JULES GAYTON FLOURISHES IN HONOLULU

Text: Daniel Ikaika Ito
Images: Gollestani Photography


Jules Gayton doesn’t really regard Honolulu as a full-fledged urban scene. Considering that the Leilow creative director/Hypebeast.com blogger/DJ resided in some of the Western Hemisphere’s most popular urban sprawls—like London, New York and California—O‘ahu’s South Shore doesn’t feel like a big city to the stylish Englishman.

“I suppose after living in New York for such a long time, Town here, still seems like a bit Country to me– even with all the tourists, hotels and everything,” says Gayton in his trademark British accent. “Especially after growing up in London when the closest beach is three hours away, it’s all rocks and freezing cold water.”

Hawai‘i, U.S.A. and London, England—where Jules was born and raised—are different worlds when it comes to climate and culture. As a “wee lad” in the 1970s, Gayton would often fantasize about Hawai‘i because his bedroom walls were decorated with posters of pro-surfers in the islands, especially Larry Bertlemann.

“When I was a kid in London I was really into Larry Bertlemann; he was like my hero because he was the surfer that reflected how we skated,” admits Jules. “We wanted to skate like the way he surfed so even when I was a little kid I had posters of Hawai‘i, Larry Bertlemann, Gerry Lopez and everyone all over my walls.”

Those images and the emerging punk rock and skate scenes in London led Jules to pursue a pro career in skateboarding. According to the Englishman, during the early 1980s a professional skater wasn’t a very lucrative job.

“Being a pro meant nothing more than getting free boards, trucks and wheels,” reminisces Jules.

Eventually, he crossed the pond and ended up in New York, where he met Shawn Stussy through a mutual friend, Paul Mittlemen. At this point it was 1984, Gayton became DJ Jules—spinning hip-hop, reggae, house, funk and soul music in the Big Apple—and Shawn was just starting the street wear brand, Stussy. Jules is one of the original members of the Stussy Tribe New York chapter. Not only did he receive fresh gear on the regular from the brand, he also met his future wife, Jane, through Stussy and Mittleman.

Jane is an Asian woman who is originally from the East Coast, but could pass for a local girl in Hawai‘i. In 2002, Mr. and Mrs. Gayton bailed New York for Kaua‘i. At the time, Jules was nursing a back injury and both felt that a trip to the islands would be a therapeutic journey. Like many visitors to Hawai‘i, Jules and Jane fell in love with the place and moved to O‘ahu shortly thereafter.

“[Hawai‘i’s] got something special about it. When I first went to New York in the ‘80s it felt that way to me– it’s got a great energy and great vibe to it,” says Jules. “It’s always been cosmopolitan. It’s got that mixture of East and West– a little bit of everything.”



Since moving to the islands, Jules has also changed his music listening habits, opting for more reggae in car rides than any other genre. According to Jules, the tropical paradise and island feeling is best accentuated by reggae music, especially the work of Jimmy Cliff.

“The Harder They Come album sounds brilliant out here,” he says.

These days, Jules is on the grind as part owner of Stussy Honolulu, but his main hustle is designing the clothing line for Leilow, a street wear brand who shares headquarters with Kicks/HI on Makaloa Street. Although he’s seen the best of the best in international street wear, the Englishman still gives Hawai‘i brands like Leilow, Fitted, In4mation and Kick/HI mad props.

“It’s really cool, man,” says Jules about the local street wear brands. “It’s great to have pride in your own homegrown brands that come out of the place that you live. For me, it’s like what Rakim said, ‘It ain’t where you’re from, it’s where you’re at.’”

Jules has seen street wear fashion go from a selection of three different sneaker brands to an endless assortment of shoe companies and colorways. Perhaps this is why Hypebeast.com tapped Jules to be one of their bloggers. He’s witnessed the total evolution of the current styles. According to Jules, back in the ‘80s you had to be a lot more creative in the way you dressed and these days there are a lot more brands, designers and people being creative for you. For Jules, street wear is not so much fashion, but more a personal style than anything.

Currently, Honolulu, despite its diminutive size and population, is pumping out mad steez in the street wear industry. Jules is loving every minute of it in paradise and loving all the amenities provided by living in the metropolis of the islands– Honolulu.

“Honolulu, itself has a lot of stuff,” says Jules. “Great restaurants, great people, all my friends at the different shops that I hang out with. It’s pretty much got everything.”


ジュールズ
ロンドンで生まれ育ち音楽とサーフィンを愛する。ラリー・バートルマンというプロサーファーに魅せられ彼のサーフィンスタイルを真似るようにスケートボードに没頭していた頃もあったという。ニューヨークに移り住んでからというもの、DJとして有名になり、友人であっショーン・ステューシーの手助けをしたことをきっかけにステューシートライブの仲間入りをも果たした。２００２年の休暇にハワイに訪れた際、ハワイの魅力的でパワーあふれる環境に惹かれ移り住むことを決意。そして、レイローという自らの店を経営しながら、ステューシーホノルル店をオープンさせるため積極的に手助けをした。