Kevin Poon
Kevin Poon is one of the driving forces behind last year’s hip-hop music festival Blohk Party; the owner of lifestyle store WOAW (World of Amazing Wonders); and founder of streetwear label Clot and fashion store Juice—not to mention marketing powerhouses District and Social Capital. He tells Andrea Lo about his days as an intern in LA, how being a sneakerhead inspired his ventures, and why friends in high places aren’t everything.
I was born in Hong Kong. When I was 3, we moved to Chicago, returned to Hong Kong when I was 5, then went to Vancouver. I did most of high school here, and then went to college in Los Angeles. I came back over 10 years ago.
My parents were always too busy. Mostof the time, I was home alone. Music provided a solid foundation for my life. I learned a lot through it: feelings, hooks and melodies.
I took finance as my major. I didn’t come from a super wealthy family. I thought: “If I’m going to spend money on college, maybe I should learn something that could return a profit.”
Thinking back, I’m thankful I did, because it helped me with my business tremendously.
I still felt passionate about music. I’d buy finance magazines but then get the music ones too—and only read the music ones. I thought, “Maybe I should really do something in music.”
I saw an internship opening at MCA Records. Because I was free labor, they told me to get started. A few weeks later, it went bankrupt. They transferred me to Interscope Records.