‘LES Shut Down.’

Street Dreams Magazine – Issue 003 Retrospective

On September 25, 2014, Street Dreams Magazine descended upon New York to release the third edition of it’s print publication, with a gallery event at Jeff Staple’s iconic Lower East Side retail location Reed Space.

In the moments before the event, a line up of 400+ people formed across multiple blocks flooding the LES streets. This massive influx of activity caught the attention of the NYPD and within 15 minutes of the doors opening, the event was shut down due to overcapacity.

In Reed Space’s storied history, there were only two occasions that forced the shop to shut down. Once during the release of the legendary Nike Pigeon Dunks. Second, the launch of Street Dreams Magazine Issue 003.

A few weeks later, The Hundreds released a profile titled “A reminder: Interview with the founders of Street Dreams Magazine.”

The following is an excerpt from the original article published on October 9, 2014. Written by Nate Garcia, with photographs by Sean Dougherty.

My mother once sat me up on our dinner table and confessed that we wouldn’t live forever. I had to be 8 or 9 years old, because at that age, mortality was unheard of. She held me for several hours until I could enjoy my dessert. All I remember thinking then was that we had little to no time to love, play, and make something of ourselves. I wanted to make her proud. I wanted to make my father proud. I sort of thought I was invincible.

In an industry of artists, and a place that thrives off of creativity, there’s a difference between being childish and being a kid. As kids, there’s beauty in learning and growing. We are always finding the right tools to write our own history, and make ourselves and everyone in our environment happy. Because of this, I would describe Street Dreams Magazine as ‘youthful.’ As hippie as I sound, we forget what a lot of things mean to us. We can be living examples of being able to achieve anything, and be something more than human. Street Dreams is that reminder.

On Thursday, September 25, 2014, there were over 500 people in attendance (including some from different parts of the world) at Reed Space for the release of Issue 003. After the shut down, the founders of the magazine knew that this was something significant. I had the pleasure of having a conversation with founders Steven Irby, Eric Veloso, and Michael Cobarrubia, and it was absolutely a lituation.

Street Dreams to me sounds like youth, and staying under. What is at the root of Street Dreams?

ERIC VELOSO: Street Dreams is about getting up everyday and putting your foot to the pavement. No matter whether you’re rich or poor, we all walk the same streets and we all dream. This platform is multi-faceted in so many ways, that we truly believe that we haven’t even scratched the surface in terms of the potential of this project. The magazine is literally the tip of the iceberg and we have huge plans for the future of our brand.

How involved is your family in the process?


MICHAEL COBARRUBIA: Family is a huge part of it. I design Street Dreams along side my nephew Rae Fernandez. We work together to make each issue something special on a design level and we’re both obsessed with the process. Being able to bring this to life with someone who I regard as a brother is one of the greatest feelings ever.

You have the support of people who know what it feels like to have longevity. I want to know the story of how SD and Jeff Staple/Reed Space came together?

STEVEN IRBY: I’ve been shopping at Reed Space for years, since around ’05-’06 and we were always well aware of Jeff, Staple Design and how important it was to our culture. So when Eric, Mike, and myself finished the first issue and when talked about where we could potentially sell Street Dreams, the first place we thought of was Reed Space. I ended up attending the Agenda trade show this past summer and had a chance to meet Jeff Staple and Anna Sian in person. During our brief chat, I asked Anna if they would be down to collaborate as guest editors for Issue 003 and the rest was history. This was a dream come true.


Interview by Nate Garcia
Photos by Sean Dougherty

original article on THE HUNDREDS

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