Morrow Hotel/Motel Collection

Traveling is the purest form of education in my opinion. It’s unparalleled to any material you’ll read or study, more impactful than a photograph, and it’s much more fulfilling than a show on TV. Your preconceptions get destroyed, your senses are on overdrive, and sometimes it feels as if it’s borderline dreamlike. I’ve always loved the maxim ‘always stay a student’, because it encourages you to keep evolving as a human. Since traveling produces more knowledge and wisdom, it has become something that I’ll always prioritize in my life. 

I have memories of the beaches in Maui, I’ve been able to relax poolside in California, and I’ve had the chance to enjoy seclusion in Arizona. Traveling to decompress is beneficial, but my curiosity will only allow me to do that for so long because in my heart, I know I’m meant to explore. Going from borough to borough in New York City, walking through the slums of Manila, and visiting Tokyo by myself were all transformative experiences that played a part in who I am today. 

Your brain can create hypothetical scenarios that might make you hesitant to travel, but if you are even slightly curious about the world, I would make getting out of your comfort zone a priority. Evolving as a human can be uncomfortable at times, but falling in love with the process is what’s important. Growing up in Tacoma will combat your naïveté quickly, so I won’t blindly walk into a dangerous situation, but I also won’t let irrational fear control my moves, or the lack thereof. When you carry yourself with love, respect, sincerity, awareness, and wit, you just might end up on a journey that will increase your humility and change you forever.

With a global pandemic causing travel restrictions for over a year now, I’ve been yearning to travel more than ever. My desire to explore the globe is what created this collection. With lodging being an element of traveling, I took inspiration from a 1960s motel sign that I saw in the Southwest and The Morrison Hotel in Los Angeles, which was famously used for the title and cover of The Doors fifth album. I would like to thank the beautiful Dafne Griffin for modeling the collection and thank you to everyone that continues to support Morrow.

Morrow Car Club Collection BTS With Baloogz

If you know me, you know that I love cruising. It’s a form of escapism to me. It’s peaceful, it slows down time, and that allows me to reconnect with my surroundings, which revitalizes my appreciation for my home. It’s therapeutic in multiple ways for me. It temporarily removes life’s stressors and replaces it with a sense of freedom through motion, fresh air, and music that perfectly matches a mood that is created by Mother Nature, your automobile, and your taste. Cruising is always more exhilarating when your vehicle looks like a moving piece of art. Nothing is more prominent than a car from the 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s that is embellished with wire wheels, a clean interior, and a custom paint job. Lowrider culture was born and raised on the west coast and I’m very grateful that I was as well.

I was 12 years old when I first sat in a lowrider. It was Casey Crate (R.I.P.), an older guy from the neighborhood, that owned a white 1965 Chevrolet Impala on chrome Daytons with hydraulics. The 90s west coast rap and Lowrider Magazine increased my interest exponentially, but seeing one up close and personal is what cemented my love for lowriders forever. The lowrider culture can be peculiar to some, but to others it’s a lifestyle, and that became apparent to me when I would attend the B&I lowrider shows as a teen. The attention to detail, the presentation, the vernacular, the sense of community with a dose of friendly competition; it was clear to me that this was deeper than just having a beautiful old school car. Just like hip hop and fashion, lowriders became a big part of my childhood that followed me into adulthood.

Morrow is an extension of myself. The designs and products are directly influenced by my sense of style, my interests, and my history. The Morrow Car Club Collection is a representation of all three. I wanted to create something that expressed my love for lowriders through my two favorite creative mediums, fashion and photography. My love for this is far too vast for just one collection, so this is the first of many to come.

I would like to thank my good friend Rennie Amadeo for helping me organize the photo shoot. I would like to thank Mike Long from Northwest Impalas for loaning me his 1964 Chevrolet Impala Super Sport for the shoot. I would like to thank the wonderful Jandrea Johnson for modeling the Morrow Car Club Collection. And I would like to thank Matt Baloogz for shooting the behind the scenes photos. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without you.