Dikayl on Ralph Lauren, going to the mall, and wearing clothes you can fix a motorcycle in

You look eclectic. What do you do?
I work freelance for Double RL, Ralph Lauren's vintage brand. 

Are you wearing any Ralph Lauren right now?
No. I love Ralph's stuff, but I like to find my stuff at vintage places or wherever.

Do you shop for vintage in New York? A lot of people think it's too picked over.
The vest I got at some little vintage shop in Harvard Square in Boston. It was cheap, like fifteen dollars. The shirt I got at this army-navy place in Connecticut.

What about the glasses?
The glasses are new Ray-Bans, but they're a remake. The jeans are just Levi's. My hat is a Kangol from the '80s. They don't make this blue anymore. My watch is made of a stock military band that you can get for five dollars, and then I took my watch off its regular band and put it on here.

Do you upcycle other clothing items the same way you did with your watch? 
Yeah, isn't that what you're supposed to do to really own a look? To own it, you have to wreck it a little bit. 

So you're not opposed to buying imperfect vintage pieces?
Not at all. Normally, I work in my clothes. I might even paint in these. If they're too messed up, I'll give them away. I have friends in fashion who are always giving me stuff to wear, too. But I don't really respect clothing too much. 

What do you wear when you're going out?
I dress the same all the time. I don't understand why people have different costumes for different parts of the day. I want to feel like I can do whatever I want in my clothing. I can go out, or I can fix a motorcycle.

Is the beard a signature look?
I don't think about it. I think you should just wear what makes you feel good. It's hard to get that balance. Sometimes you clean up too much — or you get too dirty — and you don't feel good. 

What's a trend you really dislike?
I think the most awful trends are when something thoughtful becomes imitated so often that it's no longer thoughtful, and no one knows where it came from. 

Does that mean you think lower-end brands that reproduce high-end designs for the masses are bastardizing fashion?
No, it's like genetics. It's about reproduction. But I think you want to stay ahead of the curve. Even strolling through the mall is useful. If you see everyone wearing the same thing and you get burnt out, you're going to want to choose something else. It's a good thing. A lot of designers get tired of palettes and fabrics, and that's how they move on and create new trends.