Kevin Darabi grew up in Irvine, California. In middle school he completely embraced skateboarding culture and constantly found himself “looking for the weirdest thing I could find in my dad’s closet.” Kevin immersed himself in the street/skateboarding culture and industry, envisioning a career in street wear design.

Kevin discovered Photoshop and Illustrator in high school. Digitizing and illustrating graphics was his artistic outlet, and he began designing t-shirts. He attended college at California State College in Fullerton, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Creative Advertising. He also earned a Digital Media Arts Certification from Irvine Valley College.

Kevin’s design experience and early attention to street wear fashion trends ultimately led to his fashion label, Amizade, which is located in Anaheim, California. He has evolved as a designer, both in skill and confidence. He draws inspiration from life, daily activities, music and societal interests. “My friends are always throwing random design ideas at me, because they all have their own vision of what a “sick” tee or sweatshirt looks like, so that helps . . . or most of the time gives me a good laugh. Like one time my friend suggested a tee that, “turns into a spaceship and takes people to the moon.’  I never got to that one.”

Among the benefits of his design career, Kevin has found that he appreciates the support of friends and clients. “People wearing my art and feeling good in it is the most gratifying feeling ever. The experience is very important to me, learning and growing as a person and designer is a great adventure. Being able to swallow constructive criticism has been very important to me as well.”

His most fervent goal is to succeed as a designer. “I want to be a successful, respected designer in the industry. I am a long way from it, and know there will be many more hills to climb, but to get to my own fashion show with my own designs on the runway would be the most important goal reached.” 

Kevin feels that the toughest obstacle to his career has been his lack of specific design training. “[N]ot being educated in fashion was very difficult. Learning about thread counts and fabrications on my own without a mentor or teacher was challenging, but throughout the years in the industry, I have gotten very comfortable with my knowledge, and try to focus on bettering my skills in areas I’m not so great.”

Kevin’s advice to aspiring designers is, “Don’t let anyone tell you what is good or bad. If you feel it is good, others will feel that too.” His personal fashion addiction is “kicks.” He owns 60 pairs of shoes! He is intent on bringing back “Miami Vice” fashion, and he believes that every woman should own one of his Pima Cotton Razor Back tank top. 

“Set your own trends with bits and pieces of up coming seasons with a blend of your favorite era. Help the fashion industry move forward instead of coming back to our parent’s closets. Move forward, already,” Kevin advises. You can see examples of Amizade’s extraordinary street wear design on UsTrendy.com, where you will find Kevin’s portfolio and blog.