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Love Magazine/Ad Archives: Interview with Kevin Hatt of Stussy

By KH

August 15^th, 2017

We get the brains behind Ad Archives – a digital timeline of bygone eras visualised with vintage advertising - to quiz photographer Kevin Hatt. He was behind the campaigns of cult brand Stussy in its early years throughout the ultimate throwback decade from January 1994 – 97. Halima Olalemi (aka Ad Archives) probes Hatt on his time at Stussy and some previously unpublished Stussy moments.

Love Magazine/Ad Archives: Interview with Kevin Hatt of Stussy

Hi Kevin, tell me a little bit about yourself and what it is you do.

I photograph People, Place and Things.

My background is fashion and portraits but I am always yearning to satisfy my artistic impulses photographing the world around me. I love taking photographs and I love looking at photographs. In the early 90’s I published a photo zine called Kit & Caboodle. It was a pocket photo book with personal unpublished photographs of fellow photographers I had met or were referred to me. There was all this personal photography happening by photographers trying to make it as commercial photographers and I wanted people to see that great work that was sitting in piles of contact sheets never getting printed. It was very exciting having people review their work they had shot for themselves without the purpose of using it to get work. There are still some copies around, the Untitled book store in NY sells them. We published work by Terry Richarson, Mario Sorrenti and many other really talented photographers that had never been seen before. It made a big impression, then the internet happened.

Can you talk to me more about this campaign and your creative vision behind it? Who was the art director at the time and did this contribute to the way the campaign came about?

Well I did a number of campaigns for Stussy with Art Director/Creative Director Paul Mittleman. Paul and I worked quite closely on all the campaigns with a lot of freedom. The first campaign was shot in NY on location. I had shown Paul some of my recent work and he liked the gritty street style photographs I was getting with my rangefinder camera, it was a very voyeuristic and spontaneous approach. It took a lot of confidence on Paul’s part since everything was happening in the viewfinder and on film. Situations were set up but then we just went with what was happening with our subjects, who were mostly skaters. I don’t think anyone theses days would ever be able to work this way. It was photography and its most basic, take a picture, develop it the next day and see what you got ! The next couple shoots were in LA on location. We used skaters again but we ended up using some models too. Stussy was trying to go more commercial, which in the end they realized was not them. We did some good work but sometimes it felt a bit forced with the models. The next shoot was done in NY in the studio. Paul and I discussed ideas and finally came up using backlit movie film backgrounds.

It was a completely different approach from the past but really we did a very similar approach in the studio by bringing the outside into the studio, literally. Before green screen technique the film industry used very large photographic backgrounds that needed to be lit from behind. They were shipped from LA to NY for the shoot. There was a whole catalog of street scenes, store fronts, neighborhoods. They were so beautiful ! They must have been 12 ft X 30 ft. Most people couldn’t tell the photos were done in the studio. The last shoot was also done in NY in the studio and we just wanted mix it up and bit with colored backgrounds and this time, wallpaper nature scenes. That series was probably the most successful for Stussy but creatively it wasn’t the strongest shoot but it appealed to many. It was a good run shooting for Stussy and a fun collaboration with Paul Mittleman. I have fond memories of those shoots.

Have you worked with Shawn Stussy since hes left the brand?

No I haven’t. Shawn was just phasing out his involvement at Stussy when I started shooting for them. I met him once before the first shoot very cool guy.

What is your connection now with ‘The International Stüssy Tribe’ ?

I’m not connected besides being a fan.

What’s your take on these new brands that are popping up in the skate/sportswear scene these days and how do you feel Stussy still stands out in the sea of brands?

I don’t really pay much attention to the market. My studio is by the Supreme store in NY, I see the big lines to get a chance to buy the new arrivals. It seems to have aquired a bit of a cult like status. I hear that Stussy is making a comeback and is cool again. I’m not sure if that because its old school or if they are doing something different.