So back in 2023 I visited this massive warehouse home to a few different artists and letter-pressers, lithographers, paper-makers and what else may lie within the walls that I am totally unaware of. Little known to me, at the time, I was going to love everything I saw. Casually strolling in with my film camera, a kind face greeted my friend and I (who is a letterpress artists himself) and was ecstatic to show us around. I remember his greeting feeling very warm and seeing the dried ink on his fingers. One of the first things I noticed was the cuff on his jeans and the obvious thought behind his outfit. The way he presented was “someone who is at work, with machines, ink, oil and whatever else may stain your garments, but is definitely going to wear what he wants.” There was intent and thought behind the way he presented himself, which was apparent from the start. I learned immediately his name was Evan. As he bonded with my pal over the art and machinery, I dawdled around the cold concrete factory floors with my camera – intently listening to the conversation and explanations of such machinery and what they were for. Evan was obviously a busy guy and was kindly taking time out of his day and work to show us his, and some of the other occupants space.

After a good hour of conversation and a beer nearby, we split ways and said our goodbyes. I knew then I probably wasn’t going back anytime soon, but I also had an intrinsic feeling I’d see Evan again at some point. I went months, actually – nearly a year without going back, but I kept thinking to myself; “when will I go back?” I had obviously caught the bug for it. I’ve always been interested in type, graphic design and lettering in general, so could I actually see myself participating in this art form? Maybe. I thought about it for awhile. I remember hanging out with my good friend Ezra and asking him about what he was up to art-wise, knowing he’s always making some form of art whether it be poetry or music. I think we got on the topic of physical art like posters and design and a lightbulb went off in my noggin. ‘Wait – I know a place we could do that.’ Evolution Press immediately came to mind. I figured it wouldn’t hurt much to reach out and see if they offer some sort of classes or something. Some sort of cosmic alignment happened, because the next day on Instagram I saw Evolution Press post something about signing up for classes! This was a golden opportunity. I told Ezra this must happen and we were the first to sign up. It was actually Evan’s co-worker and assistant Brooke who responded and Evan said he was stoked to hear from me and see we were rearin’ to go. About a week later, we stepped into the doors of the warehouse once again. Well, I did – Ezra had never been. The rest is history. Except it isn’t..

To shorten the story; Ezra and I kept returning and eventually starting to help out around Evan’s shop. He kindly showed us how to work some of the machines and clean certain equipment in exchange for knowledge and art. I’ve been now creating art in that space since December last year and have learned so much. It’s slowly, but surely, become a passion of mine to put type and ink onto paper. I can’t thank Evan enough for that. Through his tutelage, we were able to learn so much and create so much (and still are!) Something I saw through the time I’m able to spend with Evan is his impeccable style. The man is very much vintage-inspired and digs the ivy-workwear adjacent garments and profiles of the past. He blends it together extremely well in a way that works for his job and environment without it looking like he’s dressing for a workshop. I have never known anyone to ‘put that shit on’ like he does while he’s on his feet all day, whether that’s working a machine that’s over 70 years old, building shelves, sanding down business cards, setting type, painting hub caps and all while playing with his dog and hanging out with his kiddos. A real renaissance man, truly. After contemplating the idea of doing a Style Profile for him for several months, I came out with it and asked. He was elated, thankfully, and I got him to dig an hour or so out of his busy day for some photos and a conversation. What you see below is our chat synopsis and the photos from our time together thus far.

… : indicates partial conversation or a continuation of such

ME – Firstly, how did Evolution Press come about? ‘Cos I remember reading on your site that it was purchased by you but started by someone else originally, right?

EVAN – Yeah, let’s see… it was started by Scott Hill in 2000 in Belltown…

ME – Oh so it hasn’t always been here? In this area?

EVAN – Nope! It’s actually been a couple of places. I didn’t see it in Belltown, but it started out there. I actually heard a story where they had to take a window out just to fit one of the presses in the building because it was so large… anyway, at some point he moved into a Ballard location where he was for a long time… I started there in 2011 and bought the shop in 2017. Which seemed like a much longer time than it actually was.

