1. What made you want to create a blog on this subculture?

I've been a sneakerhead pretty much ever since I got a pair of fire red AJIV's from my dad when I was in grade 5. So I've always been into kicks since then, but started getting a bit more serious as I reached my teen years and high school. The whole fashion/culture aspect evolved from there. I also started skating in grade 9 which also had a big impact on my life/lifestyle. About 2-3 years ago when blogs on sneakers and fashion started up I was stoked, 'cause I had been living in Hungary since 2000 and couldn't always keep up to date with all the latest sneakers and what not. A big contrast between Hungary and Toronto (where I'm originally from), is that the sneaker/street scene is almost non-existent here. Besides a few people I knew, there weren't many who were into sneakers, or who were into that scene. I figured there must be more peeps out there, or there has to be those who would definitely be interested in it if they knew that this subculture existed. So it took me until early 2006 to ask myself why shouldn't I start my own site in Hungarian to help bring the scene together here. Since I'm just as fluent in english, making the site bilingual wasn't really that much of an effort.

Yeah, I really didn't have too many expectations to have readers from all around the world. Like I said, I first started the site for Hungarians, but to be getting more hits now from abroad than from Hungary is pretty surprising. It's especially cool when certain brands write me telling me that they've been getting orders from around the world, and when they'd ask their customers how they heard about the brand, they almost always said my site. That stuff really surprises me. I would figure they'd find out of these brands from the three main blogs out there instead of mine.

3. While there would seemingly be disadvantages to being far from cities like New York, Tokyo, London et al., do you feel like being from Hungary gives you any type of advantage or that you offer a different perspective?

Since I'm located in Budapest instead of say NY, LA, Tokyo, etc... I'm kind of outside the bubble looking in which I think gives me an different/objective view/opinion, that perhaps those who are into the scene and are directly influenced by it might not have, or might see things differently. Since I don't really voice my opinion on mash, I guess this doesn't come across.

4. Do you have any ties to the industry other than being a contributor and commentator? Do you do MashKulture full time?

No, I have no other ties to the industry. I'm just a sneakerhead. Yes, I guess you could say that mash is a full-time job, but then you'd have to say I have two full-time jobs:) Just don't tell my boss:)

5. Your site has maintained a heavy focus on the release of sneakers and apparel, while similar sites have taken a more editorial approach, focusing on events, interviews and opinion pieces in recent times. Do you plan on keeping Mashkulture as it is currently or do you foresee a shift in direction in the future?

The reason I started up the Extra section on mash was for interviews and articles, while the main page would mainly be information on sneakers, fashion, interviews on other sites, magazines, exhibits, etc... Unfortunately, since I'm doing this pretty much on my own, its tough to pump out full-length interviews every few weeks. I try to keep my opinion to minimum and just show what's the latest out there. I would like to expand the Extra section, and get it regularly updated with interviews. I would also like to start up a section that would be more in-depth as to how I feel about certain trends, the scene, etc... However, I don't want to do what the next blog or site is doing just for the sake of copying them. I have some other plans with the site that no one is really doing yet, but I won't go into that now.

6. What do you feel is your prime contribution to this culture? Do you believe that it has evolved since you started?

I originally set out to show young Hungarians that this culture existed, and to provide them with a kind of catalogue as to what is part of that culture, and what's new. I still feel this is where I have the biggest impact since nowadays blogs come a dime a dozen, and a lot of them (mine included) cover a lot of the same news, but there are none in Hungarian besides mine. I really didn't make a conscious decision where I planned to do this or that, or to mold the culture or help dictate the trends. I just wanted to show Hungarians what was up. But it definitely has been evolving with a growing international following, the addition of Juicy (the girl section on mash), Radar (the blogs on mash), Luxus (coming soon), etc...

7. Are you still a fan of the material which you cover? How much of your content is driven by advertisement revenue?

Yes I'm still a fan, but it seems that on a global platform, the scale seems to have tipped onto the other side. A lot of people don't care about the culture, only about senseless consumption which have made me kind of jaded. I try not to pay attention, and the good part about Hungary is that you don't see mindless clones running around in the latest stuff they've seen on the blogs. I try to stay objective, and to post whatever I see that is part of the culture, regardless of whether I personally like it or not. Very little of my content is driven by advertising. I get some requests to post certain news on my site for a fee, but turn down quite a few since it doesn't really fit into what I'm doing. If I'm down with certain shops, brands and they ask me to post this or that, then I usually do, but it's never based striclty on income.

8. Which of the major brands or labels do you believe to be doing things best right now, especially with regards to the changing climate within the streetwear game?

I like brands that don't pay attention to what's cool or trendy now, and do their own stuff. I like Mishka, P.A.M., Tonite. As to who is changing the climate... perhaps the ones that are getting the mainstream coverage, the brands that are being worn by high profile rappers, etc... That would be the most obvious answer. They're bringing streetwear into a direction that is no longer what I consider streetwear. But I don't really feel they impact those who are truly part of the culture. It's always gone in cycles. There's always new, small, talented, upcoming independent brands that gain popularity at first because they are just that: small, talented, unknown. But when they're no longer small and upcoming, and you see the same tee 3-4 times on the street on your way to the store, you'll look for another small, talented, upcoming brand that few know about. I felt streetwear was always about individuality, not about looking like clones. I've always liked brands that never purposely catered to the streetwear crowd.

9. What brands do you see as being under the radar, and for which do you see a bright future?

There are a lot that have the potential to become the next big thing. As to which ones will follow through, I can't really say.

10. What is next for MashKulture.net?

Well, our provider just got raided by the cops yesterday and seized all their servers, so unfortunately, mash is now currently down. Our immediate goal is to get back up and running ASAP.(UPDATE - MashKulture is back up and running strong!)

Comments (1)

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written by anders, November 14, 2007

bummer the site is still down at mash...that is great site. first interview i have seen with him

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