Dancer Kid Akimbo on Wilson Avenue. Click for more. — Photos by Nicole Wasilewicz.

Walking down Wilson Avenue, I spotted this gent looking a little bit like a character out of Street Fighter — and with a name like Akimbo, thoughts of making a modern Brooklyn version of the game may have briefly crossed my mind. Rather than spending our time trying to conjure up a fireball, we chatted about gentrification and how clothing is the best expression of our lifestyles.

Kid Akimbo, Musician and Dancer

It was the vintage sweater jacket that first caught my eye as Akimbo crossed the street — cropped to accentuate this dancer’s waistline, rolled up to the elbows like Don Johnson, and matched with a pair of leather driving gloves. It’s a strong look, no matter how casual, and apparently Bushwick may not be entirely ready for it.

Where are you from?
I grew up in San Francisco and Brazil, and just recently moved here within the last month from the Tenderloin. It was time for a change and I was here on tour last year and was getting a good response, so yeah. I love the energy out here. I’m a solo recording artist and a dancer and there’s a lot of creativity in Brooklyn. It just feels right.

If you had to describe your style, what would you call it?
Oh, gosh. I would say… I just like to do anything I don’t see other people doing. I like to do things that encourage a sense of warriorship and a sense of open-heartedness. I guess, practically, I’m not sure what that means but it’s like, superheroes inspire me a lot — bright colors, color blocking, stuff like that. Anything that’s kind of utilitarian. Anything that has a sort of function and also looks aesthetically pleasing.

Do you think Bushwick will inspire your style?
Well I just got here, so I’m not sure yet. But I think that in comparison to hipstery Williamsburg which is a lot more gentrified, this neighborhood is a lot more Latino, a lot more "of color," so to me it’s a little bit more of a switch where I’m toning down a bit to not draw too much attention to myself. Like in terms of layers, I might put something on to cover up, being a little more anonymous and less obvious in terms of my lifestyle. So that would be something that I’m feeling more directly. I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s always a positive feeling thing.

Living in the Tenderloin and Bushwick, have you had any opposition to the way you dress in the face of gentrification?
I definitely think it’s cultural, and for me, I think the new racism is socioeconomic. I mean, it’s always been that way and I think that money has been pooled into certain race categories, but I think now with the economy that is starting to diversify. I guess from that element, yes. In terms of intrusion, it’s a very sticky situation. I think on one hand, a lot of the people who gentrify a neighborhood at first, sort of before it’s the fashionable thing to do, they’re artists, students, people who wanna live in metropolitan neighborhoods that are cool but they can’t afford living in the center — those people do the leg work. Being a Brazilian man myself, it’s difficult because on one hand I am a person of color but on the the other hand I don’t look the same as the other people who live in this neighborhood and neighborhoods I’ve lived in before. I think it’s challenging living in that intermediate space. 

And furthermore, to answer your question a little bit better about opposition, today I heard a New York police officer say the word “faggot” while telling an anecdote. And then later on, I was looking at some guy’s bike when I was coming out of the subway and he said to me, "what are you looking at, homo?" — and I was a bit shocked because, first of all, New York is this huge metropolis where you think anything goes. I always feel like New York is a playground where there are bullies and stuff, whereas San Francisco is like summer camp because it’s just happy-go-lucky and more accepting.

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