ME – Oh okay – so you say ‘started’ – I had no idea you worked for him for a while before you bought it.

EVAN – Yeah! It was a great time. I got laid off at the very beginning of 2011 and I was taking design classes at School of Visual Concepts… and got exposed to Letterpress there. I had done some printing but nothing to that scale. I was mostly doing screen printing and stuff. So when I heard of an actual old school operated letterpress shop and that Scott had donated some old machines to SVC I figured they had a history. So I connected to Scott and started a rapport and kept in touch. This was over the course of a couple of months. We eventually met and I asked him to apprentice with him.

ME – So you kind knew Letterpress was the calling in a way?

EVAN – Well, I knew I wanted a job! *laughs*

ME – Well it kind of aligned with what you enjoyed anyway?

EVAN – Yeah – I kinda knew I would be good at it. The moment I saw those old presses, I was enamored.

… I picked up pretty quickly (once I started working with Scott) I was running jobs by myself after a couple of weeks. It was great. It felt like 20 years, but really I was only there for five years before Scott decided to make a big life change. He and his family ended up moving to Canada and I knew at this point I didn’t want to find another gig because I liked the space, the equipment and the environment and such… Scott ended up selling the building so a month later it was go-time. He was very supportive and wanted to see it keep going. I really didn’t want to change much… I wanted to keep the ‘good thing’ going y’know?

ME – In a lot of ways, I feel like the name Evolution Press means a lot more now, then. It really has evolved into something new.

EVAN – *laugh* The name stuck. I’ve grown to embrace it. The nature of what we do… the world changes, so we adapt to it. The world changes but you also have to hope that people still value what you do. Especially with stuff that’s old. I mean, there’s a Cobbler in my neighborhood… I can’t imagine he’ll be around much longer and it makes you think how this will affect craft in the future.

ME – I know what you mean. I use old machines at Blue Owl and it makes me wonder how much longer they’ll be around. The people that contain the knowledge to keep them running are few and far between, and many people don’t want to learn about them these days.

EVAN – We have an old machine in the shop who a older retired Engraver is gonna come in and teach us how to use. I mean… thank god… because if not him, then who? …we would have such a difficult time learning to get that thing going on our own. There are always going to be people interested in old things, I think. Letterpress had it’s time in the sun.. for example, it was ‘hot’ in the early 2010’s. “Cool hipster stuff.” I think Letterpress will always be around.

ME – I think it’s timeless, right? That’s a big reason why I love it so much myself. It’s not something that is really ever gonna go away, to a certain extent.

EVAN – Right, it has a tactility that other printing doesn’t have… it’s very hands-on. All it requires is electricity… and sometimes, even nothing at all. As long as we have paper to print on. Mt. Rainier could erupt… a nuclear bomb could go off… and we could still make posters. *laughs*

ME – A timeless craft for sure. It’s like making clothes. As long as we have people with the knowledge to weave, we’ll have garment makers.

ME – Do you still see yourself doing Letterpress 10 – 20 years from now?

EVAN – Oh yeah. I do. 10 years flies by, and you don’t even feel it. Sounds like a Pink Floyd lyric, but it’s so real.

…

The reoccurring theme throughout our chats was the importance of holding on to these old crafts and the process of the craft itself dearly. You can’t have it done well and quickly at the same time. You can’t also have it done well and cheap, either. There’s a principle to such a craft. Something that can be tied in with heritage clothing. Most brands and creators you support or would like to support are true artists and craftsman – they abide by these rules because there’s a necessity to it. If you want a good, well-made product that’ll last you a long time, it also will take time to get this product and it will (usually) be costly, too.

Evan and I spoke on the understanding of how many people are disconnected from the things that they consume. Generally the average consumer is unaware of the entirety of the process of how their item, art, or even garment ended up with them. Nowadays people appreciate something that is immediate and cheap, given the common circumstances, and how can you blame them? With an ever growing cost of living, why not buy what’s cheapest? Why not buy whatever is going to get to you the quickest point of satisfaction? Once it breaks or falls apart, you can just buy another because it’s more affordable. At this point we are disconnected from the process and the hands that brought it to you. There is always human involvement. Cheap items, especially clothing, has a price. ‘Technological friction’ as Evan calls it. It’s all about removing the friction from your everyday life through these cheaper, faster, easier and less involved purchases. Technology has become more so a pair of blinders than a tool in this way.

