A MOMENT OF REFLECTION:
BOYY
At home with co-founders and design duo
Jesse Dorsey and Wannasiri Kongman
Words by Bridget Barnett
You can’t miss a BOYY piece. Known for their signature statement-making buckle, the brand’s bold designs have been a street style mainstay for years. The creative brains behind it, Jesse Dorsey and Wannasiri Kongman, are, like most of us, navigating a new normal. Here, on behalf of the duo, Jesse reflects on the past and shares where they’re at today.
Where are you while writing the answers to these questions?
“We’re in Montreal, Canada.”
What does your daily routine look like at the moment?
“It’s basically a daily cycle of rotating work and family time with our son. To help with the business – since we deal with three time zones daily – we split up sleep times. Wannasiri stays up late communicating with our Asian headquarters, while I wake up early to communicate with our European headquarters and team in New York City.”
What does your WFH uniform look like?
“We’re in an unusual pinch. We had travel plans to come to Montreal for a 10-day trip to visit my family before COVID-19 became what it is today. As the situation progressed rapidly, it has now turned into a 5-week trip and counting – this means our WFH outfits have been made easy since we’re living out of our suitcases. Basically, for me it’s a rotation of three old Celine oversized turtleneck sweaters, two pairs of Levi’s jeans and a pair of Larusmiani wool slacks. Nice and simple.”
What’s the last thing you cooked?
“Funny you ask. I don’t cook often but just recently did a rack of lamb, string beans and sautéed spinach.”
How do you take a moment for yourself?
“Fortunately, the apartment we’re renting has extra bedrooms, so when things are settled (meaning our son) I can sneak off into another room for some alone time.”
What is your proudest achievement to date, work-related or otherwise?
“When looking back, I’d say the company itself, as it was literally built from zero. We were “starving artists” in NYC when we conceived the brand. I had just received a small paycheck for an indie film soundtrack I composed and produced, and starting with that, we built it to where it is today without a single dollar of outside investment or intervention.”
What is your favourite design you have ever created?
“It’s a tie between our SLASH bag, designed in 2008, and the KARL bag, designed in 2014.”
What is your favourite design from this season?
“I’m loving where our new TAKE AWAY collection is going, and within that collection, I’d say the WONTON 20 bag and our deep aqua colour press all my buttons.”
What is the best advice you have ever been given?
“Only the paranoid survive.”
What is the most interesting thing you have seen or read all week?
“I have a large family here in Montreal, and we did some Zoom video dinners together – that was quite a sight!”
Which next season trends are you most excited to try for yourself?
“BIG BAGS!”
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
“Where I see myself is hard to say. We just recently made a big life change by moving from Bangkok to Milan, so I’m still absorbing what all that means and what it will add up to. For the brand, we hope to continue our steady direction and expansion which would include the continual opening of retail stores in select cities worldwide. We’re super passionate about our retail spaces, and we’re both extremely hands-on in these processes, from spatial design and architecture down to the loose furniture. It’s a creative outlet I’m extremely interested in.”