Before Jeffstaple (born Jeffrey Ng) built a creative empire he was sneaking into Parsons' silkscreening lab to hand print his first Staple tees. As the founder and creative director of Staple and Reed Art Department, Jeff's prolific work encompasses graphic design, fashion design, footwear design, and brand marketing for a range of from startup brands to Fortune 500 companies. Jeff and Rich Tu, sit down to talk about his humble beginnings growing up as the child of Chinese immigrants in New Jersey, the early days of Staple, helping HipHop mature with TheFader and Rawkus, and the launch of the iconic Pigeon Dunk.

Also, they discuss the role of design in culture, how Jeff continues to embrace new technology, the ways in which Web3 reminds him of streetwear, and the time when Rich designed Staple tees based on theology.

For even more, check out his new book Jeffstaple: Not Just Sneakers (with Rizzoli), chronicling his 25 year creative journey.

LINKS

• This is a special collaboration with The OG magazine. For more, go to: TheOnline.Gallery

SOCIAL MEDIA

• Check out FirstGenBurden.com for all the episodes
• Follow us @firstgenburden and Rich Tu / @rich_tu
• Audio produced by Timothy Simonson / @timwicked
• Illustration by Eugenia Mello / @eumiel

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