DS
IS HUGE
BY JARRETT HALEY
THE
CREW The Hundreds staff circa 2015 outside their L . A . HQ . Bobby Kim ’ 00 ( far left , 2 nd from top ) began the streetwear brand with
Ben Shenassafar ( 1 st row , 3 rd from right
).
This was the kid who came to UC San Diego , eager to get involved in everything that wasn ’ t a suburban strip mall . He DJ ’ ed at KSDT student radio station , made zines , took photos , put shows together at the Che Café , and was even elected as Associated Students ’ communications commissioner . “ I think I ’ m just genuinely a very curious person ,” he says . “ Even now , I ’ ll do deep dives , getting very passionate about very specific things . So back then I would find something , especially if it was related to social justice or a
particular cause , and I ’ d just dive in .
“ I was also kind of a social butterfly ,” he continues . “ I must have hit every college in one way or another , starting off at Revelle but living with overflow Roosevelt students in Argo , transferring to Marshall but living in Warren , and my girlfriend at the time was in Muir . I was in a lot of social circles — just that kind of loud , wild guy on campus with the different hair color every week .”
Academically , he was just as outgoing , initially shooting for a triple major before settling into communications , with minors in psychology , theater , and computing in the arts . But the watershed moment came when a TA , Katynka Martinez , PhD ’ 03 , referred him to an internship at Warp ( later Stance ) magazine , which was focused on boardsports , music , art , and the 1990s alternative era in general . One of his early mentors , Kevin Immamura , charged him with the magazine ’ s fashion reviews , turning him onto the many underground brands starting up around the world — each with different aesthetics , personalities , and attitudes .
TRITONMAG . COM 27