Live in Color co-founder Christopher Sebastian Blotiau, with his girl Zuzana Zlatovska [photo by Maud Duchac]

“Though I’m not a life long local, I choose to live in Montauk because it’s so easy to appreciate life and earth here,” Christopher Sebastian Blotiau tells KDHamptons.  “My everyday lifestyle is filled with surfing, sailing, and making clothing for my new brand, Live in Color.”  Hey, sounds great to us!  Montauk’s nickname may be “The End”, but it’s clearly just the beginning for so many creative, cool, and talented young people who prefer to call it “Home”.  Christopher shares a view inside his magical Montauk world in this NEW KDHamptons Lifestyle Diary, below: 

[photo by Maud Duchac]

Misty sunset over Ditch Plains in Montauk

KDHamptons: How long have you been coming to the Hamptons?  What do you love most about the east end?

Christopher Sebastian Blotiau:  I’ve been coming to the Hamptons and Montauk for most of my life.  I grew up on Long Island, only a short car ride away.  Before I was old enough to go places alone, I was anxious to travel.  I never felt intimidated to drive a few hours east or west to surf a bit, and then return home all in a day.  What I appreciate about Montauk mostly is its geographic character.  As far as surfing goes on Long Island, the south facing shore is mostly a long stretch of sand.  In its hundred miles or so, there’s just a handful of special coastal features along the way that create good surf, but there’s a few really alluring things I find in Montauk − including my morning routine of checking all the different spots around here when there is swell in the water.

[photo by Stefan Beaumont]

KDHamptons: Please tell our readers about your clothing line, Live in Color.

Christopher:  Live in Color is a brand I created with my best friend Ef, which expresses our passion and concepts on clothing− it’s our way of showing how we feel, and what we think through our art.  We design, create, print and dye our materials ourselves, and don’t follow a traditional route in developing our collection according to seasons or structure.  We started this project making all sorts of things, experimenting, and trying to capture inspirations we felt would show more depth in our clothing [pictured above, and below].  Our approach to creating a brand is more as artists as opposed to businessmen, which definitely has its downsides, but the whole point of this concept was to create an escape from the mundane.   I’ve discovered arduously, you can’t just experiment with dozens of different dye techniques and forego a business model, and fortunately my girl Zuzana is super sharp in that respect.  Her business acumen has helped bring structure to our work, and she also takes beautiful photographs − so I think we found our first official employee!

[Photo by James Katsipis]

KDHamptons:  Where can our readers purchase the Live in Color collection?

Christopher:  Our website is our main way of taking orders right now at www.liveincolorworld.com we put up new stuff up for sale all the time − whatever’s poppin in the studio.  If it’s cool we keep it, if not, it dies and we bury it.  We have a few things planned for  summer including a pop-up shop at the Out East Gallery, and you can find us at local craft fairs.   Last year, I hosted an event called Style Summit in which we invited other skilled artists and brands of the area to showcase their work.   I’m planning to host a follow up event this fall and kick it up a notch this time round.  Getting our clothing into the right stores is the new frontier for us, and Martine & Juan in Montauk looks to be our maiden shop.  I couldn’t be more stoked about it, they’re an epic couple with unique sensibilities and great style, so I’m hoping that makes me a good match.  The best way to stay updated on what we’re doing is through Instagram @liveincolorworld and our Facebook page www.facebook.com/licworld

KDHamptons: How would you describe your perfect Hamptons day?

Christopher:  Ummm….a perfect day in the Hamptons?  A perfect day would probably be the same day for me anywhere in the world, which means three things: good waves, good food, and good friends.  That’s a perfect day, but two of the three would be just fine.

Christopher catches a wave at Ditch Plains [photo by Corey Senese]

KDHamptons: Do you surf every day? Would you share your favorite spot?

Christopher:  I don’t surf every single day of the year, but I am surfing year round.  My favorite spot is never one location.  An amazing thing about surfing is that you’re dealing with a medium that is constantly changing.  You can do your best to understand it, and learn certain characteristics, but it also means you’re always on the hunt.  For me, that means no one spot could ever be my favorite.  The joy is in the chase, and the reward is where you find it.  It’s never the same.

[above, photo by Stefan Beaumont] “A mandatory meditation session before bombing Mexican beach break.  This day was pure survival mode for me, but I picked off a few nugs and set a solid rhythm for myself for the rest of the week as the swell only slightly faded and continued to humble me daily.  Force yourself to do things outside of your comfort zone and you’ll be rewarded,” says Christopher.

Barreling waves in Jersey [photo by Erik Schwab]

Ditch Plains overlook

KDHamptons: What is your favorite Hamptons restaurant?

Christopher:  Choosing a favorite restaurant can be difficult given the amount of really talented people creating incredible food and dining experiences on the east end.  That being said, my favorite places depend on what I am in the mood for: Zum Schneider for the best beer − hands down, Navy Beach for a fancy sunset date with Zuz, Montauket for a casual one, and West Lake fish house because whatever restaurant Larry runs is sure to serve an epic meal.  Oh, and the new Montauk spot, Left Hand Coffee has some delicious brew too, cold brew.  Like I said….too many to choose.

Coffee break with Zuz at LEFT HAND

Navy Beach

The Montauket is known as one of the best sunset spots on the east end….photo proof below. 

LEFT HAND Coffee