Chris' Perihelion: "In the Shadow Realm"

At first encounter with Korrupt Anarchy's founder, one would think he'd be just as stark and rugged as his pieces, though, Chris Burke shows that the toughest shells often stem from the aftermaths of self discovery. Inner peace that has originated from Burke's refusal to cooperate with societal norms in favor of his own enjoyment has lead to a life focus of designing for those who--like himself--find beauty in a life of occasional rule breaking. Burke maintains an energized attitude with lots of laughs behind his contrasting dark clothes while he sits to answer our first question:

S: What is your name?

C: Chris Burke, Mr. KRPT.

S: How old are you?

C: 25.

S: Where are you from?

C: Columbus, Ohio. Eastside.

via @longlivenoon

S: What is the significance of the name “Korrupt Anarchy”?

C: Korrupt Anarchy reflects my life experience. It came from my background—mostly changing my negatives to positives. As I was getting older, I was doing a lot of wrong in my life and then I just shifted. And when I made that shift, it felt like I still wasn’t going in the direction that I was expected to by other people. So that’s where the rebellion comes in—the anarchy. Most of the clothes I design are about going against the grain.

S: When did you know you wanted to be a designer ?

C: Definitely in college—it was where I began to find myself. Back then, it was me and Mog in the dorms daily thinking of ways to make money. It felt like a struggle watching people get to it and I couldn’t do it how I wanted to in that setting. I came to the conclusion: “this is right now” and I had to make a change. I’ve always been interested in clothes, but before I came home I was never selling them—I just started to take what I already liked seriously.

"Rebel Girls" Tee via @korruptanarchy

S: If you could spend the day with a child that mirrored your younger self, how would the two of you spend it?

C: We’d roll up and create. *laughs* It sounds crazy, but even when I was young, I was smoking. On a more serious note though, I’d just tap in with them and plant the seed early on of self awareness. I always saw a life for myself as a businessman, but when I was that young I thought of it in a specific way: “get a degree, work my way up”—the whole deal. I’d just let them know it’s important to just be themselves and nobody else because you’ll still get where you want to be.

S: What was the first piece you ever made?

C: I was doing different types of jeans. I’d be experimenting with bleach, markers, everything. *laughs* I didn’t know much about embroidery and technical designing at the time. Even though I had a particular vision in my head, I was just executing it the best way I could early on.

ELEMENT loungewear via @korruptanarchy

S: How has your hometown inspired you as a designer?

C: I feel like I get inspiration from it now more than I did when I actually lived here. Up until a couple years ago, I didn’t associate myself with too many people or places in the city at all. But coming back is fun because I get inspiration from people like y’all. There’s lots of talent around on the art scene with people younger than me and it’s been opening my eyes. I guess what I’ve been learning about my hometown—and really Ohio as a whole—is that we are the shit for real. *laughs* I see it more everyday.

S: What has been the design you are most proud of?

C: My HQ work is what I’m most proud of because I used to think a lot of stuff was impossible, but it all just takes studying—learning to take measurements and make patterns was a process. When I first started to sew, I used to think people wouldn’t appreciate the way I like things to fit but they actually have. Overall, I’m less proud of designs and more proud of myself for being me and not feeling the need to stoop down to someone else’s expectations for how clothes should be made.

Rip n Repair Denim via @korruptanarchy

S: Who is your favorite designer?

C: Rick Owens and Matthew Williams. But I feel a bit biased saying that. *laughs* I know everyone’s been getting into the whole black clothes thing a lot these days, but Matthew Williams and Rick Owens are just a part of history—their work is foundational to the niche interests I look for in clothes as a 25 year old Black man in the industry. Most designers careers are longer than most people think and become more popular down the line. And Rick is just super comfortable to me.

S: What five songs have you been listening to this week?

C: "Snatcher" by Certified Trapper, "Maniac" by Loe Shimmy, "Never Ever" by Destroy Lonely, "Been On" by southsidesilhouette, "Endo" by Jogeta, and "Set My Tris" by Mog and Beez. *laughs* Even though that’s six.

NYC popup via @krptmind

S: What has been your most challenging piece to bring to life?

C: Probably the denim that I’m working on right now—it’s distressed wax. I recently got the sample in and even though it wasn’t bad, there’s still lots of tweaks needed to get the vision across so that’s been a lot.

S: Who is someone you haven’t seen in Korrupt at this point, but would like to?

C: My homie, Cholo.

S: What is your astrological sign?

C: Capricorn.

"Rebel" Tee via @korruptanarchy

S: What traits do you feel you display from that sign, if any?

C: The hustle, the dedication. I feel like whenever I’m not working, I’m bullshitting. *laughs* I know it’s not realistic because it’s a lot of other things to do in life, but in a perfect world I could just work on clothes all day and have pieces ready in two minutes!

S: What has been your favorite work experience?

C: Going out of town and doing popups is the best part of all of this. I love being with the gang. I love meeting new people.

via @_yanastylez

S: If you had to describe your brand in three words, what would they be?

C: Relaxed and grunge. I do a lot but the core of it all comes down to that. I feel like just those two words sum it up well.

S: If you had to get rid of everything in your closet and only keep one article of clothing, what would it be?

C: I hate to give up the Korrupt, but I’ll just keep my Rick Owens Cretch cargo pants. They’re too cozy.

via @dojocreates

S: What’s next for your brand?

C: I want to do more wholesaling to stores, solo popups, and popups with my friends rather than expo-style popups put together by someone else. I want to get to the point where we’re able to curate everything we got going on—gives me more freedom.

S: What would your ideal Korrupt shoot look like with an unlimited budget? Who would be a part of it and where would it be located?

C: The theme would be light—but also dark. It would be in a very, very open space. I’d probably have Cholo, Cao, Zukenee, and Nard a part of it.

KARMA Full Zip via @korruptanarchy

S: Are there any other creative avenues you would like to take outside of fashion?

C: Right now I feel like I want to mess with the music because a lot of my friends are into that. Whether it be just getting their sound out and helping manage them, too, in a way. But I wouldn’t like to be anyone’s official manager—just be informed enough about what’s going on to get some stuff going.

S: Who or what keeps you motivated?

C: My daughter and my mom—definitely my mom. Because at first she didn’t think this was green! *laughs* But now she’s my number one cheerleader.

Full Korrupt Anarchy via @korruptanarchy

S: What does the creative process look like for you? Do you prefer inspiration to find you or do you set a time set aside time to work?

C: I set aside time but I just gotta live life at the end of the day because a lot of my clothes are literally a part of my life—they tend to be a reflection of things I would do or feel on a daily basis. I deliver a lot of messages in my work.

S: What does a week in your life look like?

C: Shipping and selling clothes. Hand to hand selling. Being at the warehouse and trying to cook up. Or I’m at home on the game going crazy on Warzone--join the discord!

pictured in office via @krptmind

S: If the world were yours for a month, what would it look like?

C: It would be black and gray everywhere. Yeah. There’d be a bunch of tall buildings around us too—we would be in the shadow realm. It may seem gloomy *laughs*… but we’re just standing out for real.