Five Fits With: Content Creator and Japanese Menswear Lover Drew Joiner
It’s rare for me to log on to the internet and be interested in an influencer’s content. It just doesn’t appeal to me. Maybe it’s my age. That said, I’m into Drew Joiner’s content. If you’re familiar, what does it is his enthusiasm and ebullience, mixed with good music and a really chill vibe that doesn’t feel forced. The Denver, Colorado native started his content journey just four years ago with a podcast he stills hosts called Beyond the Garment with Drew Joiner. It was born of a desire to learn, which is not dissimilar to why I started this column.
“I started making YouTube videos of reviews and about things that I was interested in from sneakers to workwear and Carhartt, and now I talk about Japanese Americana and denim and things of that sort,” Joiner tells me. “I’m a pandemic-era creator who leveraged it as a way to see where one could take being an online personality.” He smirks, “And now I'm here talking with you.”
Content aside, what really drew me in was his personal style. So I’m happy to present you with five very good and unique outfits, and a nice conversation to wash them down with. We talked about how he developed an interest in men’s fashion and Japanese brands, being invited to give a TEDx Talk, dressing for your body type, and plenty more.
Fit One
Jacket by Kapital, trousers by Bare Knuckles, hat by Bleeding Indigo, and shoes by JJJJound x Danner.
What do you currently do for a living? How do you sustain your interest in fashion?
I'm blessed enough to say that I'm a full-time creator, so all I do for a living is I create YouTube videos, TikToks, and Instagram Reels, and talk about the things that I care about. Hopefully I help people with their personal style and generate interesting conversations in and around fashion.
Tell me about the recent series you've been posting on your Instagram.
I just finished up an original series with a really great company called Portal A. We did six episodes of a series called “Fit Check,” which is highlighting different trends that we've identified as the more important year-defining trends, from using red as a pop of color to BRAT summer, talking about Office Siren, the landscape when it comes to sneakers, how a lot of younger guys are dressing kind of like their grandpas. That element of my content is a new frontier where I'm doing things that are a bit more curated and elevated. A lot of times I'm doing all the filming, editing, writing, and scripting myself. This was the first time where I was doing something that was not paid and was going on my channel as a way to engage an audience that was a bit more elevated.
Why did you move to New York City?
Man, because it's the city of dreams—a city that never sleeps. A city with the most energy. I was growing in Denver and I felt like I was a bigger fish in a smaller pond, and I wanted to try to test the waters of New York City and see what that was about. I've been living here for a year. Probably, creatively, the best decision of my life was moving to New York.
Fit Two
Jacket by OrSlow, jeans by Yohji Yamamoto, hat by Ebbets Field Flannels, and shoes by Allen Edmonds.
How did you first get into menswear? Was there a defining moment?
It’s been a slow, natural progression. I wouldn't say there was a single moment. My interest in fashion started with something that I think a lot of people are interested in when they’re younger, which is sneakers. I was a basketball player and I always cared about basketball sneakers. Naturally, the cooler sneakers you get, the better your outfit has to be to match them. That's the same for any aesthetic. If you start with footwear, or you start with a hat or glasses, you can't have one cool thing and then have everything else be something that doesn't match the vibe. I would say my introduction to Japanese fashion in 2021—when I was really learning more about Japanese Americana and Ametora and Japanese denim and Mecca G and all these things that revolve around the world of Japanese design but American focus—was when I really started to care more about menswear and fashion.
I find this era of content a bit inauthentic. So many people are trying to be influencers, but your content is really fun and fresh. How do you stay inspired and keep it authentic?
It's funny, I just led a TED Talk on authenticity. When it comes to being authentic, this is who I was from the beginning. People can just tell when you're not being yourself, when you're leaning towards a particular topic because it's trending. Let's be real: I talk about trending topics that maybe I wouldn't necessarily have when I started making content, but I do it in an authentic way. I try to find an angle that still speaks to who I am as an individual. We all have unique stories and upbringings, and I try to use the things that I've taken from childhood, from growing up in Colorado, from my move, as a black man, as a person who's living in this modern context… I try to take all the things that I truly care about and synthesize them to create and talk about topics that also—I hope—people will care about. There's an element of creating where, yes, being authentic is massively important, but if you talk about things that no one cares about, then you and I aren't having this conversation. There's a weird ballet of sorts that happens where you're doing things that you care about. You find what you care about, but you also have to understand your audience. You have to also understand what other people care about.
Fit Three
Shirt by RRL, boots by Our Legacy.
Hard to breeze past your mention of a TED Talk. How'd that come about, and what exactly were you there for?
