You do all this work just to not be heard. I would like to drop an EP, but I think it would be better to drop singles right now.

RW: That’s at least what’s cool about Soundcloud. You can build this back catalog. If one song hits then the other ones start to get more streams too, so I guess it’s just a matter of building a snowball that turns into an avalanche. How do you and Deep Ends build your audience?

ED: It’s mostly about making promotion that people want to share. One of the reasons Deep Ends did numbers was because we had our music with a serious aspect, but had these silly promotions. Like, if you go on our Instagram page you’ll see it.

RW: The Splash Video was a big domino that had to fall, too, right? It has like 20k views on YouTube and way more streams on Spotify. I think I even saw a TikTok with it.

ED: I think a big reason why Splash took off was because we got put in a couple of playlists right when it dropped. There’s algorithms to follow about when you’re supposed to drop to maximize your chances at making a playlist, so next time I drop, I’m gonna do it at a certain time so I can maximize my chances. I think that going into this next generation of music, getting playlist placements on these streaming services like Apple Music and Spotify is going to determine who makes it and who doesn’t. Although, I know Spotify is introducing a service where they can put your song into a playlist for a fee. I think that’s gonna change the industry.

RW: I can relate to that. It’s like buying followers on social media. And like, for me, as an author, I have to try to get my book on shelves. I have to get clicks on Amazon. It’s so hard to market your art because the internet makes it easier but also a lot harder.

ED: Exactly. There’s so much now.

Vacaville always seemed like a place that would be stuck in its ways, but after talking with Enzo, listening to more of Deep Ends, and seeing the youth in the city organize events like a substantial BLM protest, maybe hope is not lost on cow town.

Listen to Enzo’s latest tracks including “Slyde” on Spotify and Apple Music now

Also, check out his Soundcloud

You can follow Enzo’s Instagram here and Twitter here

Lastly, I’ll link Deep Ends Spotify, Apple Music, and Instagram page

Thanks for reading this first artist spotlight! Thank you to Enzo for taking the time to chat. I’m in touch with other Deep Ends members like Sister and Byemilo and hope to write similar pieces about them soon. Expect some other articles about more than just musicians, though. Those should be just around the corner.