“People think Goodwills in New York or L.A. are amazing? No, you have to go to these small ass cities and towns,” says multidisciplinary artist Deon Hinton, with a note of comic reproval in his voice. “People don't know this, but thrifting in Arkansas is a gold mine.” As a high school student, the smalltown native was scraping together bargain-bin finds because that was all he could afford, piecing items together to emulate the designers and brands he could only read about. Today, those brands are flying him across the globe to work on campaigns—both in front of and behind the camera. And their covetable products now hang next to treasured vintage finds in his tightly edited closet.
“I do a closet purge just about every three months,” he notes. The result of which is a capsule wardrobe of sorts, explains the pseudo-uniform dresser. Hinton is most comfortable in a white t-shirt (his favorite is Acne Studios), a pair of trousers, and a trench coat—and he’s not afraid to layer. “I have a problem by the way,” he says, referring to the latter garment. “I think I have enough [trench coats], but then I see one that's slightly different from the ones that I have at home,” he trails off. Hinton’s collection ranges from Lemaire to a Bushwick consignment find. “I will never forget the day that I walked out of there paying $15 for this coat that looks like Prada,” he muses. In addition to those sturdy sartorial tentpoles, his perfectly manicured wardrobe also houses knitwear, leather, and lots of tailoring–a tribute to the minimalism of the ‘90s. The one thing it lacks? Color (well, for the most part).
His first priority is to complement his skin tone. After that, it’s about mood. Neutrals dominate, but you’ll find desaturated blues, yellows, and greens peppered throughout. Oh, and a growing section of navy. “Y'all, I'm getting into navy,” Hinton laughs. In terms of designers, there are a few that make the multiphyphenate’s heart flutter: Peter Do, Christophe Lemaire—“the twisted shirts, they're so beautiful”—Thom Browne, and, of course, The Row, all of whom exalt meticulous attention to detail above all else. “I have a deep appreciation for anything that's going to stand the test of time,” he notes.
That’s not to say Hinton’s afraid to (sparingly) indulge in the occasional trend. “I think trends are fun, but I think what's so fun about trends is how people take them and make them unique and make them their own,” he says. The key to doing so is a well cultivated sense of style, which the photo and art director has managed to do despite embracing the visual identities of many projects for work. “I know where my home is when it comes to dressing,” and it’s nestled at the intersection of masculinity and femininity.
“Oh my God. I thought you'd never ask,” he laughs when I bring up his rather impressive handbag collection. There’s Chanel. There’s Prada. There’s Hermès. The gang’s all there. “I've loved bags since I was getting into fashion in the sixth grade,” he says. “Being from the south, kids were looking at me like I was insane.” He scoffs at the absurdity of the alternative: carrying your wallet, phone, and keys in one single wimpy pocket. Not just a practical item, a handbag makes him feel great and they complete a look—what’s not to like?
That gender neutrality extends from Hinton’s closet to the rest of his home (he lives in a studio in Brooklyn, so it’s not a far leap). Odd shapes and great design take precedence, alongside a reverence for sparsity—it’s just as much about what’s not there as what is. That same sense of style lends itself to his curated social media channels, as well. Scroll through the content creator’s instagram and you’ll see that it is always immaculate, whether it’s depicting his global travels, his home, or the real world application of the treasures housed in his closet. “I have this thing where my space has to look a certain way at all times, and if not, I feel like I'm losing my mind,” he explains. “The closet I think is one of the easiest to keep in order, for sure.”
“These days, I do, for sure, [have a uniform]. It's most definitely going to be a really nice white tee tucked into some form of a trouser with a belt and more than likely a trench coat. Trench coats, for sure. I have a problem by the way. You would think I have enough. But then I see one and it's slightly different from the one that I have at home. Actually the very top, top one is another trench coat that I got in Bushwick—one of the most insane purchases that I think I've ever found. And I will never forget the day that I walked out of there paying $15 for this coat that looks like Prada.”
“My closet does get a little bit shuffled as we live everyday life but, for the most part, it looks like this. I like to only keep the things that I know that I'm happy with. I do a closet purge just about every three months of pieces that I feel are no longer serving me. I've rebuilt my capsule wardrobe this past purge, which I'm really excited about.”
“My earliest obsessions would most definitely have to be nineties fashion. There was something within me that really loved a polo tucked into a khaki or a pant. And actually, my first love within fashion was Ralph Lauren. I loved Ralph Lauren. It was just the staple polo tees. I went through a preppy era, I went through an emo era, I went through a confused era. There's quite a few different pivotal moments within fashion for me. But I leaned so much towards the nineties. I used to wear suspenders and nerd glasses. I think we all had that one thing, you know what I mean?”
