We caught up with the artist about his creative process, what summer means to him, and his outlook on the collaboration.
It’s a Friday evening, just as the sun begins to set. It’s been one of those warm days where you can actually smell the heat in the air. I take a fresh shower, put on freshly washed and ironed clothes, and head up to Lila29.
As I settle into a seat at the rooftop bar, a gentle breeze drifts through, just enough to keep the heat at bay. Soft '80s music plays in the background, not too upbeat... yet. A cocktail sits in front of me, I'm surrounded by good friends, and the conversation is light and easy as we wait for our food to arrive.
We order starters, mains, and dessert. No rushing, no agenda.
We finish with another drink. There are no plans for what comes next, but that's part of the beauty of it. The evening could go anywhere. Anything is possible.
This might sound a little corny, but I find inspiration in life itself. Just being alive and doing everyday things. Consuming content both online and offline, visiting museums and exhibitions, talking with friends, going to parties and festivals, taking a walk, or even doing absolutely nothing... it all inspires me.
I'm like a sponge. I absorb everything around me, let it all mix together somewhere in the back of my mind, and eventually something new comes out of it.
I don't always know exactly where an idea came from. Sometimes I'll finish a design and later stumble across an image I saved or a clipping from a magazine, and suddenly it clicks. That's when I realise: aha, that was the seed for this idea all along.
It’s still evolving. During my teenage years, my personal style was one big experiment, which led to some truly questionable results. Looking back, some of them were terrifying, but I’m proud of them nonetheless.
In my early twenties, I was focused on finding a more grown-up version of myself. Over the past few years, my style has split into two worlds: the practical, everyday clothes I wear during the day and the more outlandish, expressive designs I create and share with the world.
I need those bold looks as a form of self-expression, but I also genuinely enjoy wearing pieces I’ve bought or collected over time.
For the last two years, I’ve been working on building a more interesting everyday wardrobe alongside my own designs. I try to invest in high-quality pieces and vintage or designer finds that inspire me, stand the test of time, and make me feel good whenever I wear them.
Fashion has always been my way of communicating with the world.
My mum used to sew outfits for my brother and me, and I grew up watching her at the sewing machine. She taught me how to use one when I was about five years old. She always reminds me that, from the age of four, I insisted on choosing my own outfits and refused to wear the looks she picked out for me. Even then, she knew I needed the freedom to dress however I wanted, and she gave me that freedom.
As a kid, I’d show up to school in a T-shirt and tie, or dressed head-to-toe in yellow with a mohawk. I loved how an over-the-top outfit could grab people's attention. Most people don’t pay much attention to a ten-year-old, but my clothes gave me a way to stand out. I quickly realised how much fun it was to play with that attention and use fashion to express myself.
By the time I was 15, I’d grown bored of the clothes I could find, or afford, in stores. I wanted something different. So I signed up for sewing classes and, honestly, I’ve barely left my sewing machine since.
It makes me think back to how much easier it was to live in the moment. The only focus was that ice cream and enjoying it.
Somehow these elements provide a clear frame in which you can work. It provides a clear set of boundaries with which you can start playing and experimenting and see if you can bend and/or reshape those boundaries without destroying them.
Hmmm, I'd say a soft brownie centre, wrapped in strawberry ice cream, coated in milk chocolate and crunchy almond pieces, and then double-dipped in a layer of white chocolate.
I'll leave it up to the reader to figure out what all of that says about me, haha.
The atmosphere feels calm and effortless, but never dull. I love the way light moves through the spaces, whether it's in the rooms, the lobby, or up on the rooftop.
The garden on the 29th floor might be my favourite spot of all. I live in the countryside, so being surrounded by greenery in the middle of the city feels like the best of both worlds. Honestly, if I could have that entire garden and an apartment on the 29th floor, I'd move to the city in a heartbeat.
