Photos by Martei Korley
Welcome to LargeUp’s street style series, Pop Style. Every other Friday, we’re sartorial shop with the most impeccably dressed men and women of the Caribbean and the diaspora, from familiar faces to everyday people pon di corner. Along the way we intend to show the world what we’ve long held true—no one’s got style and swagger quite like the islands. This week, we catch up with artist and beatmaker Bunx Dadda, producer of Kali Uchis’ “Know What I Want,” currently heard in the movie Dope.
Bunx
Spotted in: Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn
Occupation: Producer
From: Nevis by way of Virginia
How would you describe your look?
“Future Don.” I’ve been really influenced by the dancehall of the past, and the style. It’s an ode to the 80’s and New York City as well. The custom fits are dope and some of my inspirations would be Super Cat, Junior Demus, Mad Lion, Born Jamericans and even Shabba. Dancehall meets Dapper Dan. The album cover for Buju’s Mr. Mention and a lot of the album covers of that time were life changing. I’m into monochromatic / tone on tone type of vibe.
It’s considered by some to be a faux pas to wear Nike with Adidas, or Puma. You’ve countered that logic and coordinated an outfit with all three. Explain what you were thinking.
In the Caribbean and a lot of remote countries you see people wearing a lot of random merch. In the more disadvantaged areas, you may see someone in a secondhand, and most times knock-off, Nike shirt with some Polo sweats, most times knock-off, and whatever sneakers or even sandals they have. That’s always been a typical look there. I think it comes from seeing how people dress abroad, and then having to be resourceful to pull off something similar. Now, in America, you have the Euro influence of the label whoring where everyone is wearing Adidas football pants with Jordans or whatever. That’s the wave in the streets right now. I wanted to reflect all of those vibes from the past and today in a clean mono version.
What’s your favorite piece here?
The Nike jacket. I got it on eBay like six years ago with the pants to it. I don’t remember how much I paid but I love the knock-off vibe to it. I doubt it’s real Nike but it’s a cool piece Nike should have made if they didn’t.
Overall, how does being Caribbean influence your personal style?
My parents were typical in the sense that they didn’t just buy us every Nike or Tommy Hilfiger that we wanted. It taught us discipline and patience but also made us lust after the name brand clothes even more. So once we were able to afford these things it’s almost a natural instinct to want to pile it all on at once. Polo hat, Tommy shirt, Levi jeans, Jordan shoes. Like yo! I made it!
What have you learned about style from your time spent in Nevis?
Growing up and traveling from Nevis to the States, I got to see how long it would take trends to reach there. Hairstyles would always come first. I can remember when there was maybe one or two shoe stores on the island, and only one sold Jordan’s. They were about $400 EC. One of the main highlights of visiting was looking to see what sneakers were still laying around down there. The locals couldn’t really afford them, so it was rare to see anyone wearing brand-new Jordans. Now all the kids and stylish people have access to a lot more brands, and sooner than they did before. The Internet brought everyone up to speed.