…

ME – I think there’s plenty of ways people can give into that super easily. Instead of making the art yourself, you can have some cheap shit made for you. Or sometimes, actually a lot more than sometimes nowadays, have AI do it for you. There’s very few people in my life that see something and say ‘I want that. I’ll make it myself.’ People who will make that shelf, or make that art with their own hands. You’re one of those people.

EVAN – Well, thank you. That means a lot. I think it makes me think of my grandpa. I have to give a lot of the credit to him. I think it’s also tied to the style I represent myself in. I don’t care if someone I don’t know thinks I’m weird because of the way I dress. In whatever I do. The car I’m driving, the music I’m listening to. I’m doing it for myself. I just don’t care anymore!

ME – *laughs* I agree, man.

EVAN – Most people are not very interesting. I like to have faith in humanity; I mean everyone has a story. But not everybody wants to challenge themselves or be seen as interesting. I’m not saying I’m doing that per say, but at a certain point doing your own thing is really challenging the world. I mean what the hell else are you gonna do?

ME – No, I totally agree. Stepping outside the box and living your own reality of what you enjoy is definitely challenging the world. A lot of people want you to just be whatever they consider ‘normal’ or what a person is supposed to be like.

EVAN – I think I would consider myself a romantic in a lot of ways. Being a romantic doesn’t exactly pay your bills *laughs* but I think I’d rather pursue something I’m passionate about. Doing it the hard way, you could say. There’s a beauty imbued in it.

ME – That challenge is more rewarding. Doing it yourself. Being yourself. It’s okay to be romantic!

EVAN – You’re right. You write a story in your head and I just wanna live that story. *laughs*

Evan is someone who is always wearing exactly what he wants to wear, switching between Ivy and more workwear focused garments, he executes the looks perfectly. You can tell this is someone who doesn’t stalk forums or waft through Instagram accounts to find inspiration. He pulls it from very classic examples of the things he loves. Whether it’s jazz, painting, French chic or the salt flats racing of the 1940’s. This is someone who has effortless style and appreciates the old things which is reflected in his stylistic choices and through the work he does everyday. A lot of what Evan wears is, evidently, actually worn for work. Through his tattered and ink covered coats, his well-loved garments actually tell stories. Stories of countless hours spent laboring over old machines, presses, ink rollers and power tools. This is someone who uses their clothes for what their meant for, but also looks damn cool while doing so.

Through our conversation Evan revealed a lot about what inspires him and keep him going. There was a moment where he spoke of the moment every artist has – “what am I doing here?” What a poignant question, and also incredibly sobering. I think it’s something we can all relate to in someway. What is the purpose of the things we do? What keeps us going? Is it the connections we make? The art? The relationships we have crafted and hold dearly?

Being a business owner was it’s own challenge, and through that he made strides over hurdles that a lot of us could only dream of doing. Thankfully, Evan had a great mentor through his previous boss, Scott, whom he bought EP from and then crafted it to what it is today. He remembers fondly how Scott was able to balance work-life and know when to call a spade a spade. Scott was a businessman but an artist first, and because of this, Evan learned a lot about how to run a business but also be an artist through his endeavors and time spent with him.

Evan’s grandpa was also a shining example of someone who held true to his personal endeavors and interests. He truly was a man who kept his family afloat and worked hard to achieve what he needed to. In his later years he was more in tune with his artsy and crafty side. Evan remembers fondly him working on multiple things in his studio near his home. These memories and time spent with his grandfather inspired him deeply and crafted who he is today.

The time spent I’ve with Evan I will remember fondly as well. With how authentic he is as a person, it’s easy to look up to such a dude! A great teacher, a family man, and a good pal.

If you would like to support Evolution Press, or just learn more about Evan’s biz and art. Please check out this link here. I will also link his Instagram below!

• Instagram

Thank you for reading.