Sean Michael, the designer behind Mostpeoplearedead

The exclusivity of a brand not only establishes an increased appreciation of their designs, but eliminates the possibility of over-saturation within their work. However, gaining success from this selective approach can be risky and difficult to obtain.

Sean Michael is one of the very few to do so. Getting his start in a small

Pennsylvanian town, Michael continues to grow one of the most influential underground luxury designer brands, Mostpeoplearedead.

Michael has been creating pieces for years, despite not being from a background of artists or models. Instead, he took on the journey of learning a new skill set to make his ideas come to life. In an attempt to reach financial success and happiness for himself, Michael has been able to avoid falling into the traps of societal norms that leave most people dead.

Speaking with the young designer on the phone, we were able to learn about the beginnings of Mostpeoplearedead, as well as how Michael continues to create with an incredibly unique take on life.

“MY SOUL TO KEEP” 1/1 Hoodie

When did you start making clothes?



Sean Michael: Ever since I was a kid in middle school, I was super obsessed with the Ice Cream skate team, especially the Terry Kennedy videos they put out. I even used to draw the Ice Cream logo on my t-shirts and stuff like that. That’s like when I first ever started customizing stuff, so I knew it was of interest from early on.

It wasn’t until 2015 when I really started making clothes, because I met a friend that kind of had his own little thing going. He had a name for it, but it wasn’t quite an established and functioning brand yet. I was there for the early stages of building that brand.



So was Mostpeoplearedead not even an idea yet when you started fashion design?



No, when I had started making clothes I was just helping them out. I would go to New York and link up with random kids and go to the fashion parties. There was this other kid who I had seen on Instagram and thought was dope. So I linked up with him and I added some of my creative input to his clothing brand, and I made my own pieces on my end back home.

I had a sewing machine, and at that time he was kind of just cutting stuff up and getting it tailored together. But he wasn’t sewing them, since he didn’t have a sewing machine. So he would tell me, “Yo you should make these” and said if he liked it, he would post pictures of them. It was just the early stages for everybody.



“UNDERTAKEN” 1/1 Sweat-Shorts

Most people think they should get paid immediately, but it seems like you saw an opportunity to help out and express your own creativity and you took advantage of that.



Yeah! From there, that brand kinda sprouted out into other stuff. I’d be at home and I would send him pictures of something I had made, and I’d be all excited because I just finished this piece, but then it wouldn’t be his style. So it was making me think what I thought was cool maybe wasn’t, but then I was like, “Nah, I still like it.”

So we just kinda split up, and it’s still all love for everybody, but we went our separate ways from there. I started Mostpeoplearedead probably like a year later, around 2016.

I’m just into a lot of different things. So that’s why you see a lot of diversity.

A lot of your work mixes music merch and cult classic figures together, is there a reason why you include such images?



Man, the references go so wide because I do use a lot of crazy imagery. When I started making clothes I was focused on thrifting any cheap t-shirts that I could find and make work together. I realized that sometimes you have to go the extra mile to make something that you really want to look cool. I made sure to not make any pieces that I wouldn’t want to wear myself.



I don’t necessarily listen to these bands every single day, but have definitely taken inspiration from all of them. Which is funny, since there have been crazy comments about mixing metal with punk, like putting Misfits with Dark Funeral or whatever. A lot of people hate on those certain things, but for me, that’s just what inspires me.

I want to promote the fact that it is okay to be in to different things. I’m 23 now, so when I was in middle school in the suburbs if you liked anime you were a weird kid and you were picked on. Now anime is super accepted within the culture, and even in music. So, I might make a design with Marilyn Manson merch and some random Sailor Moon shirt. Music fans can hate as much as they want to, but there’s too much positivity that outweighs that. Regardless of what people think, at the end of the day I’m a designer who’s trying to make what cool stuff that I would want to wear.



“LIKE MIKE(S)” 1/1 Long Sleeve

Yeah, you got a long sleeve with Michael Jackson and then Michael Jordan and—



— and Mike Tyson. Yeah man and it’s the same thing with my creative space, like I just found this poster from when I was a kid and it’s got Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson … and that’s from like 2004. It’s all

still a part of me. I used to be an athlete, I’m into Star Wars, I’m just into a lot of different things. So that’s why you see a lot of diversity. Like you might see anime with some random sports.



I think that’s why a lot of people love your work because as you look more you get to see there are doses of everything from a wide spectrum of interests.



Yeah if you look deeply enough there’s something for everybody. That’s something I try to kind of do, even with the wide variety of types of pieces. I’ve made gloves and pillows and a lot of the variety comes down to the sourcing and putting stuff together.



