Conversation With a Ghost
Giancarlo Avendano, aka @ghostshinobii, on collecting Polo, meeting Ralph and more
I’ve been admiring the collection of Giancarlo Avendano, aka @ghostshinobii, for a while. I caught up with him recently and though he is notorious for moving in silence, Ghost decided to share his collection and point of view here for the first time. In this interview, Giancarlo and I discuss a lot of things related to the Polo game — how he got his start, his favorite pieces, meeting Ralph, what retro’s and customs he’s optimistic about, and how he’s navigating the ever-changing market.
J.E.: Tell me about your handle, @ghostshinobii what does it mean?
G.A.: Growing up, I was a gamer and one of my favorite arcade games was Shinobi and Ghost was because I moved quietly – now you see me, now you don’t - I’m ghost.
J.E.: Tell me about your formative years.
G.A.: I grew up Queens, New York – Astoria to be exact! As a kid, I would go outside, play manhunt, sports and just get involved in mischievous stuff until the street lights came out and I would hear my Mom yelling for me to come home. Once I got into my teens, those were the best years, especially the summers in the ‘90s, it felt like the summers lasted forever.
I always aimed to dress fresh with Jordans, Timbs, Polo, Tommy, Girbauds – even girls dressed in baggy clothes and rocked Polo. Eventually, I started to go to clubs like Palladium, Tunnel, Essos, Vertigo, LQs, Copa, Expos – where you needed to step it up on another level with your fashion. Back then, most places selected you from the crowd to go inside the venue. If you didn’t know the owner or promoters - you were effed. I started going clubbing at 14, with fake IDs.. when they used to work.. I grew up fast and did a lot ahead of my time.
Growing up in Queens, we definitely had our own swag going on in the ‘90s. We were known, but we were like the best kept secret in terms of fashion. I went to Bryant High school with a lot of lo heads.. at all the house parties and jams everyone wore Polo – but there was no internet and social media – we weren’t as known or acclaimed like other boroughs. I also attended night school at Washington Irving in the city which was flooded with lo heads from all boroughs.
I always liked wearing stuff no one had, to be exclusive or have stuff that was limited. I never really liked looking like everyone else.. at least not on purpose. Out of all the brands – Ralph Lauren pulled me in – because it was so different than the rest – the graphics, material, quality and the uniqueness.
J.E.: What was going on in pop culture at that time?
G.A.: I was fortunate to grow up in the ‘80 and ‘90s. In one word, I would say it was “pure” - everything was raw and brand new. From Saturday morning cartoons to the Kung Fu flicks on Fox, the GI Joes, Transformers, Thundercats, Benny Hill, Sesame Street to movies like the Goonies, Rocky to Godfather - In my point of view, everything was creative and done with passion. One of my favorite books was by Paul Cohelo, ‘The Alchemist’ – it’s a short book but relatable. I also like reading Mario Puzo’s books.. ‘The Family’ was one of my favorites – and generally, psychology books always intrigued me – books by Scott Peck, like ‘The Road Less Traveled’. Growing up listening to music on vinyl, I had Michael Jackson’s Thriller album – music in itself had substance -- it influenced me heavily in my teenage years – especially with hip hop, rap and r&b – early ‘90s was something special – because back in those days, everything was pure and raw talent.
I would hang out with my boys and we would listen to the radio – Biz Markie, Eric B. & Rakim, MC Shan, LL Cool J, Kool G. Rap, Slick Rick, Zhiggie, Trends of Culture.. so many artists were coming out and it provided a sense of style and attitude. We knew the time and felt invincible. We were literally walking billboards. Clothing was a part of music –- we didn’t have internet – so, Yo MTV Raps, Jukebox and Video Music Box were our sources for seeing what the culture was wearing in the their music videos. Ralph Lauren, Hilfiger, Girbuads and Guess. Slowly but surely, I started seeing Grand Puba, Zhiggie, KRS One’s song “Outta Here” -- I watched the videos and thought ‘those joints are fresh, I gotta get those pieces’ – I would go to house and hooky parties – meeting up with my friends, not knowing what we would be wearing – everything was word of mouth.. either from school or flyers – just a bunch of teens drinking ‘40s, ciscos; smoking blunts, dancing, talking to girls and having a good time.
