interview By Caroline Garell

photos by zara nneka

On the day of the 5.5 Cover shoot and Main Fashion story, I had the opportunity to interview my close friend Asika A. Anne, the face of the story. We delved into his personal project, Gas Archive, and his journey as a young creative expat in Paris. I met Asika in a very unique yet authentic way, as you'll discover later in the interview, leading to the blossoming of a friendship and collaborative efforts as young creatives in the vibrant Parisian scene. Gas Archive stands as a thoughtfully curated assortment of archival fashion pieces from renowned brands, offered for sale or rental through periodic drops.

Would you introduce yourself to our readers?

Asika A. Anne, 24, native New Yorker from West Africa by way of Texas, living in Paris since 2017.

Describe your personal style in 3 words.

Smartcore Tony Sirico.

We have a kinda cool story of how we met - what’s your version of it?

We met at a drop party/underground rave in a tunnel above the Seine. That was the second drop of gas.archive. Basically, my partner Sarah and I coordinated the drop with this sick techno collective who put on a show while we exposed our clothing. These guys were pros. I'm talking free french fry and crêpe operation bussing at three in the morning, 30 feet above ground. Anyways, Sarah and I invited our friends, and they invited theirs. It was lit. You came through thanks to our girl Margaret. We bonded immediately over our love of fashion, started scheming, you got the Vogue job, I kept selling clothes, we stayed scheming and the rest is history.

What is your elevator pitch for Gas Archive?

Refined vestimentary solutions for modern living: I call it “smartcore.” Superlative design; nothing impractical, everything exquisite.

What is your strategy in sourcing your pieces - you don’t have to give away your secrets but maybe a little insight.

I look for pieces that belong in a capsule wardrobe. That could be mine, or that could be yours. That's how the whole thing started really, a few years back. I had clothes that were too nice to give away, and it was time to downsize my collection. This ended up being an incredible excuse to bring my fashion-minded friends together around something abstract that we made real. I was afraid it might be a solitary venture, but instead stumbled into a beautiful social experiment.

Where do you see Gas Archive headed?

Specializing in vintage Hermès.

As you’ve lived in Paris for a good amount of years, do you find yourself constantly inspired and supported? Basically, in your experience, is Paris a good city to be a young creative?

Look, I've lived here six years. The cultural scene is saturated. But not oversaturated. The city’s compactness allows us to coexist in the same spaces. I love the serendipity of the encounters here. It's a beautiful thing. Paris is one big ecosystem of symbiotic ideas and multi-hyphenated individuals. I've got friends in very different scenes, yet no one is ever more than a degree or two away from someone totally random. We're all connected here. It's very zeitgeisty. It's very human. Paris is a city for people.

What are your creative aspirations for the future - career wise/personal projects/hobbies, etc?

Learn a dozen languages. Build a successful business. Die in Naples. Kickflip, finally.

What is your advice to young creatives wanting to launch their own venture today?

Put yourself in a position to stumble into opportunities. Making your own luck requires hard work.

Find Gas Archive on Instagram at @gas.archive