Peter Simmonds’ vision started young. In his grandmother’s house, a box of mismatched Lego bricks, and no instructions.

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A blank canvas that shaped everything he does today, eventually leading to the creation of the Peter Simmonds brand of up-cycled wearables.

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On a personal note, the convo started with Peter 4 yrs ago. His up-cycled trapper hat (001 Trapper) was my introduction into his CCTV world of aesthetics.

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Made from repurposed military parachutes and lined with vintage bandanas. It’s a post-apocalyptic art piece that be worn for any occasion. Sounds absurd, right?

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At the same time, it’s also the kind of statement piece that makes you feel strangely grounded, like being a kid again. Skully flat caps are back!!

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Kyle Mckenzie (KM): I got my Trapper back in 2021, been rocking it ever since!

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Peter Simmonds (PS): Yeah, I love it, man. I don’t even have one of those anymore. I sold them all. Now I'm being, like, very vigilant on keeping one of each thing because, when I first started, I just always sold everything. I’ve got nothing from back in the day.

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KM: Everything is 1-of-1, yeah?

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PS: Yeah, they actually are. 

The bandanas are unique. I just got like a big bundle of vintage bandanas they all have unique patterns on the inside.

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KM: The trapper makes me feel safe. It makes me feel like I'm creating like a kid again.

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PS: Yeah. Right. it's like when you see those flat caps, like a little kid. The beanies with the ear flaps and stuff.

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"I'm trying to find something that pushes the wearer out of their comfort zone"

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KM: Did you dress up a lot as a kid? As any figures or superheroes?

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PS: Yeah, I was into Power Rangers a lot. I used to be the Red Power Ranger ^[01]. and Batman ^[02]. I love Batman.

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KM: After Nolan made that Dark Knight. I dressed up as the Joker for three-years straight. And Ledger's rendition of the Joker is, by far the best imo.

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PS: Man, when those films came out, it changed my life. I get. Oh, man. Yeah, it's so good. That's a shame he passed.

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KM: What are some of your influences creatively? Music, movies, TV, etc.?

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PS: I'd say movies are probably my big thing. I love Akira  ^[03]. It’s one of my favorite films. It's a bit of everyone's favorite film, but it had a proper effect on me when I first watched it. I just remember my older brother had a copy of it, and seeing the DVD cover of the explosion, had such a visceral feel to it.I don’t think it has ever been captured again as well, just because I think the anime works so well for sci fi. I know they're trying to do a live action recreation of it now, and I don't think it'll be the same because, you can't recreate that with live action – it won't look right. 

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KM: Curious to get your thoughts on this. But I believe the trend to re-create movies is hyped up right now [...]

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PS: It's just such a lack of creativity in the film industry at the moment. Obviously there's great independent films and everything [...] 

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KM: It’s a lack of intention.

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PS: Yeah, exactly, exactly, Like do something new.  I want to see something new.

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KM: Your brand is your brainchild. And I could see that it's a blend of many different worlds. What are those worlds that you're constantly blending?

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PS: I'm inspired a lot by sci fi movies, and I sort of try and take elements of that, but also utilize everyday silhouettes and mix kind of funky stuff with something you can wear every day.

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KM: I connect with your brand ... You’re doing your own touch and flip on things. It's like coming across something familiar, but also at the same time, something unique and different. And that's really what brought me to purchasing a trapper, whether it's the Joker from The Dark Knight, or it's the windows XP background with the green grass field ^[04]. Those elements touch my inner child. It's very nostalgic.

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PS: I really appreciate you saying that, man.

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KM: You even did a recent collaboration, with Brant Fayez ^[05]. You don't drop all the time, and when you drop, it gets better and better and as consistent as the last one. How do you maintain that? 

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PS: It's a very natural process -- I had the first clothes I dropped. And then in my mind I know the vibe and the aesthetics of the brand and what's going to fit in and maybe what doesn't.  Because sometimes I do have ideas I work on for a bit and I drop them because it doesn't feel right. But yeah, it's something that comes to me very naturally, I guess [...] I made four hats for Brent—And I think people have seen three of them so far. But I did the collage one, the white one (he posted),

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and I did the one from the music video today.

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Brent Faiyaz - WY@ [Official Music Video]^[06]

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KM: I didn't see the post. Is it a different silhouette/pattern? 

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PS: No, it’s a trapper hat ^[07]. They’re all trapper hats. This is the u-shank of it. Imagine this as a trapper. And then the 'Goggle Trapper', from a while ago. With the fold down goggles.

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And the black checkerboard one, which is so hard. I think.

KM: I don’t think I've seen the black checkerboard one.

