Today we’d like to introduce you to London Rivera.
London, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Well, I’m originally from Boston, raised in New York, though I’ve moved more than anyone I’ve ever met in my entire life. Growing up I didn’t have both parents. Just me, my mom and my three brothers. Though my little brothers didn’t really get to go through the struggle that my mother and I went through in the beginning, from shelter home to shelter home, family homes to other family homes.
And for the most part, we didn’t have much of anything. It was around the age of 5 or 6 where I started to draw. It was in kindergarten where I would find that I was pretty good at it. There was an art contest within the school from kindergarten to 5th graders, and over the announcement speaker all you hear is, “And in First place, And he’s only in kindergarten… LONDON RIVERA. I don’t ever think I’ll forget that moment.
In New York is where I fell in love with a man named Basquiat. Seeing his work around Soho in New York. I fell in love with his life and how he became to be because I feel that we had similar backgrounds. My mother had always told me I was a king, and seeing Basquiat’s crown only made me want it. I began putting crowns on everything till one day I was called into the principles office and was questioned if I was apart of the Latin Kings Gang.
I put away the crown for a while, but I never stopped drawing. It’s pretty amazing because as far as Art goes. I didn’t take it seriously till about three years ago. Throughout the years of middle school and high school, my whole life was consumed with basketball. I found myself being one of the best players in every school I went to. I’d also find myself in an auditorium with the best players in Massachusetts at the age of 17.
As I got older, I stopped wanting to go to school because I was always moving. That also led to me not wanting to go to classes, and out of all the classes I’ve ever had, I’ve probably failed art every year except 2. I hated structured art, I hated lessons, I hated learning, and I, for the most part, hated everything about painting. I thought it was nasty, dirty, and I hated messing up my clothing to paint something, and I just found no point in that at all.
I never took art serious at all, and it was the last thing id ever be thinking about. At that point, I was known around the school for being a good artist but never wanted to make art. I graduated High school in 2012, and after graduation, life hit me hard. I wasn’t working for anyone because I didn’t want to.
I found myself selling and trading sneakers. Going to sneaker events around Boston and New York and created a name for me in the sneaker game. I’d walk around, and people would know me just from selling and trading sneakers. An obsession that still sticks with me today. About 3-4 years later I’d find myself in a room still lost.
My mother came into my room one day bashing me about getting a job, and I wasn’t hearing it. I broke down, closed the door and between you and me, started smoking weed. I wouldn’t say it was the weed, but after I smoked, I was clear of guilt, clear of madness, and no longer caring of anything else but art. I sat down and started to paint. 1 hour later I the LONDON CUSTOMS logo was born.
Although I didn’t do anything with the logo for about another year, it was that moment that changed my entire life. I went to the store the next day and purchased canvases, brushed and painted and began to pointy life away. I sold my first painting at about $150, and I couldn’t believe it. I continued making them until one day I painted a sneaker on a canvas.
I posted the painting, and a lot of people suggested that I try painting sneakers. I didn’t know how that would go and I had no idea how to do so. I started going on YouTube, watching videos and decided to order myself a kit and started to teach myself. 20 customs after and I wasn’t finding myself selling anything, but I stuck with it and never backed down. I’d say a few months after is where I found my first order.
I started gaining a lot of recognition as a sneaker designer in Boston, and word spread fast. I soon started designing my clothing, hats, pants, hoodies and a year after that was being recognized as a clothing designer. Throughout the time I’ve come across amazing people and came across a woman named Solange who would become my manager for a short period, but within that time she helped me LLC my brand, gain an audience and also helped me profess to ionize myself as a business and an artist as well.
It’s now only two years after, and I have my own brand, own company. I’ve created orders for celebs such as Waka Flocka, bobby brown, Russell Westbrook and YouTube sensation Logan Paul. I’ve hosted fashion shows, had my own events, created my brand and now considered as one of the best brands in Boston. Its still kind of dream and everything has been happening soo fast, but I’m blessed to be alive, breathing, and doing what I love to do. The story has just begun.
Has it been a smooth road?
Success is never easy, and there are always obstacles that you must overcome or face. I’d say my biggest obstacle that I’ve had to face is being homeless and having nowhere to go. It was easier when I was younger because I had my mother to deal with all the hardship and getting us out of the situation.
Over the years, I’ve found myself broke, homeless, outside, sleeping in laundry mats, parks, the list goes on and on. My mother and brothers moved to Arizona a couple of years back, and since then I’ve just been the lone child. I’d say that was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to deal with, I already don’t have much family, so what was I going to do without my mother and my brothers?
