PAQ: Dex

With his silver skull rings and painted nails, Dexter Black brings something different to the fore. Usually dressed in head-to-toe black, the 22-year-old takes his style cues from goth culture. “When I was younger I used to wear black a lot,” he explains. “It depended on my mood but in 2016 I just decided to commit. It’s comfortable, simple and fun because you’re always looking for new ways to wear it.”

Although his aesthetic is somewhat nonconformist in spirit, Black leaves any style stubbornness at the door when it comes to challenges, which often require him to build looks in collaboration with other creatives. “I don’t know what I am, but I’m something,” he jokes during an episode that forces him to ditch the black in favour of double denim and a brightly coloured neck scarf to offset the palette of fellow YouTuber Nina Huynh.

But Black’s eagerness to defy expectations goes beyond fashion. Like all the PAQ boys, the artist is working to chip away at the myths that surround masculinity. Black was born with a hole in his heart along with a condition called Tetralogy of Fallot. In an episode where the group have to confront their biggest fears for a shoot, he talks openly about his experiences in hospital and his anxiety surrounding the likelihood of him having another operation in years to come. “I’m actually facing this,” he says during the shoot. “I know that it might have to happen in the future, but I feel a lot better.”

Outside of PAQ, Black – who grew up with a father who made reggae rap and a mother who wrote poetry – works as a writer, musician and producer. “I’ve always loved music and used to write for fun, but as I got older it became my way to express the emotions I was feeling,” he says.

Inspired by the likes of MF Doom, Raider Klan and Three 6 Mafia, Dex’s sound is much like his style. “My music can be quite dark,” he adds, highlighting the similarities between the two. “I would say how I dress is a blank canvas and my sound is the artwork I decide to create”. But that doesn’t mean he’s in charge of the music used for the channel. “No… PAQ is a family show,” he laughs in response to this.

I finish up my conversation with Black by asking his thoughts on what the next big thing in streetwear might be. “That’s up to the youth,” he answers rather cryptically. However, in hindsight, his response is pretty fitting. PAQ isn’t a show that tells young people what to wear; it’s a platform that gives them the inspiration to decide for themselves. Predicting the next big thing would only serve to defeat that.