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PS: I didn't take a picture of it. And I feel really dumb because I was in such a rush, because he was in London for a few days.  And his stylist, Emily, who sorted out the whole thing was like, "we need the hats!". I was in such a hurry to get them finished. And I usually photograph everything that I make, but this one I forgot. -- big shoutouts to her for putting it together. But I have some pictures of him wearing it. It actually got posted on Instagram’s Instagram. Which is wild. But it wasn't about the hat or anything, he was wearing it in this video and I was like, that's crazy. I'm on Instagram's. Instagram.

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KM: The white one was pretty interesting. I haven't seen something like that in a while. That made the whole silhouette almost re-embellished, you know?

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PS: Yeah, well I released those ones ages ago as. I remade that one. Originally dropping it in 2021 I think it. There was a black one and a white one and then they just sent a picture and were like, “we want this one”. Because this is made from scraps of old white t-shirts and stuff that I cut and just stitched over the top. But that was when I was doing all the up-cycling stuff.

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KM: What are some of the most important key aspects to your creative process?

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PS: A lot of time just thinking. A lot of time just spent alone, I guess. I’ll daydream a lot, and I can work things out of my head quite well.  I can visualize stuff in my head ^[08] very well. When I first had the idea for the trapper, I didn’t know anything really about clothing design.  But I used to lie awake in my bed, sort of figuring out how it would all work. Like, constructing it. And if that didn’t work. I’d re-imagine it. When I'm sewing, I'll just stop and stare at a wall for like 20 minutes in my own world, yeah know? So I guess that’s pretty important for me. And then definitely, watching movies. Going to museums and shows and just immersing myself in the creative culture.  Being in London is great. I love being in London and seeing, like, my friends do other things. Connecting creatively to the city and people around me.

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KM: What's been your recent, favorite project or favorite piece that you've conceptualized, worked on, and/or are working on currently?

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PS: I love the Boba Fett ^[09] hat man. I thought that this was sick. Because I had this idea for ages, and I attempted to make it a year ago. But couldn’t figure it out.  My technical ability wasn’t there yet.

And it was a full circle moment when it finally worked, yeah know? And I was just like... Sick. I love Boba Fett. I had this idea brewing over the last two years. And it works so well. And I’m gassed on that. But that’s like again, going back to what you said about the inner child. I still to this day want a Boba Fett Helmet ^[10]. Definitely when I was younger it was a big thing I wanted. And now I can kind of make one which is kind of cool.

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But I used to play a lot with Legos ^[11]. We didn't have that much money growing up, so I was never able to get the big sets, you know, the 80 pound, 100 pound sets. So I would just download the instruction manuals online. And I would have a big box of miscellaneous Legos or something that we got from like my grandma. And I would sort of, try and follow them as best I can. And then you'd end up with this frankenstein version of the set that I wanted. But then, I realized two years ago, that's basically what I'm doing now.

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If I want a piece of clothing or something nice that I have in my head, or I see. I just figure out a way to make it with the stuff I have around me and the stuff within my vicinity. So it's like, weird because I'm kind of just basically doing exactly the same stuff I did when I was a little kid.

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KM: You just interviewed yourself right there. You did the whole interview.

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PS: Thank you. <lol> I’m quite proud of myself for that.

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KM: My mom would take me to Legoland as a kid. At Legoland. You could, just fill a bag up with the miscellaneous pieces as well. And I would do the same thing. But I never thought to look up the instruction manuals, so you're way, way ahead of me.

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PS: Yeah, it changed my life. When I had that idea, I was like, wait a second… Game changing.

Like revolutionary as a kid. 

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KM: It’s funny, in terms of juxtaposition, how you’re doing that now.

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PS: Yeah exactly. I'm basically making, and following an instruction manual of Legos.  It’s like building blocks of how to make something. You can make whatever you want, you know?

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KM: Earlier, we talked about the lack of intention in the film industry. Do you believe we’re currently living in a world with too many options, too much access to things, and a lack of scrappiness, creativity, and working with less to build more?

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PS: Yeah, definitely. I mean, obviously independent films and very low budget films still exist massively. But it's definitely much less prevalent and that affects everything. Like, even creative culture, like subcultures, for example, don't really exist anymore. Because the punk scene in the UK was so crazy at one point because all the magazines were about punks and stuff, and that's what everyone was reading. Whereas now it's like everyone is reading a million different things on their phone. So youth cultures can't really exist on the same scale as that, because, everyone's got too much information and not everyone is reading the same stuff, you know what I mean?

I don't know about the States, but like, I think, Britpop ^[12] is the last, real big subculture and we haven't really had anything (well, maybe goth or something). And it just can't really happen anymore because we're all just looking at different things.

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KM: It’s much different to the US in regards to the influences that you’re talking about. I’ve done research on mods and rockers and I know they were popular at one point in the UK—

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PS: [...] Yeah that’s what I was trying to say, the Mods and Rockers ^[13]. That was a big one.  They would ride scooters around like the Vespas in Umbro. The Teddy Boys ^[14] or whatever, would ride motorbikes.

