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Interview by: Olivia Tindall from HAZZE MEDIA Photography: Jewel Fiorillo from HAZZE MEDIA
Stylist: Sky JT Naval
HMUA: Marina Migliaccio
Zack Lugo is our cover story for March 2022! Read about his journey creating his very own brand & TikTok success!
Olivia
So, thank you for sitting down with me for this interview for HAZZE MEDIA. So I'm just gonna ask you a few questions. One, what inspired you to start your clothing line, Runaway Kid Apparel? Like, what was the vision behind starting that?
Zack
So as a kid, like, I was always looking up to people, like with fashion, and baggy clothes were really cool to me. Like being a skater like, I grew up being a skater and baggy clothes, and I just like, always wanted to start my own horn line and kind of like, mix it together, and tell a story with whatever line that I drop or send a message. But that's kind of like where it all started is through skateboarding honestly.
Olivia
So you want to like like emulate the skateboard[ing] vibe.
Zack
Yeah, like kind of this skateboarding style. And maybe high fashion.
Olivia
See where that goes. So it's my understanding, the motto of it is, "hate is ugly".
Zack
Yes. The first line.
Olivia
Okay, so what was the inspo? Is there a personal story behind that?
Zack
So some of you know, if you do TikTok or if you look through the comments, on some videos, it can be kind of toxic. And so I like a message that "hate is ugly" like spreads [are] kind of like, everyone's beautiful, but like spreading hate is ugly. And that's like the first line that I wanted to drop because everyone gets hate and it's like, it's gross.
Olivia
Yeah. Talk is toxic sometimes.
Zack
Yeah, very.
Olivia
What's your ultimate goal? If you see far years down the line, what's your like, ideal spot you want Runaway Kid to be in.
Zack
So I want it to be like one of one-pieces, I think that'd be really cool. Like a person combined like a shirt. Like this is one of one like handmade, super sick. So basically, there's some different than I want it to be different and want it to stand out.
Olivia
How did you get started on Tik Tok?
Zack
Like I said, starting skating, I was always making skate videos. And that was like, my childhood dream was to become a professional skater and started a few skate videos posting on Tik Tok and did horrible. So I was like, Okay, I have to figure something out. And at the time, like through the For You pages, you see dancing, dancing, dancing, so I started doing dancing, I started doing POVs, which is the point of view from someone else's perspective. And I don't know, I just literally tried everything. See, I feel like TikTok dances are fire. And I grew up in Idaho, so I was always bored. There's nothing to do. Literally. Small town.
Olivia
So you just picked that up. And yeah, take off from there.
Zack
Yeah, I just had fun with it. And I didn't do it to like, get views I just did it to have fun. I think that's what helped me grow.
Olivia
Yep, totally. So since then, you've obviously gained a large following of 11 million followers cumulative across social media, which is insane. So what is that like for you? Like, how do you balance that kind of lifestyle with your personal private life?
Zack
If you like a look through my page, I don't really post anything like personal. To be honest, especially with me and Emma, we kept it offline for like six months. And I think it was like the healthiest thing we could do for our relationship. I don't know I just keep my circle small. I only really posted like my true friends and like family like Trey and John, nuts. That's really it, I don't really do much. I'm not like into controversy. I don't start drama.
Olivia
Yeah, that's why I was gonna say, thinking about it's like how you navigate a romantic relationship with someone else who also has a big following. But I guess you kind of answered like, you kept it private for the first few mon