On The Line With... Trey White

For this installment of On The Line With… we catch up with Chicago-based creative, Trey White, or @troisblancs as he’s known on IG. Trey is a burgeoning multihyphenate with his eyes set on the future. He’s a designer, producer, project manager, and pretty great cook according to his friends. His recent work is primarily centered around Augmented Reality, designing virtual activations for different brands including Reese Cooper and Notre Shop. From working with Benjamin Edgar to putting together dinner parties for StockX to documenting the opening of Virgil Abloh’s MCA event for Highsnobiety, it’s evident that he’s nothing less than ambitious. If you’re not yet hip to Trey’s work, it’s time to catch up because he’s going to be everywhere before you know it. Read up.

Describe what you do for a living and how you are adjusting to a new normal.

Hi, my name is Trey White and I am a multifaceted designer, producer, and project manager. I started Augmented Reality Co (ARC) which is an agency that utilizes Augmented Reality (AR) to solve client problems. Our projects span between marketing to e-commerce. I also work on th-oughts which is an online person-to-person education service connecting anyone to experts. Lastly, I take on freelance work including design, fashion consulting, branding, and more. I’m very fortunate that most of my work utilizes the internet to work. I’ve actually seen an uptick in terms of my work since the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak. 

The new normal is definitely not normal. I’m handling it pretty well, but would obviously love for the world to get back to where it was. I miss traveling and interacting in big groups! I really miss going to group dinners at places like Pizzeria Bebu. Restaurants really make cities special and there is a lack of support from the Government of these businesses. Since the covid breakout I’ve been primarily cooking at home. I have been testing out some new recipes for upcoming Project Ebi dinners. I am 1/3rd of Project Ebi which is a supper club based here in Chicago. Earlier this year we partnered with StockX for All Star Weekend.

How do you typically start your day? What daily rituals are you practicing?

I typically start my day with a shower and running through my notifications. I usually have honey nut cheerios with sliced bananas and water for breakfast. While eating breakfast I communicate with one of my workers in Morocco. The time difference forces us to work together during limited hours during my morning and his afternoon. For snacks throughout the day, I’ve been eating baby carrots, pineapple, and grapes.Then for dinner I’ve been cooking indian food or pasta. Occasionally I’ll spazz and make something fun.

I do full body HIIT 4-6 times a week right now at two different spots in the city! It is nice to get back in the gym with a personal trainer. During the first few months of quarantine I was creating my own full body workouts. Luckily I still had access to a full gym setup. But, it is good to be back!

What is keeping you grounded/balanced at the moment?

Working out has always been something that has helped me mentally. I know not everyone has access or the ability to do it. But, I can’t wait to start running again once my ankle is at 100%. 2 years ago I hated running and never ran more than 2 miles. I made it a goal to run a half marathon within 6 months. At 6 months I ran the half marathon and in 7 months I ran my first marathon. I hope someone reading this tries to breach their mental block of running. It is helpful to get (safely) out of the house and get access to sun, fresh air, and greenery. 

Another thing I have been doing since being quarantined is going for drives to outside of the city. The city is great when there are things to do, but there isn’t right now. Being able to listen to music, while getting some fresh air and sun has brightened this whole experience. I have also been constantly cleaning my new spot. 

What has been your most unexpected quarantine purchase?

A new apartment and some Off-White shoes! I really wanted these “floating arrow” shoes that launched a while back. The OG photo of them was soooo good. I kinda feel like I bought them because of the photo! I recently graduated college so this was my personal present for finishing.

What have been your favorite quarantine fits?

I’ve been rocking these double mesh Yellow Label Co. shorts that are amazing. Just pair them with a white women’s uniqlo tee and some dunks and you are good to go. I like dressing clean every day even if I am staying indoors, but I haven’t been rocking any of my crazy stuff as of recently. Gotta flex the orchids for now.

What advice would you give to someone who’s struggling in isolation right now?

Make sure to stay healthy and somewhat productive during these times. Drink water, catch some sun, and try to eat healthy. It is an easy time to order uber eats every day and sit inside. I think most people thought this would be temporary and treated the first few weeks as a vacation and now have hit a brick wall of boredom. This is our new normal (for now) so it’s time to start figuring out how to adjust and continue to stay productive and make money. 

What accomplishment or new project are you most proud of while social distancing?

I recently got a new crib! I moved out of my very cheap college spot and into a beautiful large spot in a new neighborhood. It’s been a breath of fresh air to get furniture that I have wanted for so long. I’m slowly piecing together the spot and looking to fill in the gaps as I go. So many chairs!!!!

Another fun one has been the IG lives the Th-oughts team has been doing. We crowdsource all of the questions from our comments. During the live we limit the expert to around 3 minutes to answer questions. The audience has loved the format due to our nature of having it be as organized as possible. 

I work closely with Ben Gott aka Benjamin Edgar. We worked together on this new cutting mat that launched. It’s based on the gravitational distortion, but applied to cutting mats which are typically mundane. One of Ben’s strategies is to apply humor to his products. Since this thing isn’t entirely practical due to the distortion, we used “?s” to replace numbers throughout the product. It’s quite good.

What are you most looking forward to once this is over?

I can’t wait to get back to Paris for fashion week. Watching the Reese Cooper documentary via StockX (starring your boy!) made me really miss it. There is something so special happening right now in that scene. People of the culture are finally getting the keys to really drive the entire scene. They are tapping their friends and other true creatives to work together. The shows, clothes, parties, and gatherings are just so fun right now. I miss riding limes with the gang. 

What have you learned about yourself during this time? Will you integrate that knowledge into your day-to-day moving forward?

Since moving I have realized the effect your space has on your day to day livelihood. Having a space you feel comfortable, relaxed, and happy in really changes up the game. I felt that my last place felt like a home, but after moving I realized how toxic of an environment it was. I work from home most days so I am often working from my kitchen or dining room. Before I didn’t even have the option to do that!

Trey White

Website | Instagram