Today as a part of Behind The Seams with A.K. RIKK’S series we’d like to introduce our very own Mens Visual Designer Tommy Young! He has been a part of our family for close to a year. You will find Tommy creating visual displays on Mens level 1 and 2 at A.K. RIKK’S. Tommy elaborates, "I have many cities on my architectural bucket list that I want to visit in my life, Sweden being one of them. Even if I haven't been to a place I admire, it doesn't mean it doesn't already have major influence on my designs." Get to know Tommy’s perspective, inspirations, and design style through a series of questions in our fifth Behind The Seams with A.K. RIKK’S interview. How would you describe your Visual Design Style? I’d like to think that my designs are not defined by a style. They are always changing depending on what I find interesting, or influential at the time. Bob Dylan once had a great response to a reporter that asked how he defined his music. He explained that other people have always defined his music. He has always just played music he liked. I think style is better defined by the way you think than how you choose to create. Where do you find inspiration from? Lately I've been big on conceptual art, so I've been finding a lot of inspiration through philosophy and theory. A few philosophers in particular that I've been diving thourgh are Peter Sloterdijk, and Alain de Botton. Both have been using architecture, design, and the human experience to explain their viewpoints. A lot of what I've been working on lately at A.K. RIKK’S has been driven by some sort of concept. What would you say is the future for Visual Design? I'd say the further we go into visual design for stores like A.K. RIKK’S, the closer we will be getting to art. While we as a clothing store continue to educate people in clothing, we also educate people in design as a byproduct. I think their interests in art will be heightened as we continue to put our stamp on our city. What is your favorite brand to create visual displays for at A.K. RIKK’S? Right now my favorite brand to work with is Baldwin. The story behind their brand is very similar to my personal experiences. It's a small brand that made it big while operating out of a small city. As a kid who always pushed to do big things in the small city I grew up in, the story of their brand strikes a cord with me. This makes it easy to tell their story here at A.K. RIKK’S without loosing any of my own personality. Next time you're in A.K. RIKK’S shopping make sure you say Hi to Tommy! We want to interview you and hear your story! If you would like to share your perspective on style or where you find inspiration please email hello@akrikks.com!