Keep Feeding the Machine

As the founder of The Keystone Design Union (KDU) and clothing label Serum Versus Venom (SVSV), David Gensler’s business card reads CEO, Strategist, and Designer. But those terms hardly describe the realm of his work. He recognizes and connects creative talent all over the world; expresses his ideas through garments, home goods, jewelry, and photography; consults various clients such as LVMH Hennessy, Burton Snowboards, MTV, Nike, and Stussy; and masterminds out-of-the-box projects for these brands. David stays true to his vision, not caring what the rest of the industry is doing. For his clothing line, he deliberately decided to make himself independent from the fashion calendar and produce his collections at his own pace. One of Gensler's close friends is the painter, sculptor, and video artist Kostas Seremetis whose works have been exhibited among artists like Gerhard Richter and Jean Michel Basquiat. The Avant/Garde Diaries visited the friends in each of their Brooklyn studios and got some insight on their dynamic. “I think that new avant-garde is more about doing something without too many fingerprints being left from other references,” David says of Kostas' art. “If David is looking for a jacket or some sort of shirt and he can’t buy that material, he’ll make it,” Kosta says about David. “So I guess what we are guilty of is just making things that we feel are absent in culture.” We couldn’t agree more.

Learn more about Kostas Seremetis HERE, and David Gensler’s brands HERE and HERE. 

Editorial Lead: Kitty Bolhoefer / Filming & Photos: Fridolin Schöpper / Editing: Konterfei / Music: Bunnystripes