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KM: Such a sick era

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PS: You don’t really get that anymore. The closest thing we have now I guess would be like rival football clubs ^[15]. But there are so many football clubs.

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KM: What are some of your music influences? 

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PS: I'm into electronic, a lot. I like Aphex Twin, of course. I like some ambient stuff. I like stuff that creates a feeling. My brother actually creates ambient music. He’s called Bearer ^[16]. Check him out. But he's in Bristol, which is a city, in the South of England. And, he makes the sort of stuff with an atmosphere. He just, records sounds from everyday life and splices them together with a tape recorder and it's very, very dark but it makes me feel stuff. And I like anything that makes me feel stuff, really. Obviously I also love just bangers as well. I love a lot of music. Not to sound like I have an eclectic taste. But I love listening to old R&B. Usher.

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KM: Usher, Ashanti, 50-Cent…

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PS: [...] 50 Cent. Man, love that. Yung Lean. Love Yung Lean.

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KM: Yung Lean is dope. I just got put on to Yung Lean ^[17] actually.

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PS: He’s been my guy from day one.

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KM: What was the spelling of your brother's artist name?

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PS: B e a r e r. And then the album you should listen to is called Praxis. I actually did the album art for it as well.

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KM: Oh so cool. I like the mixed media vibes. It's vinyl?

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PS: Yeah. This is vinyl.  Front/back cover – We made it together.

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KM: What’s the age difference?

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PS: He’s like two years older than me. I’m the youngest of three.

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KM: What’s the relationship you have with all your siblings? Is it a creative one?

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PS: Music was a very big thing growing up in my house. My Dad plays lots of instruments and all my siblings do. I’m actually the least musical of the bunch.  They can all play tons of different instruments – I can play the guitar a little bit but that’s about it. My oldest brother, J, he’s a jazz musician. So he’s like a crazy talented multi-instrumental jazz guitarist. But he can also play the piano, double-bass even… And Jack is obviously into electronic music… And my sister is a painter as well and does a lot of water colors. Growing up, we did lots of painting and stuff on rainy days, and music was always playing in my house. But, I think that's where I kind of got my music tastes. Maybe not Yung Lean though…

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KM: Obviously trends and our tastes change over time, but our relationship with music never really changes. It just constantly evolves, which is really really interesting, because ambient noise and classical music is something that I love listening to when I'm looking to feel something and also be able to think.

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PS: Yeah, yeah. That's kind of what I was trying to say earlier. Like, I love ambient when I'm trying to think and like be creative and do stuff. But then like, if I'm trying to have a good time or whatever, like go out, I want to hear some bangers.

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KM: Does weather affect how you create or your mood?

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PS: I mean, yeah probably does. It's not something (again) I'm particularly aware of but like I'm definitely one of those people that's sad in the winter, super happy in the summer. And it's just like the seasons affect me a lot. And that probably does have an effect on the clothes or whatever I'm making. And even the way I dress and stuff. In that way, it's more like reserved dark outfits. Or in summer, I get a bit more wild with it. Start pushing some boundaries, you know, like my own comfort.

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KM: Do you feel like it influences your color selection when choosing palettes and fabrics?

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PS: Color is a big part of my brand for sure. That's something I enjoy arguably the most — is choosing the color schemes.  Once you've got the jacket, trousers, or whatever it is and you go to the fabric store and start asking like: What colors am I going to do? And I'll see them in the world or something, and it will be a random thing.  Like a poster. Or it could be just a combination that a random person in the shop is wearing. And then I'll just take that and I'll start playing with it. If it works, it works. Sometimes it doesn't. But, I've tried some terrible color schemes before that just sucked. Like, a plaid jacket. And I just put gold on the inside pockets. And I don't know what I was thinking!  But I spent like two days making this jacket and I'm never gonna wear it.

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KM: That's crazy. So what, you just tossed it?

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PS: No. I archived it.  Maybe it’ll be worth money some day <laughing>. But yeah – you can kind of see most of them are sort of a bit garish-y, kind of colors often. So ones that kind of maybe don't work together when you first think about it. But I love pink and red, I think it's a really nice combo. And then like, if you throw like another color in there to offset those two—I’ll have a really good time with colors.

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KM: Is that your favorite part of the process?

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PS: Yeah. I think so. Probably. Maybe the initial sketching and stuff too.

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KM: How do you go about sketching? Do you sketch in a notebook and you conceptualize and design everything there?

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PS: Yeah, I just have loads and loads of notebooks basically. I usually take them around with me.  If I've got a long train ride or something. I'll just kind of scribble away. But again, like I said, I daydream a lot and ideas don't really come to me while I'm sketching or anything. It's more like: Oh, I've zoned out a week ago and had this idea or something, and then it all fills in the back of my mind. I'll think about it when I'm going to bed, and then I will just fill it, and then I'll get to the point where I'm like, I need to start sketching this down now. And it’ll settle down and then they'll grow and then I’ll keep thinking about it.  It might dissipate or it might turn into something like the Boba Fett hat. Like that brewed for a long time.

