“Stop killing us”. That was the simple request expressed on the scratch of an idea that crossed the mind of 21 year old creator, Sir King Rey Mundo Harry Castro - AKA Sir King Castro. Half Mexican and Half African, Sir King isn’t only calling Istanbul home for the moment - but he is hoping to create a community while here.

Born and raised in Ohio, US, the creator grew up surrounded by art and production done by his jeweler father, “who also made t-shirts and a little of everything” he tells The Dank Project. He also studied art and drama in High School and continued studying Drama in Chicago when he came to Istanbul to visit his father, who lives here.

“It was the end of 2020, Covid happened and I had the idea of producing pins already. I was coming to spend the holidays with my dad, and that was when he told me to not produce anything in the US but to do so in Turkey. My life wasn’t going the way I expected at the time so I decided to move here shortly after that trip.”

For the short 4 months Sir King has been in Turkey, he has already given birth to his brand Moonymoon Studio. The accessory that opened his business door is the Angel Baby MK1 Pin - a portrait of a black angel baby, looking up with innocent eyes questioning society on so many disturbing topics.

“It isn’t original at all. It’s just an angel baby, but hey, I realized we never see black angel babies ever. So I decided to make it happen.”

The first idea came last summer with the raising of Black Lives Matter protests - especially in the United States. Sir King was based in Chicago at the time, a forefront of police violence among the protesters. “I remember coming back home after work at night and seeing destroyed cars, glass everywhere, police chasing who was still on the streets. It was crazy.”

“I had this image in my mind of people looking for peace and safety. In this society, Black people are always assumed to be guilty on sight. For me the Black angel represents innocence. We are innocent.”

The idea was sitting in his sketchbook, but it took a moment to realize how he would like to proceed with it. That was when Sir King had the opportunity to work with Trap House Chicago, a streetwear store front focused on restorative justice.

According to their website, “(We) use streetwear and dialogues as tools to transform individuals, communities, and culture. Our mission is to bring an end to the crime and violence on Chicago's South and West Sides. Our vision is healthy communities of color that flourish due to a thriving local economy and vibrant culture of wellness and wholeness."

“They sell streetwear with a message and they use the profit to invest in the community. It’s a different approach to crime and punishment. It is about the root of it all: healing the community. That was dope as f*ck! I found it fascinating how they were using something like streetwear to send a message. Not only that, but the whole structure of it is a piece of art itself. It goes beyond selling stuff, it’s about giving back to that community.”

No business magically happen

“I hate the idea spread on social media that shit happens fast and easy. Before opening Moonymoon Studio, I had 2 other failed businesses. They taught me how to be where I am now”, he affirms.

That is because the knowledge of his experience on his failed previous attempt of business, growing up seeing his father producing delicate pieces, learning about restorative justice and more about art and business at The Trap House Chicago combined into the formula that is now Moonymoon Studio.

Sir King’s plans to continue using the baby as a symbol to comment on current events and create a community that will go beyond inspiring objects. The baby is a reminder of what we all came from: innocent babies. It also has no gender, since angels don’t carry such concepts.

“Beyond that, it represents that black and brown creators can do anything. We are born to soar, and I feel like society tells black people too much of ‘you can’t do this’ or ‘you can’t do that’, but we can do everything. You can do everything and anything you want. That is the message behind my brand.”

For the moment we can find the pack of angel stickers and the pins on Moonymoon Studio website, but Sir King plans to show a universe of intuitive and creative objects, like the next drop, a handmade rug.

You can find their objects on their website. Get to know the brand a little better on their Instagram, or follow Sir King to keep up to date with his adventures in Turkey.