TRENDHYPE - THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN FASHION - INTERVIEW WITH Jacob J. Keller

Welcome to our series of features showcasing influential personalities from the world of fashion. In this edition of TRENDHYPE we take some time and go one on one with non other than Jacob J. Keller who is renowned for his highly popular Always Fresh Apparel Youtube channel amongst other things. Make sure to continue below for the complete interview in its entirety and stay tuned for the next installment of TRENDHYPE only here on TODAYSHYPE.

TH: For anyone who may be unfamiliar, please introduce yourself. Name, Age, Home Base.

JACOB: Yooo, my name is Jacob J. Keller. I'm 22 years old and I was born and raised in the weirdest city in the world, Portland, OR.

TH: Your AlwaysFreshApparel movement is definitely strong to say the least with nearly 100K subscribers on Youtube. From its inception to now, what has been your personal favorite moment for the channel?

JACOB: Wow, great question. Well if we really wanna go back into the past, we can. If people really know me and have been supporting from the start, they know that showcasing clothing and brands I picked up from Karmaloop and PLNDR was the main bulk of my content. I was a huge fan (and obviously still am) of everything streetwear. To me, Karmaloop was this untouchable, multi-million dollar entity that I wished I could be apart of someday. 

Fast forward six months from then, and I was being flown out to the Karmaloop headquarters to participate in photo shoots, video interviews, and an overall modeling feature on their site. To me, that was one of the most mind-blowing experiences in my life since it was a huge realization to me what the Internet can do for today's society. Uploading a video of me sitting in my chair off my 13" Macbook turned into me being recognized by the brands and companies I had been supporting for years.

TH: If you had to pick just one, who would you say is your personal style icon and inspiration?

JACOB: I knew I was going to get a question like this so I tried to think hard about how to answer, and I think I found out who. Everard Best (@MURDERBRAVADO), a close friend of mine from NYC. Now, I really only got into the fashion game about 3 years ago so I'm still relatively new to brands, outfits, and overall fashion knowledge. Ev has been in the game for YEARS and his ability to mix and match color palates and silhouettes amazes me. Add in the fact that he just released his new collection BRVDO2 from his brand Lease on Life Society, and Ev is truly a trail blazer in the fashion community.

TH: Like anything in life there are people we meet and become good friends with along the journey. Who are some personalities both via Youtube and in the Fashion world that you have had the chance to meet and become good friends with?

JACOB: Obviously, I have to say Tyler Blake (@TheRealTBlake on Twitter), probably my best friend from the YouTube community. I do apparel, he does sneakers. He's flown out to Portland twice now and it's amazing how genuine and intelligent he is. I believe in becoming friends with people who inspire you and push you to do bigger and better things.

He turned 21 a couple months ago and held the largest sneaker expo in the New England area ever. How the hell can I not get inspired from that? I was also able to link up with the good homie John Geiger in Portland a couple months back. Another guy who is a huge influence to me and countless others in the apparel and sneaker community. #TeamLugz

TH: There are always a handful of select essential pieces to every wardrobe. What would you consider your current “cannot do without” pieces at the moment?

JACOB: My current "cannot do without" pieces are my white denim jacket from Surface to Air (with custom KNOWLUXE pins) and my Olive Drab adidas Y-3 Qasa Hi's. Keep in mind, these are just MY must haves and everyone is different. I tend to get up in the morning, look at my wardrobe and decide on black 9/10 times. Having the S2A white denim jacket in my closet allows me to wear black denim and a black tee and still break up the monochrome all black outfit.

I'm a firm believer that if you're going to do an all black outfit, you must have SOMETHING on that outfit that catches the eye (whether that be ribbed texture on the sleeves, a lighter shade of black, etc). My S2A white denim jacket does that. The Y-3 Qasa Hi's are just incredible. The combination of the slimming, ninja-esque silhouette, matched with the overall comfort of the Y-3 sole and neoprene and leather materials make this shoe a no-brainer.

TH: Music tends to have a major impact not only on fashion but on life in general. Who are a few of your favorite artists out there not only for the music but also for their fashion forward thinking?

JACOB: It's hard for me to find a rapper who's style I like, to be honest. There's a ton of dudes I listen to (Young Thug, Travi$ Scott, etc) who wear things that I could just never see myself putting on my body. I think the overwhelming agreement here is that Kanye really has paved the way for fashion and rap to be on the same level. I am a fan of his music, as well as his personal style. Another person is Pharrell. That guy is NOT afraid ONE bit. He KNOWS what fits his body type and what he wants to accomplish with an outfit. His execution and style is flawless. I respect guys like that. Who don't look out of place with a crazier outfit.

TH: You are always breaking and putting people on to new up and coming brands out there that people may have not run across before. What are a couple of brands that may still be flying under the radar that you anticipate will start to make an impact in the near future?

JACOB: Lease on Life Society run by Ev (leaseonlifesociety.com). He just released BRVDO2 and it is unlike anything I've seen from him. Another brand that people know I rep hard is Knowluxe (knowluxe.com). That man pays the most attention to detail, quality, and care out of any of the brands I've worked with. The last brand that does not get nearly as much love and exposure as they should is Chapter (joinchapter.com). I own so much of this brand it's crazy. I'm just going to let their work speak for itself and not talk too much.

TH: Besides clothing and fashion what would you say is your next biggest guilty pleasure?

JACOB: Film. I'm a sucker for movies and theaters. It's an amazing way to take your mind off your daily life and get sucked into another world for two hours. And here is something no one knows about me. When I was a freshman in high school, me and my friend George would go into my front yard and make short 2-3 minute movies with my brother behind the camera.

I also used to film every family event (Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving) and edit it in Windows Movie Maker, make 20 copies, and hand them out to all my family members. I have always been into making videos (aka the reason I started my YouTube channel) and watching films.

TH: Seeing how far your movement has come since it started, where do you hope to see it eventually get to in the next year or two?

JACOB: This is seriously something I think about a lot. When I started the channel, I had no end goal. I just did it because I thought it was cool and people may want to see what another fashion-oriented person buys with his money. So now that it has taken off like it did, I've been trying to formulate a plan for the future.

I'd really like to eventually (maybe 5 years from now) open up a boutique carrying the brands I love and showcasing the smaller guys and giving them a shot. I also wouldn't be mad at starting a career at Nike, although this is basically every 13-17 year old's dream in Portland since the HQ is only a 20 minute drive away.

TH: If you could give some advice to the younger generation out there in regards to smart fashion choices that you have learned throughout your time in the culture what would that be?

JACOB: This is very general advice, but it can be applied to fashion: Be educated and think before you speak. I think a lot of us speak before we really have time for our mouths (or keyboards) to catch up with our own thoughts. This can result in insults, negative slurs, and hate. I've received it countless times. And I think to myself: "If that person REALLY took the time to get to know me, to become EDUCATED about me, and to learn my personality and what makes me tick, they would never be saying that." So I believe that a lot of the time we say and type these sentences without ever thinking through what we're putting out into the world. Silence is usually better than filling a room with bullshit.

TH: Where can everyone find and follow you on social media?

JACOB: I'm @JacobJKeller across all social media platforms. Twitter here and Instagram here.

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