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KM: It's all those details that people notice in your brand Peter. 

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PS: Thank you.  That took a while as well. I wasn't able to rush at all. It took a while to see everything as a ‘world building’ ^[18] kind of thing. And, like, making sure everything is, like, connected and flows seamlessly. Combinations was a prime example of the re-branding. I thought it was going to be Combinations ^[19] by Peter Simmonds. Because I thought it was going to be an up-cycling brand and it was going to be a combination of fabrics. Like that hat you’re wearing is up-cycled from military parachutes. But now it's changed. Now it's just Peter Simmonds because I felt like I caged myself in a little bit with the rules of, only up-cycling. And I really wanted to just create freely.

And obviously up-cycling is great for the planet and everything and, utilizing stuff around you, which I still do. But I just don't like to be locked into those parameters. And I don't want to set myself any real parameters. I want to just create whatever I want to create. 

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KM: I really like the name ‘Combination ^[26]'—it’s slang in Jamaica. Why didn’t that name stick for the brand?

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PS: I think I’m just so indecisive, and I was going back and forth with brand names for such a long time in my head. And at one point it was, “Combination without loss”. And that's a quote from Ghost in The Shell about the cyborgs. I even have 3-full pages in my notebook of different brand names. But then it got shortened to Combination. And then six months later I was like, no, I don't like it anymore. So I was like, you know what? I just have to use my name because I can't change my name. I think it’s been a year and half now with Peter Simmonds and I think we have a winner.

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KM: Your brand speaks for itself. It's a world you've built. What are the influences behind designing pieces that conceal your identity?

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PS: The question always comes up. Same with the shopper. The shopper jackets originally were going to be “Shoplifter Jackets”, and that's what the pocket system is great for, just because it goes all the way around and you can just ‘stuff things’ in your pockets.

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Yeah. I don’t shoplift. mmmMmm.

<laughing> Don’t shoplift guys!

But I changed it to ‘The Shopper Jacket’. I didn’t want to instigate anyone getting in any trouble. The mask thing is sort of like a CCTV ^[20] hiding face thing. And I'm not saying anyone should go out and do that, but I just like the vibe of that. And I think it's cool. It's kind of like the street, street culture.

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KM: Yeah it's even inspired by Anime culture too. Like Akira. Right?

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PS: I love crash helmets ^[21] and stuff. I think, like, the hats are kind of similar to the Boba Fett one.

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KM: How long have you had a passion for fashion?

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PS: It probably started with skating. I grew up skating a lot. And it was very much so about what I was wearing and the gear. I like gear. I love getting into a sport or something and going to a shop and buying all the new gear. I used to climb as well. And I liked climbing shoes, and getting new climbing shoes or asking myself what I was going to wear to the climbing wall. It’s always been a thing in my head. I always like to think about what I'm going to wear and skating was when it really became a thing. It was me and all my friends trying to out do each other and be the best dressed person. And into the coolest stuff. Who had the coolest brand t-shirt or whatever. And a lot of my initial style icons were skaters.

Like Dylan Reeder ^[22] … RIP.  Super stylish dude. First to ever do it. Best to ever do it. The old supreme videos like Cherry ^[23] and Pussy Gangster ^[24]… all the gear in that. I loved it. Loved it. And I got really into Supreme as well. As everyone did. The ritual of getting dressed is something everyone does as well. Whether or not they’re into fashion, or not. Everyone goes through this discourse in their head. 

“What am I going to wear?”

Everyone has to get changed. And dressed in the mornings. Or they’ll get arrested.

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KM: TRUE

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PS: Everyone has to engage in fashion ^[25]. It’s the law.  You don’t have to engage with music.

But you have to engage with fashion. Even if it's a tiny bit. You don't have to watch movies. You know, it's kind of interesting. And just going back to how it was when I was younger.  Creating kind of makes me feel like a kid again, I guess. And that is, cool what my relationship is with creativity. It's just makes me feel like a little kid again, and anything's possible.

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KM: Well your piece connected us. It was the reason why I was like, I have to reach out to Peter for a conversation.

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PS: Yeah. I appreciate it. Man. And thank you for reaching out. And then, obviously, thank you for buying that hat. And supporting me, literally. I mean, yeah, it's amazing. You know, that just like, I'm very blessed to be at this point. Even though it's easy to forget that and I can get caught up in the stress of everything and not see the progress you've made.

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And it’s like I said right at the start.
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I'm trying to find that balance between something that pushes the comfort of what you're used to wearing and stuff. 

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But not too much that you feel uncomfortable. And I think my hats are a pretty good balance of that.