First Sit Down and Inside Look With: Jamie Fraiche

Q: first, off what name do you go by and what’s behind the alias?

A: I go by Jamie Fraîche, fraîche is French for “fresh”. My best friend (@jazzyvice) and I were just recently reunited after about 3 years of separation; we grew up together, we both lived in really small country towns that are next to each other and instantly became best friends. We both did the MySpace thing, and had nicknames on there (very close to the ones we have now actually haha), that kind of stuff. But you know how you meet people and become close to people that help you be yourself a little more? That’s the kind of relationship we have, so we were always doing crazy photo shoots, heavy into the internet, really into weird styles, and definitely stuck out (mostly in a negative way) in our home towns. When she graduated and moved away, I started become less myself because the way we are isn’t really accepted where I was, I was harassed about it and that’s hard to go through on your own. Somehow after all this time we decided to live together this past year in Austin, and it was literally like going back in time. We started getting really into fashion, music, social networking, etc all over again. We came to the conclusion after a promotional gig in South Padre that we wanted to do music together, and we wanted catchy names that fit us, just like in high school, and from that came the creations of Jamie Fraîche and Jazzy Vice. This past year has definitely changed our lives, and I’m beyond happy with the outcome.





Q: Weve followed you for a while noticed you were doing the clothing are you still doing that or why the shift?



A: I am still doing clothing, but we’ve had some other goals come up that were more important at this time, therefore full attention isn’t focused on High Wasted Life like it has been in the past. Once we get on track with everything else we can then dedicate time and money to making the store and brand everything it’s supposed to be. (www.highwastedlife.com)



What brands are you rocking right now or who do you think is really doin it in the streetwear game?



Right now I’m rocking Illuminati Clothing (www.illuminaticlothing.com), a really dope brand by my friend Rellion Talerico. He’s doing an amazing job with his brand and has really worked hard to promote his store and website. His hustle is admirable; we work really well together and plan to do big things with the brand.



We notice you do a lot of self promotion do you model? If so for who have you modeled for, (Plug, Plug)



A: Haha well, I always hate when people say they model and really are only taking pictures of himself or herself or getting photographed by a friend. I feel like to claim that you’re a model you should be signed or at least getting paid to be in front of the camera. The word “model” is thrown around to lightly, and what models do is actually very hard work for it to be that way. So with that being said, no, I’m not a model. I network with people, if your brand is dope and I feel like you’ve got what it takes, I’ll work with you and wear your clothing/ post pictures in it so all of my followers can see it and check you out. I’m not here to hold anyone’s hand, I get offered free product from various clothing companies every day, but if I don’t feel like you’ve done enough yourself, then I’m not into it, because half the time it’s shit and they’re hoping I can make all of my followers buy from them, and that’s just not how it works.

Aside from that I’m just really creative, I had my own photography business when I was 16, and went to The Art Institute for about a year until my plans shifted. I’ve always done fun photo shoots, mostly with my best friend through out my youth, Kat. When she passed away a little over a year ago, it was hard, and confusing, but I’ve found my place and I feel like she’s on this journey with me. When it comes down to it, photography, art, and fashion are things that have always been a part of me, and I like to share it with people, creativity should always be shared.



Location and Age?



A: I’m 22 and my location is kind of up in the air right now, haha. I just moved out of Austin this past weekend, and now I’m at my mom’s house in Lufkin, TX (my hometown) visiting for the remainder of September then I move to Los Angeles. I’ll be staying in Santa Monica when I get there and Jazz is of course coming with me.



Whats your next move in the game we see you going far...



A: Ah, I’m excited that you asked this question; my next move is music. Jazz and myself have decided to live out some childhood dreams and get this music thing going. We’ve been steadily waiting to get to L.A. to get started. There have been a couple times where we were going to rush into and do a cover of a few different songs but each time we back away and just chill. We want to make sure we’re ready and our sound is perfect, a lot of people rush into their music careers and don’t produce the sound they’ve always hoped to. We both have really bad habits of rushing into just about everything, so we’ve finally just slowed down. We’re just basically studying right now, carefully calculating our first big move and our first single, we have a lot of ideas, to the point where we’re almost bursting at the seems, so I think that everyone will be really pleased with what we give them. She’ll be singing, I’ll be raping, and our sound is going to be different than the typical girl duo or female rappers out there. Vice&Fraîche coming at ya.



Are you working independent or do you work with any one else



A: Well at this point I guess everyone can tell I’m working with Jazz, haha. I talk about her too much. It’s definitely a “we” thing in all that I do. Joined at the hip. But I couldn’t do any of this without her and she couldn’t do any of this without me. We’re each other’s rocks, we want the same things, we have the same drive, we’ve gone through so much together this past year and it’s only made us closer and stronger. From her having to sit by my side in the hospital after I was jumped to me having to console her through major family issues, to messing up our lives time and time again due to heavy partying, to deciding we had to change if we wanted anything good to happen and making that change within ourselves. Now we’re more focused and stronger than ever, sometimes you’ve got to go through struggles and pain before you find yourself and figure out what you truly want.

Any shoutouts?

Major shout out to @relliontalerco @ThelIluminati @highwastedlife and @jazzyvice. But most of all to God, my Lord and Savior; I’m truly blessed and couldn’t do any of this without Him.



How can people follow you and stay in contact with your next adventures?



A: Well I’m on Twitter, I keep up with that the most. My twitter is @jamiefraiche and that’s my Instagram as well. We’ll have youtube channel soon along with a tumblr and a bandcamp. So a lot to come and a lot to look out for. We’re about to do big things, stay tuned.