word on the street - cal of steady new york
We’re getting the scoop straight from the sidewalk! André caught up with Cal, artist, writer, and founder of Steady New York, a creative outlet merging upcycled fashion with city-rooted storytelling. From hand-dyed denim to patchwork flannels inspired by the NYC grid, Cal’s look is a lived-in love letter to the city itself. Stay tuned for more unfiltered style inspiration from Beacon’s Closet thrifters!
A: This is Beacons closet word on the street, I'm André Molina. Today we're here with...
C: Cal.
A: What do you do?
C: I'm an artist and writer.
A: What's the fit today, man?
C: Platform docs, vintage Carhartts on, they're actually uh overalls, so I'm strapped up. You know, flannel on the body. Vintage (points at denim jacket) I dyed this a kind of faded black. Yankee scarf. And this is a hat I made, Steady New York.
A: Tell us about Steady New York.
C: Uh, so Steady New York is kind of a creative outlet. My creative presentation as an artist, I do a lot of upcycling and reworking, which everything is flannel or New York related.
A: Tell us how like the process of dying like something like this (points at denim jacket Cal is wearing). Is that something that you do often?
C: It's something I started messing around with during Covid. Best spot to do it is in a stainless like kitchen sink, is probably the best spot to do it. I was doing it in my tub for a long time, like I did this one in my tub (points at denim jacket), it's so messy. The cleanup is crazy.
A: That's the cheat code right there. he just dropped some knowledge right there.
You excited for spring right now? Like is there anything that you're looking for when you're shopping? Anything specific?
C: Shopping for flannels, uh, or shopping for plaid tchotchkes. Uh sunglasses, patches, pins, you know, anything like that.
A: What attracts you to uh, flannels specifically,
C: Like as a New Yorker? It kind of reminds me a little bit of the city. I feel like it's kind of like a metaphor for the city and that it's sort of a patchwork. It is all of this, uh, all of these things like intersecting with one another in all the colors and the width of the lines, you know, the shapes of the squares. Uh, I feel like it's a metaphor of this city.
A: This, like the grid of the city right? (mimmicks grid with hands)
C: Yeah.
A: It's like, wow, that's really sick, man. I love that. Is there any like advice that you could give to people out there trying to find their own personal style?
C: Uh, take a risk. As like a New Yorker, like I'm from Flushing queens, and growing up it was a little more mild in flushing. Uh, you know, like I would dress to the nines and get on that bus, you know? And sometimes like you be getting some weird looks like before you make it into the city. Take a risk, you know, if that's you! You know what I mean?
A: You gotta live that truth. Live that truth. Own yourself. Hear it from Cal.
This is Beacons closet with Andre Molina and...
C: Cal.
A: Thank you so much.
interview by andré