32-year-old Anwar Carrots has been at Flea Markets his whole life. A move to Los Angeles in 2004 for high school and days spent on Fairfax and Melrose in the years that followed sparked his interest in all things fashion and design. While in high school, Carrots fashion blog Arrogant Veggies started to take off, catching the attention of Odd Future founder Tyler, the Creator. Tyler and Anwar continued this friendship and Golf Wang became the first retailer to carry Anwar's initial brand, Peas and Carrots. Since then, Anwar has broken off from Peas and Carrots and has started one of the most commercially successful streetwear brands, Carrots by Anwar Carrots. In the past 10 years, Carrots has collaborated with the likes of Puma, Crocs, and Champion and recently landed a space in Nordstrom. Last week, the YMM team pulled up to the Central Flea Market in LA to talk family, work, and the future of Carrots with Anwar Carrots.
YMM: Tell us where we're at.
Well, we’re here at the Central Flea Market, in downtown L.A. with my boy Paulo who’s putting this together. Girls don't cry. That type of shit.
YMM: You look forward to this Flea?
Oh, yeah. I look forward to going outside just to be outside. I love seeing people and see what they're wearing. Some old guys here today with some real cool shit, it's like, just name your price and I'll give it to you. It's good to see what people want to buy and what they feel stuff is worth.
YMM: You went from your first brick-and-mortar store to now doing all these collabs and being in all these boutiques. How did you navigate getting from point A to where you are now in your business?
Help. You can't get to certain places without help, you can't do everything by yourself. You can't get there by yourself. You've got to open your mouth and ask for help. You can’t do it all unless you are just that powerful.
YMM: Can you tell us about the time when you realized you could do carrots full-time?
2 weeks after Peas and Carrots stopped I kinda rolled into it. I went to a Married to the Mob popup that my boy put on and he asked me “You wanna start a new brand” and boom, I started it and then I didn't stop. It was some divine timing and also just hustle. I have a hustle spirit, I'm a hustler before any of this clothing shit. I only do the clothing shit because I like to get up and get dressed you know. It's not that serious.
YMM: I watched your Market interview and you just speak a lot on your favorite collaborations. What has been your favorite collaboration you've done?
Puma. Puma will always be my favorite. It was the first one I did like ten years ago and it's back again. Shoutout Rich Kleiman and Roc Nation.
YMM: Whats some advice for the youth?
Get some money. If you ain't got no money, access to money or aren’t going to work, figure it out. You got to do the good, the bad, ugly. Do what you gotta do to live your dream. I don't feel bad if somebody has to go scam or do whatever the fuck they got to do to make some cool shit, you know, just make that cool shit. But yeah, have some money. No one ever tells people that its always “just go make some shit because you got a good idea.” Everybody got a good idea. She got a good idea. He got a good idea. Fund it.
YMM: What’s some advice that helped you get to where you are right now?
Do everything while you’re young, My number one advice I took from my dad is that, do everything while you're young so you don't have to worry about shit when you’re older. You think about Tyler (The Creator). He was a 16 year old doing it. There's no better way than that.
YMM: Do you want to speak on growing up with Odd Future?
Yeah, we all had separate times and experiences. Tyler had his own crew, I had my own crew but it was all connected. When I met Tyler he was already making music and assembling a crew so as for my role in all that I would just tell people I'm the connector. The glue. For example Left brain and Hodgy, they were part of our crew but as time shifted, summers happened, people found different interests, I got a job, they went over and started working with Odd Future.
YMM: Where were you working?
I was working at this streetwear brand called Rouge Status. It was Travis Barker and Rob Dyrdek's brand and I was there for the pivotal start of everything as the manager. While I was working there, kids started checking out my blog more and shit.
YMM: Did you ever see this life for yourself? Where your brand is at and your family, your wife, the kids?
This? Not at all. But then again, lowkey, Yeah. I met my wife back in the day so I’ve been locked into that and Carrots has been the same way. It’s been my thing for years.
YMM: What are some of your goals for Carrots?
I just want to be financially stable. That’s really the only plan. Whatever has come with financial stability, I've kept on the surface. Wherever Carrots goes, it goes. I don’t like to close any doors. We could be onto planes, washing machines, lawnmowers, hotels, amusement parks. I don't give a damn.
Keep up to date with Anwar Carrots on Instagram @carrotsbyanwarcarrots
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Article by Evan Heiges
Interviewed by Sean Defaria and Moot Operations
Photos by Sean Defaria
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