The NYC-based creatives nurturing a distinctive set of attitudes, traits and styles in the gay/bi scene set out to service their admirers driven by music, fashion art, and boys.
New York being the creative hub it is, has been home to the East Village Boys, running their fashion, music and art obsessed 'Cock Culture' ethics as a collective of artists, authors, musicians, performers, and photographers. The boys base their lifestyles on their set of bold attitudes and creativity inspired by an alternative culture to nurture the talent in their East village scene.
Dazed Digital: Who are the East Village Boys?
Richard Welch: We are a loose group of creative-minded people from around the world. We are interested in supporting and showcasing emerging creative talent that interests us. We are cock. We are culture. We are cock culture- the product of both of those things co-mingling, sharing their creative juices and getting dirty together.
DD: What makes an East Village Boy?
Weston Bingham: An East Village Boy would have fit right in with the emerging creative scene in the East Village of the 80's. It's about their attitude, not where they live. They are creative, independent, versatile, restless, open, experimental, and importantly, are rather partial to cock. And generally hot.
DD: What do the East Village Boys do?
Weston Bingham: They do what they do. Some of us make cock culture. Some of us
curate it. We all participate in it.
DD: Tell us about the t-shirt collaboration.
Weston Bingham: Our first tee was an EVB design. Entitled 'The Cum Shirt' which sold out in a week. It's a very indiscreet way of proudly wearing a pearl necklace, and much more fashionable than a rainbow flag! We then partnered
with Scooter LaForge, an East Village artist whom we adore. He designed a limited edition silkscreened and hand-painted tees as an homage to the East Village, East Village Boys and our unique place in the city. Again unfortunately they are sold out too!
Richard Welch: We are just about to release out latest collaboration which is with Cottweiler, a young design partnership from London. We interviewed Mat and Ben a while back and really love what they are doing. They manage
to combine streetwear with tailoring and detail - a look we adore. Also coming up over the next few months is a great tee by the artist Gio Black Peter, and as usual his trademark, let's call it 'cheekiness', sort of slaps you across the face and makes you drool in anticipation. We are also super excited to be working with our friends at Nice Collective from San Francisco (the same guys who dressed our go-go boys at our recent party) on yet another new tee. There is also a very special collaboration with a respectably well-known artist but we can't talk about that quite yet!
Weston Bingham: Is it strange that everyone we've collaborated with is hot?
DD: How important is fashion/style to East Village Boys?
Richard Welch: Style is always more important than fashion. We are more interested in individual expression, not what's being sold as the next look. That belongs in the 80's in publications like The Face, which we adore, but we only live in the 80's two or three nights a month.
Weston Bingham: I mean, what's hotter? Cole or Ash in a fashion shoot, or in their street clothes sitting outside our office?
DD: Describe your own style.
Richard Welch: Oh lord!
Weston Bingham: If we were a band, I'd be the lead guitarist with all the mystique.
Richard Welch: Well that leaves me as the bare chested drummer I guess!
Weston Bingham: I wear a uniform. I mean not a military uniform, but you know what I mean. I love when boys really put in the effort to put together sexy outfits but who's got that kind of time?
DD: What inspires you?
Weston Bingham: Big cities with big populations from all over the world. And music music music.
Richard Welch: Love, friends, music, the smell of the ocean, and cheeky people, not necessarily their smell though.
DD: What's coming up for East Village Boys?
Weston Bingham: We just launched our online gallery, we're working on expanding into publishing artist monographs, along with a few very interesting collaborative projects and next year we hope to host an EVB Summer Camp!.
We're also really focused on go-go boy casting for our party next month. It's not an easy job, but it's something we like to sink our teeth into whenever we can.
Dazed Digital: Who are the East Village Boys?
Richard Welch: We are a loose group of creative-minded people from around the world. We are interested in supporting and showcasing emerging creative talent that interests us. We are cock. We are culture. We are cock culture- the product of both of those things co-mingling, sharing their creative juices and getting dirty together.
DD: What makes an East Village Boy?
Weston Bingham: An East Village Boy would have fit right in with the emerging creative scene in the East Village of the 80's. It's about their attitude, not where they live. They are creative, independent, versatile, restless, open, experimental, and importantly, are rather partial to cock. And generally hot.
DD: What do the East Village Boys do?
Weston Bingham: They do what they do. Some of us make cock culture. Some of us
curate it. We all participate in it.
DD: Tell us about the t-shirt collaboration.
Weston Bingham: Our first tee was an EVB design. Entitled 'The Cum Shirt' which sold out in a week. It's a very indiscreet way of proudly wearing a pearl necklace, and much more fashionable than a rainbow flag! We then partnered
with Scooter LaForge, an East Village artist whom we adore. He designed a limited edition silkscreened and hand-painted tees as an homage to the East Village, East Village Boys and our unique place in the city. Again unfortunately they are sold out too!
Richard Welch: We are just about to release out latest collaboration which is with Cottweiler, a young design partnership from London. We interviewed Mat and Ben a while back and really love what they are doing. They manage
to combine streetwear with tailoring and detail - a look we adore. Also coming up over the next few months is a great tee by the artist Gio Black Peter, and as usual his trademark, let's call it 'cheekiness', sort of slaps you across the face and makes you drool in anticipation. We are also super excited to be working with our friends at Nice Collective from San Francisco (the same guys who dressed our go-go boys at our recent party) on yet another new tee. There is also a very special collaboration with a respectably well-known artist but we can't talk about that quite yet!
Weston Bingham: Is it strange that everyone we've collaborated with is hot?
DD: How important is fashion/style to East Village Boys?
Richard Welch: Style is always more important than fashion. We are more interested in individual expression, not what's being sold as the next look. That belongs in the 80's in publications like The Face, which we adore, but we only live in the 80's two or three nights a month.
Weston Bingham: I mean, what's hotter? Cole or Ash in a fashion shoot, or in their street clothes sitting outside our office?
DD: Describe your own style.
Richard Welch: Oh lord!
Weston Bingham: If we were a band, I'd be the lead guitarist with all the mystique.
Richard Welch: Well that leaves me as the bare chested drummer I guess!
Weston Bingham: I wear a uniform. I mean not a military uniform, but you know what I mean. I love when boys really put in the effort to put together sexy outfits but who's got that kind of time?
DD: What inspires you?
Weston Bingham: Big cities with big populations from all over the world. And music music music.
Richard Welch: Love, friends, music, the smell of the ocean, and cheeky people, not necessarily their smell though.
DD: What's coming up for East Village Boys?
Weston Bingham: We just launched our online gallery, we're working on expanding into publishing artist monographs, along with a few very interesting collaborative projects and next year we hope to host an EVB Summer Camp!.
We're also really focused on go-go boy casting for our party next month. It's not an easy job, but it's something we like to sink our teeth into whenever we can.
