Ericka Del Rosario is one of many bold, young creatives who don't follow the conventional paths of success to achieve their dreams in art and fashion. Yet not everyone is as focused and driven as her, dropping out of Parsons to actualize her brand, Kakáslok. Inspired by her childhood in the Philippines before moving to Seattle and later New York, Kakáslok is as much a brand for style-conscious men and women as it is grounded in Del Rosario's upbringing.
We spoke to Del Rosario about the fairly new launch of her brand and where she's hoping to take it next.
What makes your brand different?
I believe this brand is different, because everyone that helped start this project is under 20 years old with no college degree or experience in the field. I collaborated with other creatives who were studying in different fields than I was—marketing, design management, strategic design, medicine, law, etc.
I guess this brand is different because everyone on the team builds from their past experiences: how we can apply the things we learned from our childhood, from our first jobs, from a job that fired us, from our first love. All of that goes into Kakáslok, and we're watching it grow not just into a brand, but into something that represents us as individuals.
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Why should people believe in your brand?
People should believe in Kakáslok because before we even launched our first collection, we built something bigger than a brand. While preparing for the campaign shoots, look book shoots, scheduling meetings with potential investors, and meeting with underground designers, I ended up finding out so much about my circle’s expertise. I think collaborating with other designers or artists is important because it's a learning experience. You learn what inspires other people, what their process is, and how they execute their work.
How did it feel being named "little shit," as in, what Kakáslok translates to? How did you look at yourself differently when you were younger?
People from the Philippines have been calling me Kaka or Kakáslok since I was born. I was always such a hassle when I was a kid. I guess people called me that name because of my actions. My parents knew that I was the kid who would always cause trouble, and I still do. I was voted as the biggest Ferris Bueller in high school due to how many times I skipped class just to do something fun, like driving to the city, going to a show, going to the beach, or just staying at home and working on projects. I don’t think I would be where I am today without my stubbornness or the leaps of faiths I took. I just did things because they felt right to me. I wasn’t lazy or ignorant, or just skipping school because I wanted to sleep in. I did it because I wanted to be inspired and get work done that would benefit my future and the route I wanted to take, which was going into the design field. School wasn’t teaching me that, the streets were, and the experiences I gained from it.
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Do you have any hard dates for when your product will be released?
I will be launching my first collection called Project Six in the next two months. I named my first collection Project Six because that is the area I was born in, in the Philippines. I would like to incorporate my past into Kakáslok from collection to collection as much as possible. In a way, I would like to take an ugly past and transform it to something beautiful.
How do you want people to wear your product? What brands would you mix with yours to create a perfect outfit?
I want to make garments that can be easily worn with anything. I would like to have the clothes be the "wow" factor on the entire outfit. My core customer would be a fashion-forward metropolitan man or woman, 18-40 years old. They are probably either a student or working in a creative field. She/he is someone who likes to make a statement with what they wear, but she/he also likes to dress smartly and comfortably. They appreciate art and culture and try to convey that through sartorial decisions. They live a very simple yet busy life.
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What are your thoughts on the current state of fashion?
I’m still learning. I don’t know much about fashion, nor do I keep tabs on it, but I am interested to see fashion become more gender-less and offer everyone more options to dress and express themselves. I am more excited about menswear and unisex clothing rather than womens, because I think that right now that’s where there's the most room to evolve.
When it comes to streetwear fashion, I feel as if youth today focus a lot on building a brand just to make money, rather than building a project and having it grow into a brand. A lot of kids design stuff like hats and shirts that have a quote printed on it saying how sad and shitty their lives are. Being sad or anti-something shouldn’t be a “movement.” You’re here to inspire and make your consumers better, not worse.
Do you want to collaborate with someone in the future or a bigger brand?
I wouldn’t want to collaborate with a specific brand as of now, but I would like to collaborate with M.I.A. I’ve been in love with her work and persona. She’s probably one of the strongest people I know based off of her childhood and her political views.
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What advice do you have for anyone pursuing fashion or following their dreams elsewhere right now?
Don’t be lazy, we all have the same 24 hours.
Growing up in a conservative Filipino family, it was difficult to want to be in the art and design fields. It was either you become a nurse or a dentist, nothing else. Of course, me, I wanted to do the total opposite. I was in love with photography and would take art classes in high school, even though I didn't know how to draw or know any of the basic skills. I completed high school with a 2.7 GPA and had a D+ in my art class. Even today, I don't know how to draw or sketch the clothes I design. I just envision everything in my head and work my hardest to make it into reality.
My parents consistently told me that I wouldn't make any money if I pursued my career in the arts. I was so stubborn to the point that I ran away from home multiple times, had countless arguments with them, had emotional breakdowns, etc. I worked late night shifts at Wendys & H&M to move from Seattle to New York, while a full-time high school student who was soon-to-be graduating.
I wanted New York so bad. I applied for scholarships consistently and pestered Parsons to give me grants and bump my initial scholarships up. Finally, when I stacked enough bread, I moved.
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Some people say that it’s impossible to make it in New York because it’s so competitive and expensive. To me, it wasn’t impossible at all, because I was so hungry to grow. My main advice is to never compare your passion to finances OR the system. New York made me realize that you don’t need a 4.0 GPA in order to be successful, and you don’t need to have a lot of money in order to be happy. I was being taught by the best professors in the design field while attending fashion week and gallery openings, expanding my network, shaking hands with designers and artists from around the world on an everyday basis, working for creative firms, getting my first corporate job at the age 18, and now, starting a project that slowly built itself into a brand. I’m not making millions of dollars, but it’s definitely better than me living a routine back in my hometown. What matters more is the experience I’m gaining for it and knowing that I am actually living my life.
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