I don’t remember the fist time I met Kesh but we have always been a degree away from one another. The first time I saw her was in an interview/profile sometime ago on Current TV. I hadn’t heard of her but I was drawn into the piece by her being a young woman of color & cemented in by the mission of a girl who had come from a small town trying to “make it” doing what she loves. A year or two I was heading to a NYE party at her residence but with traffic, drunk friends and slews of celebrations everywhere you turn I wasn’t able to make it. That was at least a year or two ago. Since then I have seen Kesh around town multiple times. Sometimes from across the street sometimes from across the room but we have yet to exchange words (minus one time at the HOOD BY AIR Los Angeles debut.)
Last night I was finally able to catch up with Kesh & speak to her directly/privately about current events with our mutual friends (we even got a chance to take a couple photos) at the after-party for her epic collaboration with American Apparel. The collection boasts Kesh’s artwork printed subliminally printed onto the long-familiar garments. The party (held at Mandrake in Culver City’s Art Distict) was full of well wishers among the like Niko The Ikon, model Bradley Solieau and Hood By Air’s dynamic PR woman Sydney Reising.
-Eric Estrada
All in-store photos shot by Cali Grindz
All after-party photos shot by Eric Estrada