James “Kimo” Malone is someone who seems to always be working on something. Whether if it’s related to his current job, things he has to take care of at home, or one of his several passion projects he has lined up, there’s one constant that always remains — the ideas don’t stop. In the midst of a chaotic week, juggling between various tasks and deadlines needed to be accomplished, he somehow manages to find an hour out of his day to catch some sunlight and converse on this May afternoon. Although he has multiple projects on the way, there’s one, in particular, that’s reaching a milestone. His new clothing brand Electric Koolaid is on the brink of officially releasing to the public.
“It’s definitely an exciting time right now,” Malone says. “I know this is a tough industry and it’s supersaturated at the moment but this is something I’ve been dying to do since forever.”
The idea of Electric Koolaid was sparked by a book titled The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, written by the author Tom Wolfe. In the non-fiction book, Wolfe documents Ken Kesey and his band’s — the Merry Pranksters — first-hand accounts of their experiences with LSD and other psychedelic drugs while on tour in their colorfully painted school bus across the country. “The story of taking them on this experience of life, music, and culture inspired what this brand’s message is about. I want to take people on a journey with the different designs I have lined up for this inaugural drop and for future releases,” Malone says. Electric Koolaid also takes inspiration from the post-punk era of music, where rock took influence from the energy punk music had as a movement as well as other genres such as electronic, funk, and disco. Taking cues from all these different genres, post-punk helped break the mold of what people knew rock music as in the 1970s and created a new culture. While explaining post-punk, Malone added, “I just wanted to recreate the feel of that era and make graphics that reflect what’s going on in today’s world.”
“I want to take people on a journey with the different designs I have lined up for this inaugural drop and for future releases”
Electric Koolaid’s launch means a lot to Malone, even if he seems to downplay the situation at the moment. It’s been a long time coming, from several trial and error projects, conflicting views, and multiple accounts of frustration have all led up to here. But to understand why Electric Koolaid is so significant, we must first understand the journey that Malone’s been through his whole life.
Malone never had things handed to him on a silver platter. Born in Seoul, South Korea, he was brought up in a lifestyle that wasn’t the most ideal during the 1980s. His father, half Italian and half Korean, and his mother, full Korean, raised Malone as an only child in a military household. From Seoul, his family moved to Busan (formerly known as Pusan at the time), which is South Korea’s second-most-populous city today. The way of living in Busan wasn’t any better, but Malone made the best out of the situation. “When you’re poor growing up but you don’t realize it because you’re just having the time of your life,” speaking on his time in Busan. “There was always family around and food on the table. We grew up poor but it didn’t feel like it because of the people I was surrounded by.”
From South Korea, his family would then move all over the United States, including stops in Hawaii, Oklahoma, and Arizona, before finally settling in Southern California. It was in Hawaii where he started to gain some character; it’s where his nickname “Kimo” was birthed. “I got in trouble when I lived in Hawaii for a couple years. Kimo translates to James, and everyone just called me Kimo during my time there,” he says. “I always wanted a nickname, and it stuck with me wherever I moved to after Hawaii. No one really calls me James now.”
He was a troubled kid who was going through some tough times in his adolescence. After initially moving to California, his father decided he had enough trying to raise him and separated with his mother, essentially cutting all ties with the family. This left Malone without a father figure, and even though it was just him and his mom, the situation didn’t discourage him at all. He took it as fuel to live a better life with his mother. “Once we moved from the Inland Empire to Garden Grove, my mom opened up a breakfast spot and we did well and we made some money,” Malone remembers. “I never took anything for granted. Life changed, but I never changed.”
With life turning a corner for the better, Malone started getting acclimated in Orange County and started making it home. “I love Orange County. I went to Rancho Alamitos High in Garden Grove. Then, I went to school at the Art Institute in Costa Mesa,” he recalls with a smile. It’s easy to see how much love he has for a community that welcomed him with open arms.
“I never took anything for granted. Life changed, but I never changed.”
During college, he started participating in independent art shows by submitting his paintings to galleries around Orange County and Los Angeles. His work caught the attention from some friends he met through the party scene in Orange County and was eventually hired to design for their up-and-coming clothing brand. The brand was called IMKING (short for Imaginary Kingdom), and Malone found himself making graphics for some of the brand’s first collections. IMKING began to gain recognition in the streetwear culture and became a staple amongst Southern California clothing brands. He would work there for five years before another obstacle would appear in his life — he found out he was going to have a kid.
“For about a year, I was really struggling. I needed to make more money and I was barely keeping afloat,” Malone states. “At the time, I was looking for work through old connections. I remember IMKING had a New Era account so I talked to my buddy and he had me send over a résumé. He ended up landing the gig for me and ever since then I’ve been here at New Era.” For six and a half years now, Malone has worked at New Era Cap Company’s Irvine office where he’s been a Production Artist.
updated 1/31/19: Kimo now works at The Leverage Showroom in Santa Ana, CA as an art director
Along with New Era, he’s been through a number of side projects that just didn’t pan out in the end. One of those projects happened to be a clothing brand he was a part of called Joyride. There was some local momentum for Joyride when the brand launched, but he soon realized he and his partner did not see eye-to-eye. Frustrated with the way things were going, Malone decided to just scrap the concept altogether.
Malone’s life story and career path haven’t been the easiest of journeys, to say the least, but they were full of learning curves that he’s been able to overcome along the way. He’s had to deal with the adversity of constantly adjusting to new homes. He’s also had to deal with his troublesome childhood where his father disappeared from his life. He’s even had to deal with his own unexpected hurdles, such as having to raise a child of his own. But unlike his nonexistent father before him, Malone stuck through these hard times and remains a great parent to his son. His hardships with past business ventures have prepared him for Electric Koolaid. It may be his second go-around, but it’s finally his first time being able to create what he wants without any restrictions. It’s finally time to see what Kimo has to offer to the world.
“My goals for Electric Koolaid are beyond just clothing itself. I want this to open the gates to other things,” he concludes. “I want to make an impact on the community and make my voice heard.”
Electric Koolaid officially launches today on their online shop here.