J.E.: Right here is a good time to dive into your love affair with Polo.. what’s that all about?
G.A.: Shoutouts to the Lo Lifes, all the heavy hitters in the culture as well as the newer collectors. I remember in the summer of 1992 as a 13 year old, I would see the older teens wearing these colorful and graphical shirts. One in particular that caught my eye was the 1992 POLO spellout shirt. I had polo shirts with the horse logo, but not till I saw other designs did it shift my curiosity. It intrigued me to start purchasing and hunting for pieces – you gotta remember back then there was no internet so it was hard to know what was coming out, what store had it – everything was hit or miss, you had to network and hunt from the village to the Reading, P.A. outlets.
I started collecting in 1992 and as young teen I didn’t have money, so I counted on my parents to purchase me clothes either at stores or outlets for school, birthday, holidays.. Fortunately they came through and whatever I received I would do deals with close friends. Little by little, my network expanded. It was all word of mouth and your rep from where you came from. I wasn’t really into boosting stuff, it wasn’t a skillset I mastered – but like I mentioned before, I was everywhere but lo key – I considered myself a lo head not a lo life, I was in and out like a ghost where ever I was.. in a party, club, even in the streets – I didn’t care about knowing everyone – even though I knew a lot of heads – always been down earth, humble and try to be a good dude. I mind my business and if it didn’t apply I let stuff fly.
I have an assortment of pieces – I don’t have everything, but the stuff that I have or once had – I can happily say I was happy with the pieces I’ve collected over the years. I’ve actually sold all my pieces twice before: in 1997 and then again in 2005. Slowly but surely, I got stuff here and there and it started to add up. It’s that adrenaline, the hunt, that drives you to do a deal or manage to get a piece for a better price. I always tried to go for the exclusive pieces when it came to Polo. For me it was a must to have power pieces whether it was the Hurdles jacket or P-Wing Rings knit – but it definitely had to be crisp or in very good condition. I wasn’t ever into rocking cooked garments no matter what the piece was. I dedicated my time and efforts to getting a little bit of everything. I got plenty of jackets, sweaters, hoodies, hats and tees. But as you know, this thing of ours is about collecting – always on to the next piece and so on. I myself have a heavy arsenal with the P-Wings, Stadium, Snowbeach, graphical shirts like the Dan and Dave, Hurdles, Slam tees, USA, Scripts, Crests, Cycle, RL2000, Sportsman and so on. I’m still a student of this game, just gained more knowledge and education, heavy networks and a passion for these artful pieces. It’s nothing less than timeless.
J.E.: Do you have a favorite piece or favorite story?
G.A.: I would say in my opinion the Stadium stuff from 1992, P-Wing, whether it be the plates rugby or the pull over jacket – that whole line was sick and gave you that sporty Olympic feel. For me, the Hurdles jacket was the best piece made – the elastic, the lite weight paper jacket and huge graphic on the back made it a serious lo piece – very exclusive and rare. When it came to Polo, especially in the ‘90s – it was all about showing out and everyone had different pieces – whether it was going to a party, club or chilling at the parks flicking it up.
One of my most memorable stories is recent. I was at the Soho store and heard whispers and everyone just got quiet – all of sudden Ralph walks in. I looked at him and yelled “Uncle Ralph! How are you doing today?” and pointed at my jacket – he looked and smiled, we shook hands and spoke briefly. I thanked him for creating the Polo brand and explained to him that I’m a long time avid consumer and appreciate his ‘90s apparel and designs. I never get star struck but when you meet the creator of the clothes you wore practically all your life, its something special.. a fashion icon for sure. Before he left, I got to take a picture with him while wearing the infamous Snow Beach jacket and this was way before it was getting retro’d - it was a dope moment.
