Spending time with Louis De Guzman feels less like an interview and more like stepping into a system that has been built slowly and with intention. His practice is rooted in trust, family, and a belief that longevity matters more than momentum. Alongside his manager and business partner, Austin Neely, Louis has shaped a way of working that moves fluidly between art, business, and culture without ever losing its center.
His story begins in Chicago, but not through the familiar lens of competition. Instead, he came up in a moment defined by collaboration, a generation of creatives showing up for one another, sharing space and resources, building together. That environment shaped how he understands success, not as a peak to reach, but as something sustained through relationships, a mindset that continues to influence both how he creates and how he moves through the world. “To me, it feels like we’re all growing up, and I never want to lose sight of that.”
Over the last several years, Louis has become widely recognized for a body of work spanning installations, product, sculpture, and painting, alongside collaborations with global brands including Sonic, Uniqlo, New Balance, the Chicago Cubs, Bape, and pop culture projects like The Simpsons. Those partnerships expanded his reach without defining the limits of his practice. Each became another surface to tell a story, not a replacement for the work itself. For years, his visual language was immediately recognizable, a palette, a pattern, a technique that could stop you mid-scroll. “Breaking off into something more original was part of the process, I always want to challenge myself.” Then the work shifted. Painting moved to the center, and the work grew quieter, more personal, more reflective.
Louis does not see that shift as a departure. Changing mediums, for him, is part of staying alive as an artist, a refusal to protect a lane at the expense of curiosity. “If you’re enjoying it and it’s bringing new ideas, that’s how you know you’re moving in the right direction.” Questions about acceptance within fine art spaces never carried much weight. What mattered more was the feeling, and throughout that evolution, Austin remained a constant, protecting the space where the work could grow honestly and with intention.
That honesty extends beyond the studio. Louis speaks openly about growing up Filipino and how deeply that identity shaped his values, his sense of hospitality, and his understanding of family. Pride in heritage, roots, and where he comes from has always been present, even when it was not explicitly named. “I say team, but I’ve always seen family. I always carry that with me — I love being family oriented because it keeps me grounded.” That sense of family shows up in how he moves through rooms, how he supports other artists, and how collaboration remains central to his practice. Presence mattered more than perception. There was never a moment where he adopted the posture of being too cool.
As the work grew, the business became unavoidable. Payroll, rent, insurance, production timelines, manufacturing, and the reality that other people’s lives are tied to your decisions. Louis is clear about that responsibility. This is art, but it is also a business, and what he has learned is that the product alone is not what sustains it. “People do not just buy objects. People buy into who you are rather than what the end product is” Some of his recent works feel like visual journal entries shaped by mental health, conversations, and lived experience, aiming not to impress and move on, but to connect, to make something that reminds someone else they are not alone. “When the work comes from real life, it finds real people.”
The myth of the lone genius never applied. Louis calls it a team, then corrects himself, family. Without that structure, without Austin and others holding different strengths, the work would not be sustainable. The system protects the practice, allowing him to stay close to creation while the business remains stable. That same maturity shapes how he approaches partnerships. Not every opportunity is a yes. Not every bag is good money. Timing matters. Context matters. Sometimes the right answer is no, sometimes it is not now, and sometimes it is yes, but in a different form. Learning when and how to say yes has been as important as the work itself.
That thinking feeds directly into his newest chapter, In Full Color. What began as a shelved idea resurfaced with clarity and purpose. In Full Color is not merch, it is a philosophy. Louis describes it as broadcasting possibilities, defining yourself at full potential, and living without muting your range. Drawing from vintage television, relaxed yet refined eras of style, and silhouettes built with intention, the brand focuses on cut-and-sew garments, thoughtful hardware, custom fabric weights, and considered packaging. It signals quality without exclusion, accessibility without disposability, expression without chasing trend. A younger version of himself could walk into the space and feel invited, not intimidated.
They are not chasing what is hot. They studied the landscape, saw where the market was saturated, and chose to build their own channel. The first collection, Channel Not Available, is a quiet statement about tuning into yourself instead of searching for permission. Just as important, In Full Color is designed to stand on its own, not as an extension of Louis De Guzman the artist, but as a world that can exist independently, where the product carries the identity and the values outlast the moment.
Underneath everything is an ongoing conversation about balance. Family, faith, health, rest. Sleepless nights are no longer a badge of honor. Life has to be lived for the work to stay real. What began as a need to create and survive through creativity has expanded into something larger, building something sustainable enough to support future family, aging parents, and a life beyond the studio. Somewhere along the way, Louis realized it was never just about him. If he could speak to the kid who feels split between identities, unsure whether they are allowed to be more than one thing, the message would be simple. Look behind the curtain. Study the ecosystem. There are more roles, more paths, and more ways in than you think. And if you are the one with too many ideas, too much range, and too much curiosity, trust that instinct. Everyone is born creative. The only question is whether you give yourself permission to live that way. In full color.
