If you live in St. Louis you have more than likely seen the logo. The three connected triangles on a shirt, hoodie, cap or jacket representing a triad, a group or set of three connected people or things by definition. That logo belongs to Mic Auston and his bubbling clothing line Dont Triad, which is becoming one of the most recognizable brands in the city. From partaking in the first ever pop up shop at Swedlife in the Delmar Loop and selling over 80 hats at a pop up shop at Vibes STL, Auston has constantly put his brand in the public eye at the major social events in St. Louis and in turn Dont Triad has become inescapable. From working at City Gear and Primesole to now cultivating his own brand I sat down with Auston to talk about how his clothing line has taken off, his inspirations, and his place in St. Louis’ ever growing talent landscape.
Explain where your sense of fashion has come from? When did you start to carve out your own style?
I would say my original thing was designing shoes. In about fourth grade I would draw forces all the time. I would stay getting in trouble for that shit, but they would be for certain teams and players and rappers. I also used to mimic what my brother did until like middle school and that’s when I got into sneakers and shit. But I really got into fashion because of Pharrell, he was the first person I wanted to dress like. And Allen Iverson.
What role do sneakers play in your designs?
I feel like when I’m designing shit I always have a colorway of a classic shoe in my head, or something that hasn’t been released in a minute. I used to get the most inspiration from sneakers that came out from 2001 through 2007, that’s when the most iconic color ways used to come about in my opinion. I always keep a shoe in mind that I would want to match with the clothing, or my new design might make me want to go find that sneaker to match it.
Did you always see clothing in your future?
The first piece of clothing I designed was in like sixth grade. I would tape something on a t-shirt like “dope boy fresh” and splatter paint on it then peel it off. That was some of the first shit I was designing. Then I started destroying LRG Jeans for people for like five and ten dollars. What’s crazy now is how Fear of God does like the zipper on the jeans and snipped the inside of the jeans, I used to snip the inside of mine to help fit better with my shoes. Back then people had baggy jeans hanging over their shoes but I snipped mine to help them lay on top of my sneakers. Just shit like that. Just went through my phases, eventually I quit for minute and was just paining shoes. I would paint my white forces when they weren’t fresh anymore and wear them to school like that. This was like seventh grade. Then moving on to J’s, the first pair I bought with my own money was the Bred 12’s and from there I just got back into designing.
Where did Dont Triad come from? Can you explain the name and meaning?
It’s the same as “Don’t Try It”, I just wanted to make it my own way and add my twist to it. The original brand was Hello Tomorrow but I wasn’t seeing any growth in that. People told me not to change the brand but eventually I decided to switch it to Dont Triad, using the triad structure, which is my main motivation. It’s like structure of life, how certain people should carry themselves and their people. You look at Supreme box logo tees, Bape hoodies, or a Thrasher shirt that have been lingering and are iconic. That’s what I want the Triad logo to be like, it’s attractive and the more that you see it it gets more attractive. You almost want it be so monumental to the point that somebody would tattoo it, I want it to that extreme. I want it to have like a cult following, have people following that code.
Who or what are your inspirations when designing a new clothing piece?
It’s still Pharrell, because I feel like dude the GOAT. A lot of people feel like Kanye the flyest dude of all time but nobody is touching Pharrell. He never stuck to one look and can give you multiple looks so the further I get into developing my brand that’s what inspires me, versatility. I look at a lot of runway fashion and pick off different asthetics a little bit and bring it to like a street wear aspect. Almost like designer street wear, I still want people to feel comfortable. Eventually you’re going to have a Dont Triad hoodie, shirt, jacket until they all blending into a bunch of different pieces.
Dsquared is also one of my favorite brands, I always feel like they are way ahead of time. I used to get a lot of inspiration from Nigo and Bape because he was always about the actual quality of the garment and not just the way it looks, but how it feels. But not too much inspires me much these days besides my daughter, Nova she is my creative director. Also my homie D-Dub was one of my influences before he passed away. He was the freshest cat in my neighborhood and took care of everybody.
What was the first piece you designed and sold that let you know you had something with Dont Triad?
The first thing I designed was just a basic long sleeve t-shirt, black canvas because it is a universal color. It was a sample but it was received really well but when I designed my logo it made the brand really attractive and people flocked to it. And that’s what made it really attractive to people.
How would you describe Dont Triad’s growth to this point?
The growth is constant and it’s spreading to different cities. I have been getting a lot of compliments and inquiries from boutiques just off of the logo alone. Investors are becoming more willing to get involved and have contacted me but right now I’m just going to keep getting it out of the mud. You can’t knock respect and that’s all I want is respect, growth and to eventually provide opportunities for the youth and give back.
St. Louis is bubbling right now with music and fashion, where do you feel Don’t Triad stands in the middle of this renaissance in St. Louis?
I feel like honestly I am in my own bubble. I would rather be outcast than blended in and potentially swallowed up. I always want to feel like I am me and they are them. It’s not like I have a problem working with niggas or something, I just feel like where I’m taking it to I have to chase that goal of where I want to be and the second I get caught up with what somebody else is doing it will hold me back. I have to keep on chasing because I don’t feel like nobody is taking it where I’m taking it. You see it every release, the quality keeps getting better every time I drop something.
If you can get one public figure or celebrity to wear Don’t Triad who would it be and why?
I would want Pusha T to wear the brand. That’s just from the aspect of him always wearing the next shit way before niggas pay any attention to it. I really feel like he did Gucci sneakers with the animals on them over 10 years ago. His sense of style is ideal, like when he puts something on niggas flock to it, it’s just a matter of when. He’s a hustler and that’s what the people look up to, he embodies high fashion and the hipsters but also the street cats. He introduced YSL and Maison Margiela to the hood.
What is next for you and the brand?
Just staying consistent with releases. Get in these evnts coming up, networking events. Getting real exposure and eventually that celebrity star power will get behind it. People will start surfing the wave and out of nowhere it’s just going to flood. It’s a decent wave going on but it’s going to be a hurricane soon, mark my words. I feel like nobody has shook the game and taken it by storm in over a decade, it’s overdue.
You can follow Mic Auston on Twitter @Mic_Auston and Instagram @micauston and purchase clothing at donttriad.com.
Kameron Hay 