After being hit by a car while bike riding in 2012, Mike Cherman pondered how to make himself and fellow bike riders more visible, and the basis for Eye See New York (ICNY) was born. By way of ICNY, Cherman was able to materialize the intersection of his values of fashion and function — through highly visible clothing and accessories. The safety ICNY grants has been praised by The Huffington Post, Runner’s World, Hypebeast Magazine, 3M News, and Refinery 29. Since its birth, ICNY has collaborated with Monkey Time and Puma.
In addition to his creating ICNY, Cherman has worked with Jeff Staple, LQQK Studios, and Nike. More recently, Cherman has created a new clothing brand, The Chinatown Market, which has just collaborated with the Times Square Footlocker, and was just shown at the yearly Agenda Trade Show. We caught up with Cherman and asked a few questions about his career:
| How has moving from New York City to Los Angeles influenced and/or affected your work?
Los Angeles has given me the ability to live a better life – I’m able to create from a place of comfort and am just really happier overall being here. New York taught me what hustle is and Los Angeles allows me to enjoy it. I believe not in one being stronger than the other but I believe in the partnership of the two – one should never out do the other. The balance is key. What has it been like to be a pioneer of such a popular trend (being reflective clothing) at such a young age?  It’s a challenge but something that I love, everything happens for a reason and ICNY happened on its own as a reaction to all the accidents I was having on my bike. It was a blessing and has helped me enter the fashion industry. You definitely seem to be an avid biker. What does biking mean to you? Is it something you draw inspiration from? Biking to me is the most rudimentary of transportation – it gets me from A to B and its the best way to see a city. Are there discernable steps in your creative process or is it more organic? It’s all about diving in head first and making it happen – in an age where anyone can do anything you have to out hustle the rest. |
