Toyota and UPROXX’s The Next Gear, a series that put emerging creatives in the passenger seat of the New All-Electric Toyota C-HR with Grammy-nominated DJ, producer, and songwriter Illenium to talk creativity, big dreams, and building a career that lasts, has reached its final ride. Closing things out: LA stylist and designer Toreno Winn.
For Toreno, the car is a “second home,” a “portable office,” and a place for “peace and quiet,” which makes this a fitting close for a series about how much a vehicle matters to up-and-coming creatives. A stylist first, Toreno is beginning to try his hand at creative his own designs, and the shift has brought some doubt with it.
“I keep holding on to things and I’m not putting it out… I’m such a perfectionist at times,” he said, so he asked Illenium how to know when the work is done.
Illenium’s advice: the work is never really done, you just have to know when to let go. “More exposure is better, let things be rough around the edges…There’s never going to be a perfect scenario where everything is ready.”
The episode also revealed a key piece of Illenium lore: his signature jersey look started out of “pure laziness,” because he hated checking a bag at the airport. Now fans show up to his shows in jerseys of their own. It’s a window into a less talked-about side of his artistry: how to let things grow organically, and evolve from a core identity instead of reinventing yourself with every project.
That’s a wrap on The Next Gear. Check out the full episode above. This editorial is presented in partnership with Toyota.
