We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cal Wu. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cal below.
Hi Cal, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
Hey y’all! Shoutout to the whole team at CanvasRebel first and foremost and thank y’all for the platform!
In picking a project, I’ve got to say STEADYNEWYORK® as a whole. I can definitely see that as a cop-out answer (haha), but I think each of our releases/products are so intertwined with the brand’s narrative that picking one would feel like I’m not telling the story in full. I truly believe that STEADYNEWYORK® continues to be my most intentional, intimate, meaningful, and evolving body of work.
But(!) if I were to give a straight answer – I’d say our UNIFORM Skirts for the way it challenges gender normatively and presents clothing as as just clothing.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Of course, I’m Cal. I’m an artist, writer, and native New Yorker from Flushing, Queens. My art is in the of curation vintage clothing, photos, and videos; and fusing all of it with my personal storytelling. STEADYNEWYORK® is the product of that.
STEADYNEWYORK® is a brand composed of equal parts, my very public diary of a Chinese-American New York diehard, a meticulously curated moodboard, and products marked by my signature use of hand-selected patterned flannels. Altogether, I hope it feels like an entirely new take on a streetwear brand.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I want to say my authenticity and vulnerability. STEADYNEWYORK®, at its core, is a brand built on curation, so I think it’s important to offer all of myself in the work and not hold back. The products I put out are all tied in some way to my POV, and so I think its interesting, if not also needed, to share who I was and what those early influences are, whether they were ‘90s and 2000s pop culture or from tough interactions I had growing up with my parents. (Including sharing those awkward, not-so-flattering pics from those moments in time haha.)
I believe that for the fans of STEADYNEWYORK® thus far, authenticity goes a long way as it lets them in on who they’re choosing to connect with and support.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
The signature of STEADYNEWYORK® is utilizing and reworking secondhand flannel in an effort to be more sustainable and because it’s just me – for example, traveling to source flannels, putting hands to fabric, producing content around stories and releases, etc. I’m learning to apply that same lens of doing things more sustainably to myself as an artist. There’s enormous pressure from the algorithm to always have something to show for, but I think for all of us, giving ourselves time is sometimes the best thing we can do for our work. I can’t lie though, I meet this lesson every day with a ton of anxiety (haha), but I think sitting with that anxiety and still powering is the unlearning taking place.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.steadynewyork.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steadynewyork
Image Credits
All images are images that STEADYNEWYORK® owns.