‘The Ralph Lauren Haul’ Starring Mikey Alfred
What do you get when you combine one of LA’s hottest young talents with a massive haul of Browns’ latest Polo Ralph Lauren drop? It looks a little something like this... Introducing 'The Ralph Lauren Haul' video starring MIKEY ALFRED.
There aren’t many 24-year-olds who can cite collaborations with the likes of Tyler the Creator, A$AP Rocky and Jonah Hill on their resume. That said, there aren’t many 24-year-olds like Mikey Alfred. The filmmaker and founder of skate company ‘Illegal Civ’, Mikey began his impressive career at the tender age of ten, when he began filming skate videos around his hometown in North Hollywood. With the tenacity of a true mogul-in-the-making, Mikey quickly took his mother aside to announce he’d found his future career path. “I told my mom this is what I want to do,” he recalls. “I wanted to quit school – I was in fifth grade!”
“My mom was like: ‘You’re tripping!’” He laughs. Nevertheless, she did agree to take him to meet her boss, legendary film producer Robert Evans, an encounter which led Mikey to complete a film program at Columbia in New York the following summer - with mixed results.
“On the last day you show your short to the class. I played mine and at the end of it no one clapped. The teacher got on the mic and he was like: ‘Next!’ I looked around and my spirit was just crushed. I was like: ‘Oh my God, maybe I’m not supposed to do film. Maybe that’s not what I’m put on earth for.’”
Luckily what came next changed Mikey’s mind. “The next kid goes up and before his movie plays he has this super pretentious look on his face,” Mikey continues. “He starts rubbing his chin and he goes: ‘Guys, I’m so inspired by Jean-Luc Godard and Federico Fellini…’ His movie comes on, and it’s eight minutes of people just walking up and down the sidewalk in New York with no music, no story, no nothing. At the end the class goes crazy – everyone’s clapping; the teacher goes: ‘This kid is brave, this kid is inventive, this is what filmmaking is about.’”
“I sort of had this eureka moment,” he says. “I have to dedicate my life to making movies and making videos, because if I don’t, kids like this are going to be the ones making them, and I can’t have that.”
True to his word, Mikey’s teenage years saw him filming tour videos for Tyler the Creator and A$AP Rocky alongside making his own skate films with Illegal Civ, the company he founded when he was just twelve years old. Now incorporating merchandise, collaborations, videos and even a recent slot at Red Bull music festival, Illegal Civ’s impressive output reflects Mikey’s entrepreneurial spirit.
2018 also saw Mikey adding co-producer to his list of achievements with the release of Jonah Hill’s directorial debut ‘Mid-90s’. So what did Mikey learn from his experience on the film? “I think my biggest takeaway is that anything is possible,” he reflects. “Working on that movie showed me that making movies is a real thing. I took a lot of what I learned from ‘Mid-90s’ and put it into my project ‘North Hollywood’, which I just got done shooting.”
It’s this upcoming project that Mikey is most excited about. “It’s the first film ever about someone trying to become a pro skater, and it’s also really the first skate movie ever, completely told from a skater’s perspective,” he tells us excitedly. “I grew up skating; I know this world in and out. I’ve sweat blood and tears for skateboarding. I’ve hurt other people for skateboarding, I’ve been hurt for skateboarding. I’m so excited to share this movie with the world… This is the best skate movie of all time.”
So what makes a good collaborator in Mikey’s book? “I think clarity is number one, and number two is energy". Of his most notable collaborator, Tyler the Creator, Mikey speaks with admiration. “He takes everything he does really seriously, but he’s also sure to have fun during the process. That’s definitely something I’ve always respected about him.”
Despite his world-famous mentors, Mikey has quickly made a name for himself on his own terms. The key to his success? “For me, the way to cut through the noise is just do stuff first. Be the first to do something. That’s how you break through.”
As if his impressive career moves weren’t enough, Mikey has also cultivated a reputation for his immaculate style. Despite his involvement in the skate scene, Mikey’s aesthetic remains far from the baggy clothing and big sneakers usually associated with the skate community. He credits his Catholic schooling as having influenced his signature preppy look. “I’ve been at Catholic school my entire life and I think that shaped my style a lot. I still tuck my shirt in, I still wear the khakis, I still try to keep my shoes clean – those were all rules at Saint Charles.”
A perfect match for Polo Ralph Lauren, a brand synonymous with the kind of smart-casual collegiate style Mikey represents. Digging enthusiastically through his Browns haul, we quizzed him on his favourite items. “Definitely this cap – the navy one with the green bill,” Mikey replies, “and I loved the Polo that I was wearing with the shorts in the beach scene.”
With ‘North Hollywood’ coming soon and a new wardrobe under his belt, what more does the future have in store for this trailblazing creative? “The next thing I’m dreaming of is making our music festival bigger, and eventually making that into an amusement park. And just making more movies – that’s what I’m focused on.”
Check out Mikey’s Browns Ralph Lauren haul video and shop the latest from the Polo Ralph Lauren collection. Like Mikey said - it’s all about getting there first.
Talent: Mikey Alfred @ Anonymous Content
Director: Logan Rice @ Neer Motion
Art Direction & Styling: Kendal Mae Boyle
Creative Production: Chantelle-Shakila Tiagi @ C.S.Tiagi
Words: Georgia Graham
Set Designer: Kelly Fondry
Groomer: Coree Moreno @ The Visionaries
Fashion Assistants: Emma Hargadon & Serra Geris
Local Production: Arzu Kocman @ Prodictionising
Vintage Ralph Lauren props courtesy of Dukes Cupboard.