“I have this thing where my space has to look a certain way at all times, and if not, I feel like I'm losing my mind.”
“I love Thom [Browne]. There's something about his tailoring that I find really, really beautiful. That blazer was my first time ever getting something custom-made, getting something tailored to me. There's always a deep love for Thom because I think you know you're getting something that you'll have for the rest of your life. It's a really versatile piece. All of the pieces that I have from Thom I adore and I wear them as much as I can. I don't think you need a special occasion to wear Thom. I think he would want you to wear his pieces as he would on a daily basis.”
“I am blessed to work with these brands and receive gifts and things that my younger self could not even imagine. I'm opening these boxes and I'm losing my mind. But you build a different appreciation for clothing and pieces. I think now, I have an appreciation for having a connection with the piece. How does it make me feel when I wear it? Do I feel good? Do I feel stiff? Do I feel like I can move? Do I feel like myself? And if it can check off all those boxes, then it can make its way into my closet.”
“The watch that I'm wearing is a TAG Heuer Carrera. I absolutely love TAG. I think they do a really beautiful job of making a 36-millimeter dial for everyday use. I don't like a watch that's too big. Most men's watches are these massive conglomerate pieces on your wrist. I love watches. I think jewelry in general is beautiful, but there's something about a watch.”
“I think [getting dressed as a kid] was more so a test of my perception of myself and how I'm going to continue to navigate this space on my own, and not necessarily feeling like I have to conform. Because there was definitely a point where I felt like I had to conform to what the kids around me were wearing. But the thing is, I couldn't afford the clothes that the kids around me were wearing so I had to make do with what I had. And then eventually I realized that I wasn't identifying with my taste, I was identifying with what allowed me to fit in. And I'm happy that I found strength in moving away from that.”
“The things that I'm presented with, the opportunities that I'm blessed with, they are greater and more grand every single year. It's really beautiful to see how that can grow from a dream to a full reality. It's also really humbling as well, because again, I don't come from a background in fashion. My family does not come from a background in fashion. It’s been me believing in myself enough, having enough delusion to be like, ‘You know what, maybe I could do this.’ And allowing that delusion to guide me in a really beautiful way. There’s no manual on how to do any of this. It's all instinct. I have to realize that I'm happy doing what I'm doing, but I'm doing what I'm doing for a reason. And it's not a coincidence that things have panned out this way.”
“I've loved bags since I was getting into fashion in the sixth grade. Kids were looking at me like I was insane. Because being from the south, what are you doing carrying a bag? Also I have to put things in here. I'm not putting everything in my pocket, I'm sorry. Phone, wallet, keys, all going in your pocket, you sound mad. I think handbags can really draw a look together. I'm not shy of browsing the bag section at all. If anything, it's the first section that I'm going to.”
“I’m [drawn to] anything with longevity. And it took me a while to get out of this cycle of, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so cute, I'm just going to buy it,’ and understanding, are you going to have this forever? It doesn't even have to be a forever piece, but are you going to have it for a while?”
“For my everyday jewelry rotation, the earrings are Mejuri 99% of the time. I think they do an amazing job of cultivating really beautiful collections when it comes to unique pieces of quality. My rings are either Margiela or Her Children. I have a silver ring with the citrine gem inside of it from Jack who's the owner of Her Children. To have seen his brand go from an idea to an actual entity is so, so beautiful. I love supporting him.”
“I think color is beautiful and I think that there is such a beautiful story to be told with a lot of different shades, hues, and colors. For me, the biggest thing is looking for what I feel compliments my skin tone the best. And again, how I'm feeling. Right now, I lean a lot more towards neutrals and muted [hues], but I think there's still beautiful elements within that as well, because it could be a unique muted version of a blue. Oh, and I'm getting into navy, y'all. I'm getting into navy.”
Blazer: Thom Browne
“I like anything with a silhouette that tinkers on the border of masculine and feminine.”
“I think Peter Do does a really beautiful, beautiful job when it comes to the tinkering between masculine and feminine silhouettes with a timeless approach. I think Christophe Lemaire does a great job of that, as well. Those are my two top designers right now. Also, The Row. I think I have a deep appreciation for anything elevated or anything that's going to stand the test of time. All three are really beautiful examples of that.”
“To go from thrifting all of my wardrobe to now being able to work with brands that I've dreamed of my whole life—words can't even describe it, honestly. There's a sense of gratitude. There's a sense of awareness and growth. There's a sense of an abundance, of joy. But even after getting into fashion, I would say 75-80% of my wardrobe is secondhand. I still believe in finding uniqueness in that way. I also think it's really beautiful and sustainable to a degree to purchase secondhand when I can.”
“Most worn thing in my closet would definitely be a t-shirt from Acne Studios. It's the perfect tee.”
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