“WHO ARE YOU” 1/1 Jacket

Sourcing seems to be an important step within your process because a lot of your work is taking original pieces apart and reconstructing them, how did that start and how has it changed?



Sourcing is just a constant part of the process. I grew up in thrift stores with since I was the youngest of three boys, so like while my brothers were at school my mom would take me around shopping and stuff. I remember the thrift stores and to this day I go to them as often as I can.

It’s funny because out where I am, there’s no reselling culture but I’m starting to see that at some of the thrift stores. So some of it is vintage resourcing but even then it’s not all vintage. I’m not going to lie about that because I know there’s a lot of fake vintage out there right now. Some of the tees are just late 2000s printed t-shirts. I do have a vintage plug, but it took a while to find a good plug for the tees locally.

Having an artist mentality makes it seem like most people are dead in their heads.

Why the name “Mostpeoplearedead”? Also, why not just make pieces using your real name, Sean Michael?



Well to be honest at first … that’s a good question I have to figure out how I want to answer that because that’s a multi-part answer.



I understand, there’s always layers within an artist since there’s stuff that they don’t always want to share because it can be too personal some times.



To start out, I had seen two of my closest friends both have their own separate brands with success stories, and I kind of saw how they did it and took note of it. I admire letting the art speak for itself. It’s almost cooler if you don’t know who I am, it’s cool if you do, but there’s no superstardom status around it. I live in the middle of nowhere so nobody would walk past me in the street and know it, so it doesn’t make a difference.

“MAKAVELI/SEEN GHOSTS” 1/1 Button Down

But to answer why I chose Mostpeoplearedead, it’s an actual fact if you think about it. Of all the people that ever existed on this earth, most of them are dead. It actually comes from a Louis C.K. joke that I heard when I was like 17 and I thought it translated really well. I don’t think he said it exactly like that, but it was something similar and I just translated it to most people are dead.

I actually came up with the concept for the brand way before I even started producing anything. I didn’t know what I was doing, I didn’t even know how to sew before I came up with the idea for a brand when I was in high school and earlier in college. I’m a college dropout, and as soon as I dropped out of college I was just so lost. I didn’t know what I was really actually going to do with my life. All my friends were going to school and it’s cool if that’s what they want to do, but I was kind of like, “Man everybody is just either with it or they’re not. You fall into the system or you don’t, right?”

Having an artist mentality makes it seem like most people are dead in their heads. They just go to school because they were told to go to school, they get a job because they were told this is what you do with your life. You’re supposed to go to school,get a job that pays well enough that you can retire, and provide for your family. Even some of my friends were falling into that routine like a robot, and I was really struggling with that.

So yeah, I chose Mostpeoplearedead since it’s a literal and spiritual fact.



“ARE YOU AFRAID” 1/1 Long Sleeve

The only way you can get Mostpeoplearedead is through the brand’s Instagram, why not make a website?



That’s in the works, but for now I’m still doing it through Instagram because it’s how I learned to do it and it’s what works. I’m not gonna lie, its frustrating and annoying having to answer DMs, but I’m so lucky that there are people out there that want to buy the pieces I make bro, like that’s so crazy. I’m so lucky.

I know the DMs probably annoys people, and I apologize for that, but we’re getting there, and its not like a lazy thing. I kind of kept it this way on purpose because there are not many people right now that can maintain doing this and keep their popularity, growth, and success going as a DM to buy brand. So keeping it that way is just super rare and exclusive.

I made sure to not make any pieces that I wouldn’t want to wear myself.

There are many notable artists that you’ve shared wearing Mostpeoplearedead, how does it feel to see them wearing your work?



It’s crazy man, it’s a great feeling. Since I come from a small town, I never thought I’d see it go as far as it has. I’m just thankful people are receptive to it. I take the pieces really personal, so it feels good to know there’s a dude I’ve never met in Kansas that wants to buy my stuff, let alone somebody like [Black] Kray or Billie [Eilish]. I always liked to picture my art on stage or in a movie. So I won’t be satisfied until I get Bill Murray in some shit [laughs].



Coldhart wearing the “DISEMBODY ME” 1/1 Hoodie

What’s next for Mostpeoplearedead?



Well, I’m always working on new 1/1s and I’m working on custom orders at all times. I do have a collab coming out with this artist Evilbone91 who does art on clothing, but also does high art in general. I just love his style. You know when Raf Simmons did a collab with Sterling Ruby? Simmons took the full prints of what Ruby was doing, like a full canvas, and just worked with it from there.

I’m curious to see if people want it because it’s going to be so limited. I want to put out some tees so there is something cheaper and more accessible for anybody that just wants to have some Mostpeoplearedead if they can’t afford 1/1s. I want to make sure it’s the illest artwork you’ve ever seen.

