Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Maxwell Leacock. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Maxwell, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
The biggest risk in my journey so far is not going to school. Originally the goal was to get into a fashion school and the one I ended up having my eyes on was FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Marketing). But tuition for college is crazy so I made the decision not to go to school and take the next couple years to teach myself the craft I wanted to learn. It’s taken time to learn everything I know today but it’s built character and I appreciate the choice I made every day!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Wasted Youth Crew started off as a collective of a bunch of teenagers I was with in high school. Ton of creatives in music, art, and fashion. Although it was a lot of us no one shared the same passion I had for the brand so when quarantine in 2020 began it branched off and it turned into my brand. I began to make one of one clothing pieces with the process of up cycling. Here we are today and I’ve done multiple pop-up shops and just had my first fashion show! My latest collection Project 18 is something I’ve been holding onto for a year and I’m so proud of it and happy that is public and available for purchase. I plan to put my name everywhere with more than clothing and the world will know the name Maxamil. With more quantity to these quality pieces, film works, and other collaborations the journey ahead looks promising for me. I’m just a guy with a passion tryna make grandma proud.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
The biggest pivot I’ve had to make was on my last event Project 18. There were multiple actually, the original vision was a walkway that went down a sidewalk to the venue for the models so the public would be interested. Shortly after I got the idea Balenciaga had their Fall 2024 fashion show almost identical to my vision. Then the venue I picked out was out of reach and my original model cast had pulled out. I still came out with an amazing show and an experience people won’t forget but I’m still not fully satisfied. I feel it was about 50% of what I can give so I’m only even more excited for the next…
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Something I’m currently trying to unlearn has to do with social media. My community knows I post like once a month but it’s always really cool. I really only use it when I have a body of work I’m passionate about to post. My peers keep telling me I have to get in everyone’s faces and stay consistent to get the revenue and recognition I desire but for some reason it is so hard for me to do. It’ll be a learning experience for me and my community so bear with me there is a lot of content on the way twins.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wastedyouthcrew.com
- Instagram: wastedyouthcrew_
- Youtube: Wasted Youth Crew
Image Credits
Music Artist in Photo (Reason)
Photo Credits to Julian Dahl
Pieces on www.wastedyouthcrew.com
Models: Niv Sky, Kayin Quinn, Jaesan Emeret, Tyler Ocello, Maxamil