TeamWorks founder Neal Santos is a bit reclusive and particularly opinionated, not a fun dude to be on the other side of an argument with. I've just arrived at his place and am trying to get him to turn down the audio from one of Grand Theft Auto 4's radio stations that he has blaring from his speakers although the TV is off. Telling him that an interview can't be conducted with all the noise doesn't seem to matter at all, he tells me that he just won't do the interview then and turns up the volume. This is how it begins.

To his credit, the particular radio show he is listening to is hilarious. In fact, he's already heard it so many times that he almost has it memorized and is in the middle of recording it to minidisc so he can take it with him in his car. I wonder how many people in the world are doing that exact same thing at the exact same moment. Probably none. That's the thing with Neal, he's just slightly askew. However, it's this slight disconnect with the rest of the world that has made him the influential figure he is. Far from a follower of trends, he's the rare breed that can visualize them. He tells me that the last time he looked at a blog was in December, and it was only because he was guest curating it.

Unfortunately for those hoping to hear what Neal is up to next, he's reticent to talk about anything on the record, due mostly to his inherent fear of biters. He knows they are lurking everywhere and ready to run with the first original idea they can get their hands on. And he's not giving it up. Alternately hilarious and terrifying, Neal is a true representative of the Old New York, he's wit and chaos combined and has zero tolerance for pretentiousness. This is what sets him far apart from most of the individuals with brands these days.

Now holed up in Brooklyn, in Williamsburg no less, filled with the sort of unoriginal people who are the antithesis of Neal, he's hard on the grind preparing to drop the TeamWorks summer line this July. It's particularly ironic that he's in Brooklyn after being raised in Hunts Point in the Bronx and Inwood in upper Manhattan, because although he's never lived there before, a random act of urban planning, a "curse" as he calls it, led him to be born in the borough of Kings. This is because the trip on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to a hospital in BK was quicker than the local roads to a hospital in the Bronx would have been. So in a sense, he’s home, although he'd never admit it.

Affiliated with Supreme since 1997, Neal has a long history in the streetwear world. He's also worked with Nort and TeamWorks was launched in 2007. Most recently Neal was behind the Supreme resurrection of the Oakley Frogskins along with his friend Greg Lucci from Gourmet and Ends, and he's currently working with G Shock, both as a spokesmodel and a designer. His long history has left him somewhat jaded and weary but its also allowed him to make decisions for his brand that have given it the vantage point of a well established label even though it's only two years old. The key has been restraint. For summer 2008 TeamWorks will drop only four designs and a logo tee, although there will be multiple color ways of each. The line will only be available at Supreme in Japan, Union in NY and LA, Patta in Amsterdam, and Lafayette in Yokohama. Thematically, the line is pensive and nostalgic for the New York that Neal grew up in, a New York which is quickly disappearing. The TeamWorks "T" tee is an ornate lithograph style piece done by the artist Alexander Dawson which incorporates several iconic elements of the city while the "Heaven Help Us" tee by Sally Young of One Gun Press depicts the rapid gentrification infecting all the boroughs but personified by the Lower East Side, where Neal happens to have lived for 8 years. Other designs include a "Key" filled with the names of places and items that anyone with a love for NY would hold dear and a hand drawn "Wanted Poster" which is sure to be one of the more unique pieces of the summer.

In addition to the apparel, TeamWorks is focused on multimedia. Neal has several projects in the works including an online television show, The Gauntlet, and a series of mixtapes. Distributed for free via the TeamWorks site, the first mix features diverse artists like The Knife, Fela Kuti, Portishead, Beanie Sigel, Ozzy, and Kriz Y Angel. The TeamWorks mixes are kind of like an advance thank you to future customers, and something that communicates aspects of a brand that not many people will actually be able to get a hold of due to its limited production and distribution. In lieu of product, it's Neal’s mission to make sure he's always got something for the people that will tide them over until product can finally be had.