Clothes and Art with Japanese themes
(AdAm talking) We met in 2001 shortly after 9/11. Hiromi and some school friends were taking a tour of Boston. I was one of those cheesy tourist trap tour photographers. Fortunately Hiromi and friends were literally the only people taking a tour that day. So I had plenty of time for my sales pitch and to meet Hiromi. Definitely on top of my game that day. Sold the grossly overpriced glossy 8×10, 2 plastic fridge magnets, and felt a spark with Hiromi. I got really lucky when it turned out that Hiromi went to school just down the street and we ate lunch at the same place. After many bowls of clam chowder we were in love.

(Hiromi talking) AdAm has always been an artist, he draws all the time. I’m not really an artist in a drawing kind of way. I have ideas and sense of style this is what has made our partnership work. When we first met he spent most of his free time painting colorful crazy busy pictures of nothing. In Boston we were extremely BROKE. For dates we did bargain hunting for vegetables/fish, walking (sometimes with dogs), painting flower pots, and furniture shopping on Thursday nights (trash day eve). We fell in love being crafty with our lives.

(Together) Boston was way too cold for us so we moved to Tokyo (Hiromi’s hometown). Hiromi worked for a fashion brand doing office management type stuff and AdAm as an illustrator/package designer. The time in Tokyo was exciting and inspiring but we worked such long hours there was little time for our dreams. Feeling there was something better out there we quit our jobs, got married in a typhoon (very windy video), and moved to Raleigh, NC (AdAm’s Hometown). We started Ahpeele in our apartment living room. Fast forward to 2010 and we have a big studio with retail shop and gallery. Long hours are still the norm but we’re together and doing what we love.