Buzznet Fashion Designers to Watch: Armen Atoyan of A-Squared

Buzznet is basically a breeding ground for the next Karl Lagerfelds and Vivienne Westwoods of the world. We have SO many talented fashion designers doing creative and amazing things, and this week we want to highlight some of them and their work through interviews and photos. Here are our Buzznet Designers to Watch…

Armen Atoyan is a riddle wrapped inside an enigma. The twenty-one year old Whittier native is a movie buff, a burgeoning on-air TV personality and host, and a total pop-culture aficionado, yet still has time to design a totally cool t-shirt line inspired by comic book characters he created himself. Overacheiver much?

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Buzznet: Describe your own personal style in 10 words or less.

Armen Atoyan: Casual cool, minimalistic, and unisex. Less is more, not really into color.

BN:What are some of your fashion must haves? What is something you can’t live without?

AA: First and foremost, I can not live with out my sunglasses, Ray Ban wafers to be exact. I literally have an extra pair in the car incase I forget them at home, but I have different styles as well, I collect sunglasses. I don’t think you can really put a whole look together with out sunglasses, they’re a must have. I also am obsessed with leather jackets, like sunglasses I collect leather jackets as well. They really are genius because you can wear them up or down and I’m not one to change more then once a day. All in all I think every guy needs to have at least one pair of sunglasses, a leather jacket, and a nice pair of dark jeans. With those three items whether it’s casual or dressed up, you can’t go wrong.

BN: Who are your favorite fashion icons?

AA: My favorite fashion icon is obviously Karl Lagerfeld, Mr. Black and White himself. I mean do I really need to say more… As far as everyday style though, I would have to say Zac Efron because he has that ‘Nylon Guys’ vibe, and I would actually wear what he wears; it’s casual cool. As for the ladies, Nicole Richie is god. I think every girl should get inspiration from her, she is perfect. I had the pleasure of meeting her once and what really makes her so great is her hilarious personality. What makes all three of these people my favorite fashion icons though is the way they all carry themselves in their clothes. Confidence can make or break an outfit.

BN: Describe your clothing line in 10 words or less.

AA: Minimal, fun, comfortable, unique, great energy.

BN: Where do you find your inspiration?

AA: My early inspiration actually came from comics (comic books). The two main characters in my line, Zinc and Zata, were originally drawn as a comic characters, one good one evil. That’s why I have such a deeply rooted story associated with my line, it was a comic book story first. I also get a lot of inspiration from pictures of galaxies and nebulas. Im obsessed with universe photos because they are just so amazing and organic. Some times I connect the dots (stars) and make pictures that I see in the photo, so it’s very inspiring. As for only using black and white which I know is ironic since I draw inspiration from such colorful universe pictures, but I draw that inspiration from my own personal style of what I would want to wear, which is black and white.

BN: Tell us about your all-time favorite piece you have created and why it’s your absolute favorite.

AA: My favorite piece is “Pump Full of Lead”. It’s my favorite because it has my two beloved characters Zinc and Zata essentially playing Russian roulette where the evil character Zata is about to win and pump Zinc full of lead. I also love that it’s v-neck, because v-necks are so comfortable and I really wanted to design something I would wear.

BN:What are your plans for the future? Upcoming projects? Collaborations?

AA: Right now I have no idea what the future holds for a-squared. It is my hobby and I just love sharing my designs with people, but I would love to collaborate with someone although I am not sure who haha. I do have an upcoming project however, I am working on a book that plays on a comic. The book will be a hybrid of the current photo shoot, unseen graphic images, and a deeper more continuous story with possible new characters.

BN: Where can we find (and buy!) your work?

AA: a2clothing.bigcartel.com. You can also check out the main website a2clothing.net where there is a very cool photo shoot spread that tells the story of Zinc and Zata which ties into the t-shirt designs and plays on the original comic book story.

A-SQUARED LINKS

a2clothing.nettwitter.com/ArmenAtoyanfacebook.com/a2clothingarmenatoyan.buzznet.com/user/

Other Buzznet Designers to Watch:

Jazmin Whitley of Li Cari

Audrey Kitching of Tokyolux and Coco de Coeur

Hanna Beth Merjos of Sober Is Sexy