Kato
An Apple A Day
A multi-hyphenate artist whose with music as the pulse and thread as the reality.
Interview with kato
Watch the film
Introduction
A multi-hyphenate artist with music as the pulse and thread as the reality.
Kato. A name well known in the North Hollywood creative scene that will spread across the globe in the near future. After learning his passions, drive, mastery, and achievements, you’ll understand why we stand strongly by this forecast.
When people in the creative community hear his name, they don’t associate it with just one skillset or category. It’s a name connected to good spiritual energy and a master of many passions. Kato is a clothing designer, stylist, DJ, music producer, and a previous professional yoyoer.
He has worked with reputable brands such as Adidas, Tiffany & Co., Birdhouse Skateboards, and YoYoFactory, and with successful artists such as JID, Smino, DJ Mustard, Duckwrth, Jordan Ward, TWRK, Falcons, Joe Kay, and many more.
Kato’s most recent adventure was traveling throughout the U.S. and Europe for the JID and Smino Love Is 4Ever tour. The most exciting part is that Kato is just getting started.
01
The Beginning
The First Push
Before music and clothing, there was a skateboard, a parking lot, and the willingness to keep falling.
Cupertino, California
Growing Up
An obsessive approach to every fascination
Growing up in Cupertino in the Bay Area, Kato was always the kid who paid keen attention to his fascinations and took an eccentric approach to his hobbies. Obsessive is the perfect word to describe it.
It all began with skateboarding in big parking lots. Kato credits a majority of his success to the creative sport and the values he learned through it. As soon as he put his smooth DC Titans onto black, sticky grip tape for the first time, his youthful heart knew it was a perfect match—one he was willing to give his blood, sweat, and tears for.
Kato became obsessed. It was all he wanted to do from morning to night.
Kato Skate Highlights
Watch the film
Persistence
Before the first ollie
If you have tried skateboarding before, you know how frustrating and painful it can be—from simply trying to stand stationary on a board to slipping out and suddenly getting a perfect view of the blue sky with scrapes all over your body.
This challenge was fun for Kato. Although he couldn’t ollie for an entire two years, he stayed committed and persistent in getting better every day as he skated around town.
As Kato became increasingly obsessed with skating, he unknowingly ingrained values into his ethos that would remain prevalent throughout his life: being part of a culture and growing his community.
Just a Day At the Park
Watch the film
Community
Once you experience it, there is no going back.
When you get deep into skateboarding, you garner a group of close friends, venture to find new locations, break societal norms, buy stylish and affordable clothing from the local skate shop, learn the unspoken rules, and support everyone in your posse physically and mentally.
Once you have experienced this feeling of community, there is no going back. It’s an amazing feeling, especially when you’re viewed as a criminal by outsiders.
02
Finding Rhythm
Music as Movement
The same instincts developed through skateboarding found a new language through guitar, DJing, and production.
The Guitar
Play every day. Never stop learning.
Throughout his years of skateboarding, Kato was introduced to the music scene by his friends and immediately bought his first $100 Mitchell guitar after Christmas Day.
Transitioning his practice from skateboarding to playing guitar was seamless. Play every day, never stop learning, teach yourself, and stay persistent—this was Kato’s motto. With this way of thinking, Kato was able to master the guitar in no time.
A New Sound
Discovering electronic music
While going to college parties, Kato noticed a new genre of music that he immediately fell in love with: EDM.
Steve Aoki and The Bloody Beetroots were constantly in his rotation during their underground days. Steve Aoki was a particularly meaningful inspiration as a Japanese American breaking barriers in a predominantly white scene.
As you might expect, Kato saved his money to buy his first Pioneer CDJ and DJM-400 set and downloaded Traktor to spin his first tracks. Without YouTube or formal lessons, he dove straight in and played with the equipment and software every single day until he figured it out on his own. It is a quality often found in genuine artists: an instinct to learn through direct experience.
Kato x Jordan Ward
Reading the Room
Bringing the set everywhere
As Kato improved his craft in DJing and producing beats, he began bringing his set everywhere—from five-person hangouts and small kickbacks to bigger parties, clubs, and major events.
With every room, Kato continued to master his understanding of music and his ability to read a crowd. This eventually led to a DJ and production duo known as Tastebreakers with his longtime brother Waseel. As a duo, the two aimed to create and inspire at the heart of all their work.
