VENUS VS. MARS: PUBLISH BRAND

It’s been said that men are from Mars and women are from Venus. The idiom has inspired and provoked the human condition for centuries. Holy Carter aka Jay-Z even wrote a song about it. We at LA CANVAS chose to entertain this dichotomy by pairing two emerging LA-based stylists and icons growing in fashion scene against each other.  The street-chic sensibility and fireball energy of Ann Marie Hoang paired with the artistic, grunge-prep, lady-killer vibes of Justin Barco makes for a perfect match-up. In honor of PUBLISH BRAND‘s 2013 release, we pulled in the Jogger Pants and some of our favorites.

LAC: First question is where did you get your start?

Ann Marie: My Uncle, Hau Nguyen, owner of Duc Duc Salon in Torrance taught me good work ethic. My hustle was recognized by Aban Sonia, Boss lady at Art.

Justin Barco : I started off modeling, and my style caught on to people so I just made the best of what I could and the things I knew and started developing my own brand/career from there.

LAC: Both of you guys like to flirt with androgyny in your personal style. Explain why. 

JB: In my case as a male I feel that  one should be a balance between both masculinity and femininity and I mean that with out a sexual connotation but to understand our type of being and taste of culture. I look for art in all elements so to me it’s show casing pieces I’ve collected through time.

AM: I flirt with everything fashion related. I don’t discriminate, but I like the dichotomy of mixing feminine and masculine pieces together. That’s the luxury of being a lady, we can pull off anything.

LAC: So, Ann Marie, why wardrobe styling?

AM: Style can change your entire mood. It can make you feel like a badass, or sexy, or whimsical, etc. I like to translate these feelings to my audience. Aside from editorial work, I chose to style individuals because I believe that everyone has style. I like to maximize the potential inner-badass in each individual that I work with. I love to see my clients discover who they really are stylistically. It is the most rewarding part of what I do.