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It's called the City That Works. But anyone who's lived in Portland long enough knows we're really the city that creates.
Even when it seems nothing is getting done at City Hall, stuff is still getting made everywhere else. Maybe not cars or computers or the other signposts that mark a capital of industry, but the things that truly lend a place its character—whether it's fashion or furniture, tattoos or guitars, music videos or mirrors shaped like music icons.
Through all the change, and all the tumult, Portland remains a magnet for creative minds. Agencies like Wieden + Kennedy and Kamp Grizzly, of course, have made sure of that. But for every person with the résumé to get a design gig at Nike, there are hundreds more toiling independently in basements and studios, or starting agencies of their own.
We think it's time you met some of them.
In this issue, we introduce 15 of the most exciting Portland creators you've never heard of. We're defining "creators" broadly—it runs from the 20-something fashion designers whose brand is blowing up on the streetwear scene to the 57-year-old airbrush artist who's made customized pieces for Drake and Katy Perry. Some make objects you can hold in your hand—boob-shaped necklaces or weed pipes that look like geodes—others trade more in concepts, images and anti-fascist balloon art.
All of them, though, are helping make this place a cooler, crazier and more stylish place to live. Portland may not always work, but you can make it work for you. All it takes is a little creativity.
— Matthew Singer, Arts & Culture Editor
Bare Knuckles' Designer Workwear Looks like It Was Discovered in a Thrift Store from the Future
Bijan Berahimi Is a Graphic Designer Who's Worked with Everyone from Toro Y Moi to Akadi Restaurant
Manu Torres Makes Floral Arrangements That Look like They're from Another World
Drake and Katy Perry Are Among the Big-Name Fans of Vincent Osborne's Airbrush Art
Michael James Schneider Has Gone Viral for Making Memes Making Fun of Memes
Tiffany Thompson Makes Your Home or Workplace So Stylish it Looks Staged By HGTV Designers
Phil Sylvester Makes Guitars That Should Be Mounted on the Walls of Avant-Garde Art Galleries
Nick Tretiak Makes Furniture Out of Trees That Fall During Portland Storms
Deandra Stokes Makes Your Dream of Looking in the Mirror and Seeing Rihanna Come True
T Ngu Makes Subtle Statement Pieces That Speak Volumes
Ask DeAngelo to Define Himself Creatively And He'll Tell You He "Tries to Do Dope Deeds"
For Laura Allcorn, Jokes Aren't Just Words They Can Be Physical Experiences
Winston the Whale Makes Trippy Tattoos Straight Out of an Acid Trip