I have your clothes. I bought it last summer, and so many people asked me “Wow, it’s so cool. Where did you get it?” How do you think your design attract people?
– I don’t know but I guess it’s the shape. Proportions are very big and then quite heavy. And maybe the construction like patchworks.
What made you decide to start making big clothes?
– Basically when I was younger, when I was still living with my friends, they used to steal my clothes. And my clothes looked better on them. They didn’t look good on me (laughs)
I think that your taste in graphic design is amazing. Where do you get inspirations from?
– Sometimes we find graphics and make our version of it, or we also make our graphics and then we put them into like a lo-fi filter. and we play it back like VHS, do a screen shot of that. So it kinda distorts it. And then if you bring it to screen print, it changes that more. So there’re a lot of processes to get to that point.
You used to make zines before. Do you think that’s affecting on your design in any way?
– I think it’s just the way I make stuff is sort of cut and paste. I like sort of like lo-fi aspect stuff. Even if I make graphics on computer program, I take a picture of the screen. So it can be destroyed by natural environment or something that I’m not in control of. I like that sort of little bit of distortion. Something unknown.
So you like stuff not too sophisticated or polished?
– Yeah. I think embracing unknown is sophisticated in different sense. I like letting things happen rather than controlling absolutely everything. If you control everything, it would be very polished and very clean. It’s just not exciting for me (laughs). I don’t want to know what’s gonna happen.
Do you think the music you like, hip hop or punk music, has anything to do that idea?
– Yeah. I think like UK grime music, that is more punk nowadays. It’s got the same energy. Punk is more like the attitude of not giving a fuck (laughs).
I heard you came all the way to Japan for Fuji Rock. Why do you think you get attracted to music so much?
– Just that energy isn’t it? Going out, dancing, going to see bands and MCs. That’s my ideal fun. That’s what inspires me.
Why did you decide to go into fashion, not music?
– I like music but I can’t play instruments (laughs).
You have strong connection with musicians, but is there anything in common between you guys or ideas you guys can share?
– Yeah I think that’s it. We have the same energy and same ideas and that’s what makes us get into music and clothes.
I think playfulness is one of the features of your design. How do you keep putting that playful element in your work?
– It’s sometime hard to accessible and to keep that energy. But when you do something you love, and it comes to the business, I can force myself to do stuff. But it comes to design, creative side, I can’t force myself sometimes. So I just leave the studio and go to an exhibition, go out with my friends, go dance or whatever.
At the end of your show the other day, I saw something like a monster. What was it?
– Haha. Yeah. We haven’t named them yet.
Was that your idea?
– Yeah. It was kind of a drawing I did for a print. And this idea kept growing up. It’s representing today. Teddy bear is a symbol of childhood, and then this sort of screeming mouth is like a band on a microphone or personal protest. Like someone stressed and trying to work out how to get food this time (laughs).
The hair and makeup on the stage was really unique as well. Was that your idea too?
– We used the built-up several references. For the hair, we worked with Tina Outen, and for the makeup, we worked with Jenny Coombs. We’ve been working with them since the first season. Always. We sit down, I show them some of my ideas, hair styles I like. Fringes like the 90’s boy band kind of style. And then we discuss how we can improve that and make it more fun. And we got teddy bear’s big mouth and that fringe together (laughs).
Which idea came up first? Teddy bear or band?
– Teddy bear.
So was the teddy bear the main theme of the show?
– I just thought teddy bear embodies the attitude of it. That is just like my idea how people feel. How the young generation feel today.
Are you conscious about the young generation when you design clothes?
– Yeah. When I say young generation, people like my age included. We’re gonna change the world and improve it. So I think that’s really important to make stuff for them and for myself. It’s important to have that attitude and stance for the brighter future.
How do you analyze young generation nowadays?
– There’re a lot changes going on. In especially America and Europe. Those are changing against our will. But I think we can change it eventually.
A lot of young kids are involved in social network and have been influenced big scale. How are you involved in social network you think?
– That’s what’s changing everything. You don’t need to read newspapers and government controlled things to get news and what’s going on. But I think news is still important because if you see only Facebook and instagram, you get only what you like. You don’t get to see or hear other opinions. That’s why we talk about the noise in this collection. You need to pay attention to all of the noise really. Lots of ideas. I don’t want people to run away from political, but I think people understand more when they get a lot of ideas.
I totally agree. I think it’s very interesting that you have the support of the young generation, but you use lo-fi stuff and presenting those noises. I think it’s important.
– Thank you.
I think that’s why I get attracted to your design. It’s not only interesting, but also there’s some strong ideas.
– Yeah. If I say “I don’t like this politician” that’s not beneficial for anyone. I just want to give them a little thing to make them question. That’s the same say musicians make songs and those inspire me.
Let me ask you about the collection a little bit more. I thought the collection was kinda mixture of fantasy, like world of game and reality and it was really interesting.
– I think clothes need to be fun. They also need to tell stories and show people excitement. It’s just clothes (laughs).
You just finished the collection. How do you feel now?
– Really good. I’m going to Paris to do some whole sale and everything now. I’m really happy. Let’s see how it goes. I think it was progression of what I’ve been doing. We kinda set out our group to the world. It’s about growing with new product. We’ve got the new ways to tell the story and develop it along with the brand.
There were some tighter and thinner designs as well on this collection.
– Yeah. That’s the part of the stylist I work with, Harry. He can really work with clothes and make them correct feel. More than just big clothes. Not all clothes are big right? That’s was quite fun.
Big clothes have been a trend maybe too long. But you don’t want to care about trend do you?
– No. I think it’s important and relevant to what I do but I wanna exist outside of that. It’s good to be aware of it but and maybe play my version of it. But I just don’t use it for the sake of trying to sell more. When people see me doing that. well, customers are clever. They wouldn’t like my design.
Is that true you met Cassette Playa and that made you want to become a designer?
– Yeah. I used to work for her. When I was a student, I was working with her. She’s a really bing influence on me. Before I started fashion, I was going to art college and doing a bit of everything. For me at the time, I wasn’t interested in fashion because I thought it was about gold watches, cars and suits or stuff like that. But she was making really exciting stuff and I understood.
I think that in London, designers like you or Cassette Playa come out every a couple of years. Do you know why?
– There are so many designers here. and more and more all the time. So many students. But for a lot of designers I think it’s about trying to move the brand bigger than London. They’re living on a airplane flying around the world. But for me, for now, I’m trying to build that in London and Japan because they understand it quite well.
