Inspiring Conversations with Kai Matsukuma of Sango

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kai Matsukuma

Hi Kai, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was in middle and high school, I was constantly roaming the streets with friends, playing basketball, exploring Los Angeles via the train, and going to parties. Having all of these experiences led me into the person I am today and very grateful for.

Both of my parents have inspired me, but my father Jerry Matsukuma has always been my biggest inspiration. His story is amazing. He grew up in Crenshaw, learned meditation, hitchhiked to Portland by himself, played football, and dropped out of UCLA after his first year to pursue his passion. He saved up his money to learn ceramics from a mentor in Japan. After coming back to Los Angeles after a few years in Japan, he made a living off of his art and owned a couple art studios. Once he gained popularity in the art community and Venice neighborhood, he was asked by the city to do art projects in some of the biggest Japanese neighborhoods in LA. My favorite piece of his is the big mural in the entrance of the Little Tokyo plaza in DTLA. But most importantly, he taught me to be street smart, caring, open minded, and a hard worker. He was never the stereotypical asian parent. He motivated me to chase my dreams and figure things out on my own, which was scary, but the best thing a parent can do. These lessons led me to figure out my own path in life.

After graduating college, I worked at multiple creative advertising agencies helping secure and manage campaigns for Google, YouTube, HBO, Netflix, Paramount Pictures, BMW, Jack in the Box, and various film/tv companies. As I’ve been involved in several campaigns, I realized the common denominator that really resonated with me was the art of storytelling.

So you may ask, how did streetwear come out of nowhere? Well it really didn’t. I’ve naturally been in love with streetwear since I was a child. I just didn’t know that it could be a career for me until recently. It actually started with my childhood dog named Stussy. And yes, he was named after the surf/skate brand. My dad and sister were into skateboarding and surfing. So yes, I wanted to be just like them so I learned how to skateboard and surf and was always repping Stussy, Vans, Etnies, Billabong, O’Neill, Quicksilver, Volcom, Rip Curl, and many others. Then as I grew older, I fell in love with basketball and pursued that passion full on. I was the kid who was dribbling around the city, playing on asphalt courts until night, buying the best basketball sneakers, running up my hill doing defensive slides, and dreaming every night to play in the NBA.

When you look into the history of streetwear – skateboarding, surfing, and basketball are all integral parts of the culture. Since I was always involved in those communities, I naturally cared about my outfits and wanted to look the most fly. Now as I matured, Sango (my clothing brand) has been my passion that I feel really strongly about. It’s something that I will always have and use as my creative outlet.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I wouldn’t say it was easy and I wouldn’t say it was hard. When I thought of the concept for my clothing brand, Sango I realized I had that same feeling as I did with basketball. I knew it was a special feeling I really needed to pay attention to. Then I just woke up the next day and said “I’m doing this.” Then the rest was history. I went out there, did research online, asked questions, and made it happen.

One thing that can get tough is staying tunnel vision and not letting other distractions get to you. Sometimes comparing yourself with others is an honest problem we all can have. It can get hard to stay faithful to our passions when we have dropped everything for it, not see financial returns immediately, and observe our peers jump up the corporate ladder. But remember, we are all on our own timelines and we need to stay faithful to it. As long as we stay persistent, have good energy, and never give up, it will all work out.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Once I decided to start a clothing brand and the concept of Sango, I knew it was something special. It just felt right. I finally found my truth.

We love designing our own garments under the brand collection however what we really love doing is our artist collections. In our artist collections we find artists that we genuinely connect with and tell their stories by writing an article, producing a documentary, designing garments together, and hosting an event to showcase everything we’ve created together. As our audience stays engaged with the artists’ stories, we hope to provide inspiration for them to find their truth.

As we work with artists to create our collections, it’s important to tell their story. We admire artists. They are the ones who help us see the bigger picture and give us inspiration to spread our message to the world and upcoming generations. When we seek our inspirations, we love to dive deeper and go below the surface.

I am trying to change the meaning of “collection.” In our collections, our main focus is the emerging artist that we find inspiring who has a great story to tell. Therefore, we write a short write-up and produce a documentary on the artist to understand their full story.

After understanding the artist, we collaboratively design clothing that best fits our brands and tells both of our journeys. We are looking for an audience that looks for inspiration, a purpose, and a story in their clothing.

Once I have finished doing the write up, documentary, and clothing, I host a pop up shop that showcases the artist’s work and everything we have created in our collection. I feel it’s very important to gather people to experience the art and create relationships with one another.

Sango clothing isn’t just a design, it’s layers of meaning. The next time you see someone wearing a Sango piece, ask them about it. Ask them for the story.

The most beautiful thing about this journey is being able to connect with the people I am meant to be connected with. I’ve created a lot of new friendships I am forever thankful for.

This brand is something that’s very special to me and I hope one day the brand becomes special to you. This is our journey to connect people that feel the way we feel.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I would love to shout out my girlfriend, Chrissy. She has been my biggest supporter of mine and I don’t know what I would do without her. Attending every single flea market of ours and helping out with customers/orders has been crucial in the brand’s survival. Also, whenever I’m feeling discouraged or hard on myself she’s always there to pick me right back up. So thank you my love for always supporting and loving me. You are an angel.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sangolosangeles.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sangolosangeles/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsl_KXEs4VEHo3iYac3ZU8A/featured