Teki Latex: "You need to know the history of fashion before you really find your thing"

This is a Ralph Lauren Polo Sport jacket from their new collection. I played a show for the Ralph Lauren marketing team recently and in return got given some nice new Polo gear.

I’ve been into Polo since I was a teenager. I used to be a rapper in a group called TTC and it’s just hip hop clothing. People like Raekwon wear it and all the Lo-Life gang from New York. The first piece I bought was a red and black striped rugby shirt. I went into the Ralph Lauren store in Paris and it was really intimidating with all these old rich dudes who looked like they played golf. You had to dig for stuff that worked in a hip hop context.

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I first became obsessed with style around 30. I went to Japan to DJ and ended up meeting Sk8thing, who used to work at Bape and now runs Cav Empt, and Takeshi Osumi, aka Big-O, who runs Swagger and Pheonomenon. They introduced me to that whole Tokyo fashion world. You need to know the history of fashion before you really find your thing.

My shorts are from the latest Nike ACG collection. Errolson Hugh from Acronym has designed the ACG line for a while. He did a high-end technical version where nearly everything was black. I loved that but now they’ve gone back to retro versions of the early 90s stuff, which I love too. The designer from the 90s still worked at Nike and had a catalogue of original patterns that didn’t get used. These are from that.

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The bag’s Polo too. It’s a sample that never came out. I like these bags as, being a DJ, you can fit your headphones and USBs in and they finish an outfit nicely. I have a bunch of Polo ones, including a Snow Beach one, a few vintage Nike ACG versions and a Patagonia one that folds into another bag.

I’m into functional clothing inspired by mountaineering and hiking. People in hip hop are into these clothes from being on the streets, hustling or doing graffiti. You need clothes that are comfortable and beat the weather.

I only wear black t-shirts in XXXL, usually Fruit of the Loom. It’s a blank canvas to get creative with the rest of your outfit.

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Ghostface Killah’s my style icon. He wears the sickest outdoors shit with Clarks Wallabees and then another time he’ll come out in a bathrobe and a durag. He doesn’t give a fuck but makes it work.

These are Nike Air Terra Humaras, an old colourway re-released recently. I like that it’s summery. The Terra range is an offshoot of ACG and these are fresh but rugged and comfortable enough to walk in all day.

The Nike Air Mowabb, designed by Tinker Hatfield, is my all-time favourite shoe. Another shoe I’ve had my eye on recently is the Timberland Beef & Broccoli boot, a classic hip hop shoe.

Teki Latex plays Highsnobiety & WHP Presents at Manchester Mayfield DepotManchester Mayfield Depot on December 7

Sean Griffiths is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow him on Twitter

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