It was really cool. A high school in San Jose called Harker School invited me. There was a group of students there who were looking for multiple speakers. One of the students there was a huge fan of my content, and their TEDx theme this year was Unfiltered. They thought that I was someone who displayed my personality online in an unfiltered, authentic way. We had a couple conversations—myself and the professor and the students. Next thing you know, I'm doing a TED Talk, discussing how I use my content as a way to affect people's lives in a positive way through authenticity.
Do you have any style tips or dos and don'ts?
I have tips, of course. Literally a big portion of my content is helping people. I don't have dos or don'ts in the sense that, “You need to do this,” but I have a couple of strong, "If you want to be stylish, these are some of the hoops that you want to jump through to achieve that goal.” The first one comes down to understanding the context of your body type in correlation to the fit of the clothes that you're trying to accomplish. I'm about 6'3". I have a bit of a slender build, and so certain clothes will fit that and accentuate my natural physique. You could be 5'10”, you could be 5'5", you could be a woman, you could be a man, whatever you are, you have to figure out what the combination is for yourself, and it's a journey to understand those things. If you want wider fitting pants and you want them to look like—I don't know—Jacob Elordi’s, maybe you won't look like Jacob Elordi because he has a particular body type. So one of my biggest tips to my audience is to know your measurements, know what fits you. Once you understand what your measurements are, act in accordance to your measurements. Buy brands that fit with what you want for your body type and often you'll have success in feeling good about the clothing you're wearing.
Fit Four
Jacket and sunglasses by Buck Mason, shirt by Polo Ralph Lauren, trousers by Nigel Cabourn, hat by Sublime Remains, and shoes by Morjas.
Who or what are some influences on your personal style?
I have a very strong interest in ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s American Western menswear. Then you combine it with what the Japanese have done to reproduce those garments. Think of a brand like Taiga Takahashi that does such a great job of creating a contemporary ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s feel. There are elements within me that I'll never shed. I'm a huge anime fan. The fashion in the show Jojo's Bizarre Adventures is so dynamic, and I try to incorporate things like that. I love sneakers. I still will never give up on what I thought in 2013 to ‘16 and what streetwear was. I still want to infuse some of those elements into my style. There are constantly new things that are exciting me as well, whether it's something that's avant-garde or more high-fashion. I try to pull from any place that gets my heart rate a little bit more excited and that actually I can pull off in accordance with my measurements and my body-type.
Can you remember the first significant clothing purchase you made?
Most people probably wouldn't think this is crazy, but I remember I saved up for a pair of Nike Huarache Lows with a green accent on the side of them, because in high school you don't have tons of disposable income. In 2012 at my school, if you had a pair of Huaraches, you were doing things. You were the coolest kid around. I just felt so cool having those shoes. I also camped out outside of a mall for a pair of Fear of God Vans. My friend was like, "You got to camp out with me." I was like 16 or 17 years-old. My mom and my dad are like, "Drew, where have you been all night?" I'm like, "I was camping out for some Vans." They pull up to the mall, they cut the entire line and grab a pair, and they're like, "Drew, we got you another pair." I'm like, "Mom, you guys can't do this. This is messed up. You just can't cut the line." They said, "We didn't know. We just walked in and no one said anything." It was crazy. I got two pairs of Fear of God Vans. My mom said, "You can sell these, right?" I was like, "Yeah, I can sell these."
Fit Five
Shirt by A Bathing Ape, jeans by Evisu, hat by Slow Boat New York, sunglasses by Ray-Ban, bag by With my Yuigahama, and shoes by Gucci.
What is the last thing you purchased?
I purchased a pair of Evan Kinori orSlow jeans. I've always loved orSlow. I've loved Ichiro, and when I saw these, I was like, "These are coming with me."
Give me your three favorite spots in New York.
Blue In Green. I love that place. I love Domino Park. I love looking out at the skyline and just seeing how beautiful everything is and just taking it in. And Central Park.
I like that you included nature instead of places to eat.
That's very Colorado of me.
If you had to wear one outfit for the rest of your life, what would it consist of?
I'm going to get specific. I'd wear a Polo Ralph Lauren button up, and then I'd layer on top of it an orSlow French chore jacket. I'd wear my favorite and best fitting pair of pants, which are a pair of Yohji Yamamoto five panel Japanese selvedge denim jeans. I would go no hat because you got to show your beautiful hair. On feet, I would go with a pair of Morjas penny loafers. With my Yuigahama crossbody bag. Ready to go for the rest of my life.
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