Watch the film
Tastebreakers
Creating to Inspire
From DJ sets to multiple full-fledged YouTube series, Kato and Waseel—with the assistance of creative director Taylor Jade—rode infinitely into the sunset for years.
After both reached a point where they needed to grow, Kato and Waseel peacefully parted ways and continued on separate journeys. Since then, Kato has birthed Cmd + Z, while Waseel continues producing for tomorrow’s all-stars under the Basewood Studios roof in Downtown Los Angeles.
To date, one of Kato’s most memorable performances was at Paisley Park—Prince’s private estate and production complex—with Jordan Ward and Duckwrth.
Early Years
Skateboarding
Kato learns persistence, independence, style, and community through skating.
Next
Guitar and DJing
He teaches himself guitar, DJ equipment, software, and music production through daily practice.
Tastebreakers
Building a creative universe
Kato and Waseel develop DJ sets, original productions, and video series with Taylor Jade.
Touring
From clubs to international stages
Kato performs with artists including Jordan Ward and Duckwrth and tours across the U.S. and Europe with JID and Smino.
03
The Translation
Music Is the Pulse
Design gave Kato a physical language for the same ideas he had already been expressing through sound.
Early Kato merchandise and garment experiments
The Connection
Returning to streetwear
After designing his first pieces of DJ merchandise, Kato realized how the process connected him back to his youthful skateboarding days and his infatuation with streetwear.
With a deep passion and love for creating music and designing clothing, he simply combined the two under his name: Kato.
"Music is the pulse, thread is the reality."
— Kato
Full Circle
An album and clothing collection built together
Musically, 2021 was a significant year. Kato independently released an EP titled Songs About Last Year as KATO. At the end of the year, he released an eleven-song album and clothing collection titled Full Circle as Cmd + Z.
Each garment was designed in relation to the music, allowing sound, story, and clothing to exist as one complete body of work.
After wrapping an unforgettable journey as Jordan Ward’s DJ for Duckwrth’s SuperGood tour, Kato refocused his attention on Cmd + Z, the clothing brand he began in mid-2019.
04
The Studio
Undo to Rebuild
Inside Kato’s North Hollywood home, the showroom, sewing room, living space, and creative laboratory are one.
Kato’s home studio — North Hollywood
Home Front
A meticulously organized creative world
Walk through Kato’s front door and take five steps inside. You immediately see a meticulously organized showroom, with racks and shelves displaying his garments.
In the corner sits a white Juki sewing machine layered in streetwear stickers, adjacent to cut fabrics and garments waiting for rebirth. Kato says there is nothing better than working from his North Hollywood home and creative studio, especially because of his workaholic tendencies.
Since 2019, he has designed hundreds of pieces. Kato diligently scavenges for high-quality garments year-round and upcycles them into forward-thinking pieces with thoughtful details and storytelling.
01
Design Philosophy
Cmd + Z
The name Cmd + Z is an homage to Kato’s hometown of Cupertino—home of Apple. On a Mac, Cmd + Z is the shortcut used to undo a previous action.
Kato is an expert at thrifting high-quality aged garments and giving them a new life, purpose, and story. To do that, he must first undo the original garment before adding new value through his design.
"If you are undoing, then you are unlearning to master a new process or way of thinking."
— Kato
Unlearning
A creative life requires a different definition of success
Typically, society grooms us from childhood to receive a college education, land a stable job, buy a house, and eventually retire. “Creative passions can’t be a career” remains a popular motif within the creative community.
Kato believes an artist must unlearn this way of thinking. He wants everyone who feels passionate about being creative to believe they can pursue it—and to know that a creative life is possible when they are willing to try.
To achieve this way of thinking, Kato credits meditation, environment, and mindset.
05
The Interior Practice
Mindset Is the Work
The external output is supported by quieter practices: meditation, environment, awareness, and rest.
Morning practice
Meditation
Training a muscle you never knew you had
Meditation is the final but essential activity in Kato’s morning routine. It prepares him for his creative zone and an unpredictable, on-the-fly schedule.
By committing to this practice, Kato feels more balanced, connected, and aware of himself and his intention for the day.
