“Life is real. Anything in this Life we live is also real. All things, whether it’s fantasy or fact, honesty or deception, all have an actual impact on one’s mind and eventually one’s course of life.”
—–Who are your favorite artists/designers?
To have a better understanding of the whole artistic/ aesthetic game and industry there is a constant update, research and study being made of both artists and designers old and new on almost a daily basis, there are honestly too many amazing, good and not so good but equally important artists to mention and everyone of those is unique in her/his own way.
—–What do you wear apart from the O.W.H.H.R.M. garments?
Only casual to extremely casual street wear, nothing fancy, with maybe a very few vintage pieces scarcely worn. Most appealing clothing often seems to be out of financial reach anyways and the goal has always been mostly to create the pieces of interest and more for others to enjoy in any way they’d desire.
As far as T-shirts and Hoodies go its only O.W.H.H.R.M. – true men and women of The Cloth know exactly what this means and what it feels like.
——Do you have any interest in high fashion?
Very much so. Always had. Actually, the t-shirts and street wear type of apparel began as and still are a first step and a type of means to get to higher fashion pieces. What is yet missing to get there are the “right” people who would be interested enough to collaborate and put their input into the vision. It is no secret that there are many ideas on and off paper but the whole experience, knowledge and “how to” of cutting and sewing a high fashion piece is something that exceeds the knowledge attained by the brand at this point.
Anyone who might be interested in being possessed by the O.W.H.H.R.M. is welcome. The one who sows to the O.W.H.H.R.M. shall reap from the O.W.H.H.R.M.
—–Tell us cool people/things you are really into now and we might not know?
Maurice De Jong, musician responsible for the musical projects mentioned before. (Gnaw Their Tongues, De Magia Veterum, Cloak Of Altering and Seirom for those with less tolerance to “extreme” sounds). The most inspiring creative entity out there that deserves tenfold attention.
—–You are based in Athens… tell us underground fashion/street culture/music scene there? Are they exciting for you?
Aside from the Greek music scene and specifically the “extreme” music scene with death metal bands such as Inveracity and Dead Congregation, which have already proven their local and worldwide potency with their work, there is no artist or art produced here that goes along the lines of what could be called really exciting… maybe just decent.
There might be some creators with great skill, potential and with a lot of effort being put into their work but almost no intensity and spirit behind it, or at least not the kind of spirit that could resonate in order to experience some sort of excitement. Very few try to do something special and different.
Things will probably change in time though.
—–Are you interested in politics and economics? Greece has faced to a very severe economic situation for a few years and many violent protests have happened in Athens… tell me the actual situation and mood in there? Then I feel the ‘MYTH’ you mention on the website is somehow related to the current state of Greece… do you think your label is affected by the severe situation?
Indeed, politics and economics are subjects and sciences of great interest and importance.
One could also not stay unaffected or uninterested in one way or another by the great scale of the political and economic issues such as those Greece is going through right now. Almost everyone suffers, sometimes silently and sometimes not so. There is indeed much confusion. The situation in Greece has been one of great political, economic and cultural degradation since a long time before the crisis blew out, when things seemed actually calm, jolly and full of hope. The fact that historical and political events, ups and downs have lead to Greece being a country that suffers some sort of codependence syndrome for a tremendously long time is also one thing to ponder on. Anyone who does not acknowledge this, simply confesses to being ignorant and simultaneously guilty of the actual reality of how things where and how they turned out to be.
The “MYTH” section of the brand’s website, is actually a sort of statement on what the brand represents, an excerpt altered accordingly and borrowed from Michel Foucault’s “Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason ”. It simultaneously expresses a universal truth over our existence, civilization and where it has lead and one can very much so find relevance to our current state of being, in and outside of Greece. The brand, being a cultural product of this world, also represents an aspect of the world and it’s values, both in beauty and ugliness…more precisely it’s beauty through it’s ugliness.
By the statements made above, it is easy to assume that the brand and not only as a brand is quite affected in more than one ways by these situations but it is a reality one must go through and persevere no matter what.
—–Finally, you describe your label as ‘The Realest – The Illest & Most True’ and ‘Facts Arts Crafts’… what is ‘real’ for you in the modern society filled with uncertainty and instability?
Life is real. Anything in this Life we live is also real. All things, whether it’s fantasy or fact, honesty or deception, all have an actual impact on one’s mind and eventually one’s course of life. Certainty exists and will exist as much as uncertainty does, although the latter is that which can move and fuel us towards the former and stability does not exist without instability. Good is real and Evil is real. It all depends on where you stand and how one handles those qualities. The trick is to try and be aware of those facts and to hustle them in order to be able to experience this Life full of Mystery to it’s fullest, no matter how long it may take to get there. Creation of all kinds, through constant action is one way through which one can bring realness into this brief void called Life.
The key is patience, persistence and perseverance… and to keep trying to the fullest to do anything one consciously feels is meaningful.
