Made for All. Made for San Francisco.

My name is Alex Shen and I’m the founder of Lower Grand Radio, but I primarily help keep things running smoothly – all the things that people don’t necessarily think might go into operating an internet radio station is what I handle. I like to prioritize DJs and the people who really make the station and give it personality. I decide and help curate the programming and help keep things going around here at Lower Grand Radio.

I’ve been in the Bay Area my whole life and I feel like I’ve seen it go through many changes, but it’s what keeps it exciting, and I love being here. SF has always had a vibrant counter-culture – from arts, politics, social equity to music.

I think Lower Grand Radio contributes to culture in the Bay Area by keeping it a healthy, rich place for things like music and art. Keeping it kind of goofy, kind of underground, like it’s always been to me. I just think that the Bay Area has kind of taught me how to be a self-serving, kind of do-it-yourself spirit, and I think that’s what I always try to remind myself when I organize things with Lower Grand Radio. I think it’s important to keep that ethos going, you know, and I think the Bay Area taught me that.

It hits deep, but, you know, life is about change – life is about adapting to things while also maintaining your integrity. And I think you notice when people are trying to do that here – you notice when things feel real. It’s important to keep yourself grounded. If you feel like you have a good footing in community, then the change doesn’t feel so intense. But that can be hard to maintain sometimes. I look to people who are around me doing amazing things with music and their art, and I think that’s one consistent thing that’s always happening in SF and the Bay Area.

Lower Grand Radio started really from an interest in pirate radio and doing things yourself, like starting a brand and a project and then roping friends into it. That’s really what it was. I started it in my garage with really basic equipment and just asked people for help – getting people to come DJ, to come show me music, to help with visuals – you know, create ideas and bounce things off one another. It really is a group effort on many different fronts. And I think after 11 years, I feel like it’s at a special place and we want to keep it going.

I think when people gather in a space, you know, it can be really special. When we’re coming together for one thing – sharing music – beautiful things come out of that. Different circles who might not cross come together and they kind of meet each other, and then things kind of organically blossom out of that. I try not to think about it so much that way, but you just try to connect to people in ways that are genuine and authentic. I think Lower Grand Radio is kind of a base for people connecting through music.

I wake up and I think ‘you want to look good, you want to feel good.’ If you feel that you look good and you’re wearing clothes that make you feel yourself and it’s an extension of your personality, I think you’ll have a better day. For me, I keep things pretty simple.

I think the Bay Area likes practicality. People like to be comfortable here. It’s all the West Coast, it’s California, you know? There’s an air of, like, I don’t care so much – it’s casual, you know? But you can tell when people kind of do a more personal things here, which is very much in the spirit of the Bay Area.

My name is Rewina “Row” Beshue, I am a multidisciplinary mixed-media artist from San Francisco. My work explores memory, dreams, perception, identity, belonging, and cultural memory through surreal imagery, layered compositions, and optical illusions. I make art first for myself. It helps me process what I’m feeling, helps me disconnect from screens and the constant information overload. I also create with the intention of sharing my belief that art is subjective, that there is no single “right” way to see, make, or experience something. My work explores that space between what I intend to create and what someone else ultimately sees.

For me personally, it’s been bittersweet. Growing up here, I have a deep emotional connection to the city, so seeing it change can feel like watching a part of your own identity fade away with the changes. A lot of these changes are strongly affecting our arts, culture and elderly communities that are under threat of displacements due to the current housing affordability crisis, especially the black and brown communities.

Growing up in Western Edition/Fillmore, I’ve had a front-row seat to a lot of the city’s major changes and gentrification. With the AI boom, San Francisco is welcoming a new community while gambling with the communities that have long shaped its cultural identity, risking the loss of the people, artists, and histories that make this city very special.

I’m hopeful about the people who continue to create and build community despite how difficult it can be to stay here. There are still so many artists, organizers, musicians, and cultural communities fighting to make space for themselves, and I find a lot of inspiration in that.

There’s an opportunity for UNIQLO to use its platform to uplift smaller creatives and communities that don’t always have access to larger platforms - emerging artists, musicians, designers, and marginalized communities whose work and perspectives are an important part of San Francisco’s cultural identity. For me, that’s what it means to be part of San Francisco’s next chapter. Not simply reflecting the city as it is today, but helping make sure there’s room for the people and culture that have always made it unique.

A lot of my work is influenced by the idea that beauty, art, and even the way we experience life are all subjective. Growing up in the city, I was exposed to so many different people, perspectives, cultures and ways of expressing yourself. It taught me early on that something doesn’t have to be universally understood or considered beautiful to have value. Everything can be appreciated in its own way, depending on who is experiencing it.

As the city shifts, I worry that San Francisco is slowly losing touch with the arts, culture, and communities that shaped it. As someone who grew up in a very different version of this city, I feel a responsibility to carry that creative spirit forward and represent the culture that raised me. There’s something radical about being creative in a place where so many artists and communities are being pushed out by rising costs, wealth, and tech, and still choosing to stay, create, document, and belong.

I mostly dress based on how I’m feeling, what’s comfortable, and what makes sense for my day. I tend to gravitate toward simple, versatile pieces and natural, earthy colors like black, brown, tan, blue, and especially green. I like having a good focal piece every now and then, but overall I prefer things that feel comfortable.
The city naturally influenced that. The microclimates mean you’re constantly layering and adapting throughout the day, so functionality and comfort became a big part of how I dress without me really thinking about it.

I live like a lot of San Franciscans, I’m constantly on the move. I’m layering up just in case the weather changes, and I prioritize comfort. Not everyone here dresses that way, but for me, it’s always been a natural part of how I get dressed. I’m used to leaving the house in the morning and not really knowing what the day is going to feel like, so I like having pieces that I can layer, take off, or add onto as I move around the city.