Our All Buttoned Up-community is growing rapidly during the last months and we are very thankful for that! In this series ‘Rude Roots’ we are asking our own community about their lives, their passion and love for alternative culture, music, art and other stories. Today we had the oppertunity to speak with YaZ from Costa Rica about being part of a YouTube-series, Punk and the store Yaz runs together with her sister.
Introduction
Hey Yaz! How are you doing?
I’m doing great thanks for asking!
Growing up in Costa Rica
You are from Costa Rica if we are not mistaken? How’s the alternative culture of there?
Yes that’s correct, I’m from Costa Rica. The alternative culture I think is kind of big for such a small country. We have a lot of Punks, Skins, Goths, Metalheads, etc… It has grown a lot in the past few years!
Becoming part of the scene
How did you become involved in the punk/skin scene?
Well I pretty much discovered punk music in high school. My dad is a metal head so I was used to listen to alternative music. When I got into college I started meeting Punks and Skins and began to go to gigs. Since then I haven’t stop listening to Punk, OI! or Ska music.
What attracts you to this scene and why?
I guess the freedom of being yourself. I love expressing myself through clothing, hair and make up. It lets me feel like I don’t have to feel ashamed for looking the way I look.
What keeps you busy in your daily life?
My online store. It’s my full time business
Fashion & style
How would you describe your own style?
I would say a mix a New Wave and Punk. I love mixing neon with black clothing, haha!
How would you describe your own style?We watched the ‘From Alt Punk To Mainstream Glam | TRANSFORMED‘ video from truly. How did you get involved in their series and how was the experience?
At first I thought it was a scam haha! I never got asked anything similar. They just DM’ed me through Instagram after seeing my photos of my UK trip. They looooove my mohawk and wanted to feature me. The experience was so fun! I always wanted to see how I would look in a more “normal” style so getting this opportunity was amazing.
Did you like the outcome?
I hated haha. I actually only kept the shoes and that’s it. I felt so old and weird.
What’s the biggest difference between you wearing ‘normal’ clothing and what you normally would wear?
I guess the colors, the amount of accessories and definitely my hair.
In the video you were talking about that dressing the way you dress feels more like ‘the way I am’. Maybe this sounds a bit philosophical, but who is the true ‘you’?
I’m just a really artistic person that loves helping people as much as I can, I’m a shy person but I’m really expressive with the ones I love.
What is your favourite outfit?
My plaid skirts with ripped fishnets, Doc boots and studded vest.
We also noticed that you love latex? Must be pretty sweaty in Costa Rica, right?
Haha yeah it does, I love it because is not really common seeing latex here but I love the feeling of wearing it and the look of it.
Music
Everyone loves music, so we do! What are your top 5 artists/bands?
That’s such a hard question for me! I would say: Misfits, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Cock Sparrer and The Exploited.
How’s the music scene over there? Any good venues and bars to hang out?
There’s at least 3-4 shows every week. Only a few cool bars but they really play good music. For the past few years there’s a lot of international bands that have been playing here.
Owning a webshop
You are the owner of Gorgeousfreaksstore. How did you start this shop and what exactly is this story about?
My sister and I started it because a lot of people always ask us where we buy our clothing, hair dye or make up. We decided to start a business with all those products and it has been 10 years and we are still going strong!
On your Instagram-profile we saw that you really love London! What do you like so much about England?
My favorite country ever! I love how polite the people are there and how beautiful it is. It looks like a fairytale. And the Punk and Skinhead scene is huge. I love the amount of shows they have all year around!
We saw quite some Fred Perry on your page! Why are you so connected with this brand and what does it mean to you?
That was because of my boyfriend, I knew the brand before but I never wore one until I met him. He owns a few and I always love how they look so I decided to get a few and mixed them with my look. They look so fancy and pretty.
Suits you both very well! What other brands are you into?
I love Tripp NYC, Dr Martens, Adidas.
Personal beliefs
What should people think when they see you? And what not?
That I’m a really happy person that loves their friends and family, I don’t like that people think that I’m mean or made-up person.
What makes you angry?
Hypocrite people, animal abuse and fake people
What makes you happy?
My family, my boyfriend, my pets and Punk music.
What is your biggest dream?
To live a happy live and hopefully one day I would like to travel the world!
Is there a message you would like to spread to the world?
Be happy and let other people be happy. Just live your life to the fullest!
Final question: anything you would like to add to the readers and followers of All Buttoned Up? 🙂
Keep supporting this page! We need more pages like these to help us support each other!
Thank you so much for your time YaZ! Keep doing what you’re doing, all the best with your business and stay rude!
If you would like to support Yaz you can follow her on Instagram. Please support her sister as well! And last but not least consider supporting YaZ’ GeorgeosFreakStore!
All content used in this article is shared with consent of the creator.