J.E.: Where do you stand on retro’s and customs and everything in between?
G.A.: Ralph Lauren was ahead of his time – he had great designers like Dick Tahsin who was responsible for a lot of power pieces. So, when the retro’s first started in 2017, with the Stadium pieces, I was ecstatic because it was something different RL hadn’t done since the ‘90s – everyone was super hype. In the end, some pieces were made great and limited like the ‘93 Climb shirt , Stadium shorts and Crest pullover. Others left room for improvement. Nowadays, Ralph Lauren is everywhere – you see it in movies, shows, sports, actors.. everyone is wearing it - it is heavily embraced – so RL definitely has a chance to do it right. I’ve heard Ralph Lauren had no idea the urban kids would gravitate so much towards his collections, in all honesty, it wasn’t meant for us. But we embraced the brand as it gave us a sense of being part of that lifestyle. We promoted, we were walking billboards and what made Polo stick out so much was that it was exclusive and hard to obtain. Maybe RL corp. can go back to the ingredients Ralph used in the ‘80s and ‘90s. He was the Diddy of the fashion world.
History repeats itself as you see with most brands.. Nike, Jordan, Polo, The North Face.. all retro’d again. Personally speaking, I prefer vintage og pieces with most brands.. something about the material and the way it was made.
Customs don’t bother me at all, but they have to be made right. I believe you should spend time to perfect product and take your time with whatever piece you’re making whether it’s hats, shirts, etc. You shouldn’t base yourself solely with how much money you can make. Some say it waters down the brand.. I personally have hats from my guys @theroheproject, @polovibes and @overlookingthehudson – good dudes, and they’re meticulous in their work. Shout out to all the makers out there! At the end of the day – to each his own, whatever your preference is. Their narrative is to provide certain hats and pieces that are hard to access, or if you don’t want to ruin your pieces you can rock out with the custom and not worry about ruining it.. or if you don’t like it, don’t purchase it. Simple as that.
J.E.: What do you think about the current state of the game?
G.A.: Social media changed the entire game. It made everything closer and more convenient – anyone can get any piece – but for me, the hunt is to find the item in crisp condition and for a fair price. I never knock resellers.. at the end of the day, it’s the market and if someone’s willing to buy it, that’s on them.. make your money.
I prefer to do deals in real life, because you get to see the condition of the item. There are a lot of heavy hitters in the game, especially in NYC, we were the originators.. I generally do deals with individuals I know personally, or people they may know that have a good rep. The internet, social media and all the different platforms definitely make it easier to acquire rare pieces – but the downside is you can be scammed – Whether what they are selling is not what is shown or they don’t send the order. I suggest using Paypal to cover your ass – especially if you don’t know the seller.
J.E.: What’s your life like nowadays and what are you getting into fashion-wise?
G.A.: Luckily where I work, theres no dress code. I usually get dressed in Polo on the weekends, travel or when I go out in general. As we get older, our priorities change – I’m more of a homebody – after work I remain home and just relax. My future wears will probably be Polo horsey shirts. I definitely didn’t have or currently have everything – I can humbly say I was fortunate to have acquired pieces that I thought were grails and had power in my eyes – this hobby I compare to collecting comic books, baseball cards – with the exception you’re walking art. I currently have a good amount of pieces I hold with high regard – and again I prefer vintage pieces over retro. Believe it or not, Im feeling the Lands End / Todd Snyder collab – it gives me that Sportsman/ Polo Country feel.
I am grateful I was able to touch a lot of pieces in my lifetime and meet a lot of cool people at the same time. Whenever we do get together, flick it up and show out, its definitely bonding at its best, creating memories and a long lasting staple that we were here – this is our thing.