“Being able to train a muscle you never thought you had and being able to control your mind is the best feeling of achievement and growth.”
Environment
You are a by-product of your environment.
Kato says this while appreciatively glancing toward his living-room creative studio and his housemates as they dance and produce music.
Having his designs visible throughout the space serves two purposes: visibility of growth and healthy pressure.
When you can see your collections across the years, you can physically recognize how much you have improved in a peripheral glance. When the business is constantly in front of you, it becomes a reminder that nobody is going to do the work but you.
Seeing supportive best friends beside you, each chasing their own dreams, becomes even more inspiration to pursue your own.
"Never force a stitch or beat."
— Kato
Burnout and Return
Respecting the signs
Mindset is a constant work in progress and a major priority for Kato. Being a multi-hyphenate creative can be mentally overwhelming and time-consuming.
As important as meditation and environment are, his perspective on mindset is what sets him apart. No matter how much of a workaholic he can be, Kato carefully respects signs of burnout and creative block.
Those moments give him permission to step away from the work, go outside, and reconnect with the inspirations that formed him.
Strive for perfection. Improve. Improve on my mistakes. Be persistent, consistent, and not resistant. Follow my heart and find my truth.
— Kato
06
The Collection
Story Made Physical
The garments translate Kato’s origins, practices, symbols, and personal philosophy into objects meant to be lived in.
Three Studies
Kato in Motion
Three short films exploring the movement, sound and process behind the collection.
01
Material Study
Japanese Denim
Kai and Kato knew Japanese Denim had to be in the collection to honor their ancestry.
Artifact 01
$160.00
Sango x Kato Japanese Denim Jacket
A garment shaped by Kato’s relationship with streetwear, quality, repetition, and the belief that familiar materials can be rebuilt into something personal.
02
Material Study
Duck Canvas
Chosen for its exceptional durability and ability to develop character over time, duck canvas reflects the realities of skateboarding—constant abrasion, impact, and wear. Its structured hand offers protection while gradually softening with use, allowing every crease, scuff, and fade to become a record of movement.
Artifact 02
$150.00
Sango x Kato Duck Canvas Skate Pants
Built around movement and durability, the skate pants return the collection to the place where Kato’s values first took shape: long days skating through parking lots with friends.
03
Symbol Study
An Apple A Day
The apple references Cupertino, while Cmd + Z represents the act of undoing, unlearning, and rebuilding. Together, the symbols hold Kato’s hometown and creative philosophy in one visual language.
Artifact 03
$60.00
Sango x Kato Duck An Apple A Day Tee
A direct expression of the collection’s central symbol—Cupertino, Apple, Cmd + Z, and the process of creating something new by first learning what must be undone.
Closing Reflection
What Kato taught us
Kato’s story is not about mastering a single discipline. It is about recognizing the same values as they move through different forms.
Skateboarding taught persistence and community. Music taught rhythm and intuition. Clothing made those ideas physical. Meditation created the space to continue.
Each practice is connected by the willingness to begin, fail, learn, unlearn, and return with greater intention.
Written by Kai Matsukuma.
Pop Up Event Recap
Watch the film
AC4: Sango Studios x Kato Garments
Designed in collaboration with Kato. A name well known in the North Hollywood creative scene that will spread across the globe in the near future. He is a clothing designer, stylist, DJ, music producer, and a previous professional yoyoer.
AC4: Sango x Kato Japanese Denim Jacket
- Regular price
- $160.00
- Sale price
- $160.00
- Regular price
-
$0.00
AC4: Sango x Kato Japanese Denim Jacket V2 - Pearl
- Regular price
- $200.00
- Sale price
- $200.00
- Regular price
-
$0.00
AC4: Sango x Kato Japanese Denim Jacket V2 - Skydive
- Regular price
- $200.00
- Sale price
- $200.00
- Regular price
-
$0.00
AC4: Sango x Kato Duck Canvas Skate Pants
- Regular price
- $150.00
- Sale price
- $150.00
- Regular price
-
$0.00
AC4: Sango x Kato Duck Canvas Skate Pants V2
- Regular price
- $175.00
- Sale price
- $175.00
- Regular price
-
$0.00
Kato's Instagram: @alexkato
Cmd + Z Instagram: @command.z
Website: www.presscommandz.com
Album: Full Circle