(Photo: Spencer Heyfron)

What kind of name is “Ykiro”?
It doesn’t mean anything; I made it up. I wanted a new name to go with my new look. People assume it’s Japanese, but it’s not. Sometimes I tell people it means “rebel,” sometimes I say it means “outside the box.”

You’re starting your own fashion line.
Yes. I’m working on a summer 2010 clothing line called Laissez-Faire. I’m also a recording artist; my band is called Elements of a Cynical Union. It’s like electronic with a little bit of mixed hip-hop, like a crazy real new genre.

Are there musicians you admire?
Yeah, MGMT, Coldplay. Kanye’s been switching it up lately, which I like. Oh, and David Bowie. He brings the passion.

Related:

• Archive: “Look Book”
• Table of Contents: Mar 2, 2009 issue of New York | Subscribe!