Interview - Mass Luciano / MASS BRANDED

Mass Luciano, welcome to Spill the Tea! When did you realize you wanted to start designing fashion pieces?
Thank you! Such a pleasure. When I was 14 years old, I started sketching women's dresses and gowns after watching Miss Universe 1993, in which Dayanara Torres from Puerto Rico took the crown. I would fill up sketch pads with different designs and try to draw the runway looks in my mom's fashion magazines.

I guess I've always wanted to be a fashion designer. But my parents wanted me to be an accountant. 3 years into Business School at the University of Puerto Rico, I dropped out and moved to Los Angeles where I studied at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. It's been 18 years since my first job working as a denim designer for Guess Jeans. My career has taken me around the world and although it's not as glamorous as it may seem, being a fashion designer makes me happy.

How would you describe the style of the pieces you create?
Sexy streetwear that stands out. Flattering, provocative and easy to wear. I like to design structured styles that enhances the male form with an athletic sensibility and a touch of sex appeal. You don't need the spotlight when you're wearing MASSBRANDED, all eyes are on you!

Congratulations on your sixth collection! What was the inspiration behind the pieces?
Aw, thanks! For our sixth collection, I was inspired by the Olympic Spirit and the pursuit of one's dreams. I wanted the styles to feel like a sports uniform, elevated for the streets and the dance floors. It's a loose interpretation of basketball uniforms, fencing armour and extreme sports.

As a kid, my parents would sign me and my brother up for sports. I wasn't very good, but loved wearing the uniforms. It made me feel strong and part of the team, even though I was benched most of the time. As an adult I can relate to the perseverance and hard work that athletes have to endure in order to succeed, and that's sexy! I wanted to capture that attitude in this collection.

Which is your favourite piece from this collection and why?
Everytime I wear one of the pieces from the new collection I have a new favourite piece.

The Interstellar Pullover is crafted from a soft neoprene jersey with contrast mesh panels in white and gray. It has a raglan sleeve construction that frames the shoulders, and strategically placed mesh panels accentuate the chest for a heroic look. I like wearing the pullover with the matching Victory Mesh Shorts in whtie for a complete head-to-toe look.

I also love the Victory Tank Top. It's my modern take of the basketball jersey, reimagined with directional mesh panels in black with a splash of contrast in red or blue.

The Flight Jumpsuit is so much fun to wear! Here we take our signature stripe mesh material and mix it with a micro nylon twill, concealing and revealing what's underneath. A flash of skin goes a long way... I wore the sample out to the club the other night and it was a showstopper, definitely not for the timid.

Please spill the tea on the biggest obstacle you faced in designing the new collection.
With the pandemic, it was hard to focus on designing a new collection with so much uncertainty around. So many people lost their jobs, lives and loved ones. With the world under lockdown, so many events were canceled. Our styles are perfect for Pride events, music festivals and boozy brunches, not really compatible with social distancing rules. The biggest challenge was to wait for the right time to launch the new collection, which is a bit risky for a small niche brand like ours. At the same time, we want to be there for our customers when they're ready to go out and be seen. Only time will tell!