The only thing to do was survive. I found myself staying with one of my friends for a little. My brother Jordan Carter one of my close friends. I saw myself as a burden after a while and decided to face life. I packed my stuff, moved my stuff to storage and would have fathered been outside than someone else house. Because of my stubbornness, I’d find myself outside on the coldest nights wondering why I’m alive, what I was doing with myself.
Meanwhile, everyone on social media would praise my life, and everything that I’m doing little did they know I was outside with nowhere to go, no family, and no one to help me. I don’t think for 1 minute tho, I ever called someone to ask for a favor, I never told anyone about my situation, and I always told myself, “if my mother was able to go through this and I can’t, what kind of man am I?” I never backed down, never worried.
I was working a full-time job, and doing my art, sleeping in a laundry mat for about a month. Times like that just made me appreciate everything I have and my life. I’m breathing, alive, and doing what I love and I don’t think any obstacle will ever hold me down because I feel like I’ve been through things the majority of the people in this world will never have to go through.
All in all tho, life is an everyday struggle. Trying to be a better person every day, learning every day progressing every day and getting better every day. The challenges and obstacles make me who I am.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with LONDON CUSTOMS – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Well, my brand is London Customs. London being my name. I would say that London customs is just a brand in itself. Offering customers 1 of 1 apparel that they won’t ever find anywhere else. The reason behind the 1 of 1 item is because growing up I hated when someone else had something on that I did.
I also took in knowledge from other brands as far as production. I feel as tho most brands have all these Tee’s and hoodies with the same design and they will just sit because not everyone is interested in that. I think that with 1 of 1 product. You will never go wrong, and someone somewhere is going to want it. London Customs offers custom sneakers, sneaker restoration which involves cleanings, midsole painting, separation fixes and full cleaning of the sneakers.
I also do custom 1 of 1 painted canvases, custom bags, custom hoodies, T-shirts, jackets and more. I also do body paintings, murals, and walls. I would say that I specialize in anything that I do. I love creating, I love making new things, and I love destroying anything I touch, whether it be sneakers, a canvas or a piece of clothing. I wouldn’t say that I’m more known for doing either or because people will constantly ask me if I do shoes or if I paint clothing, so I’d say I’m just an all-around artist.
I would say that I’m most proud of the fact that I did all this alone. I’m a legit one man, taking on a full brand, company, all orders, inventory, shipments, meetings, events, and everything that is purchased has been through me. I’ve legit built this from the ground up by myself, and I’m being named with the best brands in Boston, and I’m just one person. That means I’ve worked just as hard as some of these brands that have multiple people in them.
What sets me apart from every brand is that I work with my clients. I give back, and I don’t even have set prices because I know everyone won’t be able to afford my work. So whether you give me 20 dollars or 200 dollars London customs will be able to create something for you. I’m also really into the culture and scene, and I get daily messages from people all around the world and mass who contact me to tell me that I’ve inspired them, motivated them or made them start to create.
I’m not just a brand, and I don’t care about the money that I’m receiving. I do this for love, for the culture and for the people who love what I do. This brand will never die because I can create what people love for the rest of my life. When it’s all said and done. London customs will still be standing.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I’d say that for the most part. I like how nice a lot of Boston is. There are a lot of nice places and a lot of cultures when it comes to some things.
What I don’t like about the city of Boston is the love. I feel like because Boston is still unknown when it comes to talent and people making it out, it’s rare. So everyone competes with each other to make it out instead of working together.
There’s a lot of people that could have been made it out of the city, but the love is not always given, and everyone likes to shoot each other down. I think that Boston has a lot of work to do, instead of forcing the talented ones to find somewhere else to live.
Pricing:
- CUSTOM HAND PAINTED CAPS $40.00
- CUSTOM AIR FORCES W AIR FORCES SUPPLIED $200-$250
- CUSTOM HAND PAINTED CANVASES $100-$250
Contact Info:
- Website: 1LONDONCUSTOMS.COM
- Phone: 6177126792
- Email: LONDONCUSTOMSBRAND@GMAIL.COM
Image Credit:
Julians.Visions Photography – @Julians.visions, Leo Graphic Photography – @leographic, SlimT Artwork – @Slimt.artwork, Penpusha Photography – @Penpushaphotography, RayMix 1000 Photography – @Raymix1000
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