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THE INSEAM VOL 51: WORKING CLASS WARRIOR

Vancouver is home to a thriving fashion industry made up of individuals committed to its growth and success. Get to know these personalities in The Inseam and discover what makes the Vancouver Fashion scene so awesome.

Vancouver is home to a thriving fashion industry made up of individuals committed to its growth and success. Get to know these personalities in The Inseam and discover what makes the Vancouver Fashion scene so awesome.

All images courtesy of Working Class Warrior.

Born out of a tiny basement in East Van in 2010, Guangzhi Liu connects the lives of real people with artistry and craftsmanship through headwear. Appropriately named Working Class Warrior, the line is rooted in the struggle to fight for goals and dreams. Each piece is inspired by classic styles and is carefully designed down to the lining and label, which reads, “Respect every individual in the working force.”

With a down-to-earth attitude, Liu candidly expresses his own struggles to build WCW, his inspirations, and what he really thinks of “Raincouver.”

Valerie Tiu: How did it all get started?

Guangzhi Liu: After years of working for some not-so-fancy minimum wage jobs, I realized that I needed a change, and I could not just waste my life like that anymore. I was a hat fan since I was a teen - that’s how Working Class Warrior was born.

Here’s a fun fact: I was going to use the name "Working Class Hero," but thinking of that song from the Beatles, I didn't want to get into trouble with copyright infringement, so I've decided to use "warrior" instead. It turned out that "warrior" is more suitable for the company because "hero" sounds like you’ve already achieved or succeeded something, while "warrior" sounds more like you are in a fighting or struggling process towards some sort of goal. It also reflects my personal experience of starting this brand. There are lots of crazy stories, like being screwed by the factories, having my former web designer vanish with my down payment... and the list can go on and on. But looking back, WCW wouldn’t exist without all these hardships.

VT: You have this hands-on approach to your label, with "work to live" as your motto. Can you talk about this concept?

GL: Some people have great ideas, but they never put them into actions. WCW is neither the coolest nor the most creative company out there, but at least I’m doing it. I hope WCW could be an example to inspire others who have great ideas to get out there and do it because life is too short and you only live once! Succeed or not, you will learn something eventually. It doesn’t matter where you are from and what you do.

VT: You list things from music to tattoos to moods as your sources of inspiration. Can you describe this process, from inspiration to creation?

GL: These sources of inspiration are pretty much all my life experiences, feelings or random thoughts when starting the label. Because I didn’t have the professional background and training, everything was self-taught or self-experimented. I had to get involved in every single step of the making process, and there was a lot of frustration. But I learned a lot at the same time. When you see people rocking your stuff down the street or getting complements from emails - that feels good.

VT: Who wears Working Class Warrior?

GL: The real people, who are really living their lives to the fullest without regrets.

VT: How is Vancouver rooted in the culture and identity of the brand?

GL: Although WCW is in a fashion related business, I don’t really consider or position it as a fashion brand. A lot of my friends are so talented in their fields, [working as] musicians or artists. However, they still have their daytime jobs to pursue their dreams only because of that tiny piece of ridiculously over-priced property. Someone I know, he’s got like, six jobs but I can still see the smiles on his face all the time. These people totally earn my respect. WCW is not about celebrities. It’s all about real people in real life.

VT: What can we expect from Working Class Warrior in the future? Do you see the line expanding into other products?

GL: Honestly I’m not too sure how far WCW can go, but it will continue to work its way up step by step. It will remain focused on the headwear for now.

VT: When you're not busy working on your label, where do you like to spend your downtime in Vancouver?

GL: I still work full time as a delivery driver, and what’s cool about that is that it gives me so much time to come up with new ideas when driving. But other than that, you probably will spot me snapping live shows at the Cobalt, Biltmore Cabaret, Funky Winker Beans, Fortune Sound Club, and Media Club etc…. I also spend some time shredding on the mountains.

VT: What makes Vancouver so awesome?

GL: The beaches, the mountains, the creative minds, what more can you ask for? Still not a big fan of the rain though, but hey, it’s “Raincouver” - live with it, haha.

Check out Working Class Warrior here and shop WCW online.