JOEY GRAY OF HALF LIFE

Posted on | November 13, 2008 |

Creative Director of Half Life clothing, Joey Gray started his line with one thought in mind: people tend to wear the same few things over and over again. He set out to create a collection of basic pieces based on “minimal construction fit, and comfort”. Mr. Gray was kind enough to let me in on his thought process - from conception to execution and everything in between. Ladies and gentlemen, I present you…..Half Life. By Yale Breslin.

When and why did you decide to start Half Life? What was the original mission?
I began Half Life just over two years ago, during the summer of 2006. Being that most people tend to wear the same few things all the time, myself included, I initially set out to design a collection of those basic pieces that I would want to live in. I created the graphic t-shirt series as a complement to the collection and a commentary on pop culture, politics and society.

As the creative director, why do you think everyone should pay attention to Half Life?
In a world that is saturated with so many over-embellished, unoriginal attempts at authenticity through fashion, I feel like it is saying so much more by, in fact, saying less. The line is intentionally ambiguous for that reason. At the end of the day, you can’t buy individuality in a store and you definitely don’t feel sexy or unique wearing the same mass-consumed clothing as everyone else. Half Life is meant to be the basic line for those fashion forward customers who would rather infuse their own sense of style and self to their clothes.

What inspired this collection?
The concept of “if I am you who will be me.” So much of my creative process stems from a fascination with contrast and duality, especially regarding masculinity and femininity.

You have mentioned that one of your favorite artists is Dan Flavin. What is it about his work that you admire and what elements of his have you tried to incorporate into your designs?
His work (with fluorescent light bulbs) is simultaneously dynamic and complicated and yet totally restrained and accessible at the same time. Those are qualities that I strive for with my collection: clean lines and simple shapes. Simplicity can be so effective.

What is the meaning behind Half Life? What does it mean to you?
Well, there’s the obvious definition, scientifically speaking, a “half-life” is the interval required for a quantity to decay to half of its initial value.  In reference to fashion, Half Life is a commentary on trend-ism.  It’s a nod to the fact that the entire industry is forever operating a season ahead of itself, so that by the time a garment becomes available to the consumer it’s already yesterday’s news. But for me personally, Half Life is literally half of my life. Since it began, I manage every single aspect of the label on my own. It’s like my spouse, my other half.

What can we expect from upcoming Half Life collections?
I think the mark of every great designer is to be able to speak to society and affect the collective consciousness through fashion. Which is what I intend to do with Half Life. It’s no secret that I’ve given myself a somewhat restrained palette to work with, so I think it will be interesting to see how far I can push the line creatively – it’s a challenge that I look forward to. But really though, the sky is the limit.

Any parting words?
Yes. Two words: Barack Obama! Oh, and also, if anyone would like to know more about Half Life they should go to www.halflifeclothing.com or visit the store on Melrose in LA.

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