2007 Hot 20: The Risk Taker

“I’m not afraid to ask the pretty girl out,” says Matt Revelli of his approach to finding up-and-coming artists everywhere from Taiwan to SF. “I just go up to them.” The Oakland resident’s keen eye has taken him a long way since 1999, when he opened Upper Playground, the Lower Haight shop specializing in T-shirts adorned with street art.

“If I knew what I know now, I wouldn’t have done it,” he says of his idea to start the street-wear label—without the help of investors or even a bank—after watching the trend take off in Japan. “But I was ready to go bankrupt. I was comfortable with the idea of sleeping on a park bench.”

Not that he’s had to. Today, Upper Playground is a $7 million company with a booming wholesale business; a Web shop; five retail stores in cities from London to Portland; and the art gallery Fifty24SF.

Revelli has worked with such (now) internationally acclaimed artists as David Choe of San Jose and Herbert Baglione of São Paulo, Brazil, from the get-go. Newer discoveries include local ’zine-illustrator-gone-fine-artist Alex Pardee. “Younger, hungrier people present a powerful energy that I’m drawn to.”

Earlier this year, Revelli added editor of Juxtapoz magazine to his duties, which means that there’s not much time for a social life—something he’s fine with. “I’ve had enough barroom fights,” he says. “I don’t need to get out any more.”

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Q&A

Favorite galleries in SF?
Jack Hanley and the Luggage Store.

How do you get everything done?
I’ve traded in my social life. I sleep in shifts, which is kind of weird. Get up at 7 to work for Upper Playground, go to Juxtapoz, go to sleep in the evening and wake up at midnight to deal with places like Italy and Japan.

What do you do in your little bit of spare time?
Martial arts, river rafting. I scour used bookstores for inspiration and ideas. I could spend a week in Powell’s in Portland.

Why would you want to put fine art on a T-shirt?
A $20,000 painting isn’t realistic for most people. But a T-shirt is a way to allow the art to be in people’s lives. For example, Herbert Baglione, whose art is on our clothing, just sold a piece for $42,000.

Hottest thing about living in SF?
Mariposa Hunter’s Point Yacht Club.

What would you change about SF?
Anarchy rules should exist with the meter maids. I’d rather be homeless than a meter maid.

Why do you think we picked you for the Hot 20?
Why wouldn’t you pick me for the Hot 20?

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