A CONVERSATION WITH NENO SMUSH’D
Neno’s story is one of multiples. Multi-disciplinary, multi-national, multi-talented. An embodiment of the 21st-century artist. Every time I see Neno, a new project has entered his view. Always more impressive than the last. What stands out to me about Neno is his ability to bring those around him in. Whether that manifests through his business Soho Barbershop (Norwalk, CT), or through his clothing brand Smush’d - Neno is always building.
Recently, I got to sit down with him to chop up. Over the sound of clippers buzzing, surrounded by his art, friends, and family, I learned a little more about the man who is the machine.
ELI: To start, who are you?
NENO: My name is Neno. I’m an artist, an entrepreneur, I’m from the Dominican Republic (DR), based in Norwalk CT, and I’m a full time barber too. When I have free time is when I like to paint, create all that. I recently started a clothing brand called Smush’d.
E: That’s one thing I always noticed from the first second I came here. You do a lot of stuff. You’re not just a barber, you’re not just making art, you're always adding something to your belt. Have you always been this way?
N: I’ve always been interested to create. Creating, for me, I would say is everything. But since the pandemic, I started taking it more serious. You know, really painting and all that stuff. Being more interested in working with different mediums. It doesn’t have to be something specific, I’m just more open. That is why I started the clothing brand, to reach more people.
E: Right, it’s still art. But (with clothing) people can support in a very physical way
N: Yeah, it’s easier for people to support me that way. A painting costs like, a couple thousand (dollars) you know what I’m saying. Merch is like $20-$30. It’s easier for most people to support you through merch. And then, they can wear it, they can give it a use.
E: Have you seen a change in people paying attention since you’ve started Smush’d? Like more focus on the art or the business?
N: I’ve been seeing a lot of new eyes and faces with the clothing brand. A lot of people say, ‘oh, I saw your merch somewhere. What’s that about?'. Then they get into the website, into the Instagram and they see that I’m an artist, I paint too. Through the clothing brand, I can let people know it’s a lot bigger than just clothing, you know? And, it’s circular too. When people see the art, they say, ‘oh you have a clothing brand too’.
E: And you’ve been doing art shows too right? With the clothing and art hand in hand.
N: Lately, it’s been just my painting, I haven’t had the chance to do it all in the same place you know with the art and the paintings and the sculptures.
E: That would be perfect right? To show the breadth of work in all the different mediums you work in. I have a sculpture on my bedside table right now. It’s going to be there forever. In my opinion, creating in all these different ways is what it means to be an artist now. You can’t just be a painter, you have to do everything.
N: Yeah it’s tough. Because you have to learn about marketing, you have to learn how to edit video, you have to learn a lot. Sometimes it’s too much. But, it’s fun. It’s art.
E: It’s rewarding too. Because you do the marketing and the videos, you see people wearing your stuff. It’s super sick to watch.
N: Yeah. Like one of my friends, he’s a plumber. He went to go do a job in New Canaan. He goes into the basement which is like a man cave, and he saw a couple of my paintings there. And he was shocked! He was like, ‘Yo! This is my barber!’. I got goosebumps when he told me. That was crazy.
E: Haha sick! With art, you never really know where it goes. Most times, you never see a piece again. It was probably really cool to know that it’s being elevated in that way. It’s in his man cave, he lives with your art every day.
N: Crazy man. Crazy.
E: There’s something I wanted to circle back to. I remember speaking to you about where the idea for the logo came from. Can you break that down a bit?
N: Absolutely. The idea for the logo comes from Carnival in the Dominican Republic. We have characters that represent each city or village.
E: What’s the name of your hometown?
N: Valverde, Mao. It’s not a city, just a little town. But that character is from that area. So, I was thinking, what can I use from my roots and in my artwork? Something that you see and you saw oh that’s Neno. Everybody can paint nice and everything but if you have something that can define you, that’s the key. So I took that character, his name is Lechón. I love the Carnival so much because it’s about us, the community. Smush’d when you look at it as a word, it means to be united. We’re all smushed together. In the Carnival, you see people from high class, low class, middle class all having fun. Everybody is together. That’s how it should be. We are all part of something bigger. That’s why in the middle of Smush’d, it says “us”. It’s always about us.
E: I agree. It’s dope because that’s such a pure sentiment. There are no gimmicks, there are no tricks. There’s a real story.
N: Exactly.
E: Alright I have two more questions for you. One, what or who were you in a previous life?
N: I think I was a Siamese fighting fish. I have a lot of colors from a creative point of view, and I’ve always loved those guys since I was a kid.
E: Haha. I love that. Definitely reflective of you as a creative and a business owner. Two, what do you think sets you apart as an entrepreneur and creator?
N: What sets me apart from others is that I always want to try something new, a different style or technique while others stick with one way to do or create things.
Go support Smush’d latest drop!
https://nenosmushd.com/collections/smushd-clothing
IG: https://www.instagram.com/neno_smushd/
*** Disclaimer. ***
Neno really does cut my hair and he really is the coldest barber in Fairfield County. If you want to get a life changing hair cut, maybe catch a Dominican vibe for the hour, you need to find your way to SoHo Barbershop 544 West Ave, Norwalk, CT 06850.
