Meet chimaroke onyebuchi | Stylist, advocate, & entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with chimaroke onyebuchi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi chimaroke, what do you attribute your success to?
For me the most important factor/ factors behind the success of my brand are definitely collaboration and an unwavering sense of self. Without the collaboration of other small businesses and foundations the brand itself wouldn’t be as well rounded as it is today or shed light on various social issues and give access to those who want to contribute in different ways to their community. Despite all the collaborations, feedback, and outside influences the brand still remains an exquisite artistic representation of self in that every creative and clerical decision firmly lies with me so I can put forth the image I want and expect from my brand. A brand that does more than pump out t shirts for aimless consumption and in my eyes pushes passed gender norms and has a willingness to address social issues while balancing a take no sh*t rebel attitude with a sense of community.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art lies in the sustained illusion of chaos. My art is just an expression of my mercurial personal style; an amalgam of several different fashion genres. This I think is what sets my brand apart from others. The LBVS brand has something for everyone because it mirrors my personal style which could be cottage core one day skate the next and so on and so forth. I think I’m most proud of finding a way to balance LostBoysVintageShop with my personal life. All of the marketing done for lostboys stems from my day to day experiences. If you see a video of me skating it’s because I just happened to be out skating that day if you see a video of me drinking wine in a wig at 3 o clock in the afternoon it’s because I actually was. Nothing is scripted or even really planned it’s just me being me and that makes it more genuine and I am wildly proud that I’ve been successful doing so. I got here by truly leaning into the positive relationships in my life and being willing to accept help and advice with an open mind. I think the most important lesson I’ve learned thus far has been to accept failure, figure out a solution, and keep moving forward without dwelling on the negative so I can better celebrate the positives! I want the world to know that fashion is fleeting and wildly subjective but personal style is innate and can be honed through self introspection and confidence. ANYONE can have jaw dropping style and you don’t need a $300 price tag to do it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Day one: Hiking one of the more difficult trails at the top of the world in Laguna Day two: BEAAAACCHHH. Literally any beach as long as we’ve got a speaker and some sun.
Day three: TACOS. Get dressed up and find a random spot we haven’t been to and slam some tacos.
Day four: find a huge park with some nature, lay a blanket down, and do some reading.
Day five: day trip to San Diego to skate the boardwalk and people watch
Day six: non stop thrifting
Day seven: breakout the record player and cook dinner

( all of this includes vast amounts of white wine and tequila )

For me all of the most interesting/ places to checkout include some form of outdoor activity which Laguna has plenty of but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how fun a good LA dive bar can be.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give a shoutout to my fiancé Marsea Banister an incredible advocate for change as well as fellow small business owner (marseabeejewelry) and Sequoia Johnson a close friend and fellow small business owner ( thecoycollection ). Without these two my brand wouldn’t be the overwhelming success it has become. Thank you for all of the love and support you’ve given me over the passed few years!

Website: LostBoysVintageShop.com

Instagram: LostBoysVintageShop

Other: https://open.spotify.com/show/3BA1msn7NaIjBdDFxNH1U0?si=lkEE2DxUQdGS7sHLk_t4yA