One part electro to two parts disco, The Ones’ 80s-infused sound is as uniquely infectious as its gregarious members—Paul Alexander, JoJo Americo and Nashom Wooden. And all this from a trio of downtown club icons whose high-fashion connections go back to high school (Alexander befriended Marc Jacobs back when the two were 15).

From stints as shop boys at stylist Patricia Field’s namesake boutique (back when its roots were planted in the East Village), to topping UK charts with club-friendly hits like “Flawless” and “Superstar,” it’s been quite a ride for The Ones. And, considering their long-awaited self-titled debut album finally drops this spring—and boasts production by A Touch of Class, the NYC team responsible for lending its own Midas touch to both Scissor Sisters and The Gossip—it’s only the beginning. psychoPEDIA called Alexander on a chilly weekday morning to discuss the band’s upcoming star-studded video shoot, as well as the new accessory he can’t live without. In his own words:

How are you?
I’m good. Just watching The View. Whoopi Goldberg has made that show really good.

I heard that you have quite a beloved recent purchase?
Yes, my new favorite thing is my Comme des Garcons wallet. It’s a replacement for my Prada wallet. I lost two other [Prada wallets] from drunken nights out. My third one was perfect; it was red. It got worn and torn and the zipper was damaged. When I took it to Prada they wouldn’t replace the zipper and they didn’t sell it anymore. So I found this new Comme des Garcons wallet. I took it on default but I’m so happy with it. I can’t believe I haven’t used it all along.

What do you love most about it?
It’s so big you can use it as a folder. You can organize your bills and your receipts in it. It’s big enough and small enough. It is the ultimate wallet. It’s embossed in their design—a circle and a star or snowflake. And that it’s red.

Why red?
Red is meant to be a good luck color for money. So that was mandatory—it had to be red and Prada’s didn’t come in red anymore.

For status-conscious people, what does the wallet symbolize?
What I like about it is that it’s kind of like the Bottega Veneta theory—your own initials are enough. Anyone who knows Comme des Garcons will recognize it, and, if you don’t know it, it doesn’t scream at you. An educated consumer will know what it is. It’s got that kind of privileged club thing where if you’re cool enough to know, you’ll know what I’m doing when I pull it out; but, if you don’t, it won’t scream at you like a Louis Vuitton does.

Does that relate to your personality as well?
Yes, because I am showy like that. But I don’t want to be in your face about it. If you’re up on it you’ll be like, ‘wow, that’s good.’ If you’re not you won’t think I’m a designer label snob, which I really am.

Is it true that The Ones met at Patricia Field?
Yes, we were all working at Patricia Field. We worked there for a long time; we got our back teeth growing up in that store—the old store on 8th Street. Then I worked at Bergdorf Goodman doing visual display. And I styled music videos and fashion. I’m all about fashion. I love luxury items.

Do you think one’s wallet represents its owner?
Yeah, to a real fashion person it’s all about the details. What a good shoe and a good wallet say is everything. They are also the places most people would overlook. Say you were to wear a Christian Lacroix dress with a Payless shoe—it diminishes it. Whereas, if you buy a Targé [Target] dress and wear it with a Christian Louboutin shoe it lifts it up. The wallet is the same idea. Those little details totally make the difference.

What do you think about Marc Jacobs’ latest campaign featuring Posh Spice [Victoria Beckham] and MIA (individually)?
That is shocking! MIA? She is not so well known, but I think she is the biggest, hottest thing at the moment. She has been for a while; she’s hitting it. I’m so happy he chose her for that. Victoria, I thought she equated everything that the luxury brand is about. She’s young; she lives the lifestyle. But I think it is celebrity obsession that’s really pushing the market. I don’t see music as much as Hollywood. I don’t think it’s going to change. At this point celebrity just comes from having enough money to buy publicity. We’re celebrating people for the fact that they bought PR. But that’s our culture at this moment, and the fact that the media is basically always Paris, Lindsay and Britney stories is proof in the pudding.

Speaking of Marc, I hear he’ll be making a cameo in your video shoot this weekend…
Yeah. It’s for our single, "When We Get Together". The idea between the director and ourselves was to have various people show the spectrum—general walks of life coming together and being one. We’re all as good as the last; everyone influences and everyone is important in this world. That’s my opinion. It’s just trying to put a nice little cap on all of that. We’ve asked the Scissor Sisters, a couple burlesque stars, a few models, because everyone loves some pretty models... Deborah Harry, Ultra Naté, Jody Watley from Shalamar. It’s just a microcosm of society.

Any idea of what kind of wallet Marc carries?
You know, I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s a Marc Jacobs or a Louis Vuitton. I don’t think he’s such a loyalist. But I know he loves Louis Vuitton, because when we were kids there was a painting in his house of The Supremes done in the Louis Vuitton pattern… I didn’t know about these things. He educated me. He was a sophisticated Upper East Side-r and I was growing up in the Bronx. He explained all that to me and that’s one thing I’ve always associated with him. So, years later for him to be designing Louis Vuitton is ironic.

What is your favorite place in NYC to pull out your wallet?
Well, there isn’t just one [laughs]. Every day I go to the Chelsea Market and I pull out the wallet and think about how happy I am that I can organize my bills. Before I used to fold money in half; now I lay all the [bills] next to each other. I learned in Japan how they deal with money—they lay the money so that all the faces are upright and facing the same direction; they’re all lined up in numerical order. And it’s a joy.

~Alisa Gould-Simon


Watch The Ones' video for "Ultra Modern Disco."