Inside MBFWA: Ksubi
"Our Fashion Week ritual is actually just being crazy, busy motherfuckers."
One of the most anticipated Fashion Week shows this year is certainly Ksubi. One would assume, therefore, that the guys at Ksubi are freaking the hell out (the whole shebang beings on Monday). We caught up with Art Director Mikey Nolan yesterday at the Ksubi studio and he actually seemed really, really chill. We can confirm that none of the other staff members showed any signs of insanity either and that they in fact also seemed really, really chill. Maybe that's just the Ksubi way. Mikey let us in on a few tips about what to expect from the show, like who's styling and who'll be doing the music. And as for rats on the runway? You'll just have to wait and see...
Ingrid Kesa: What song describes your state of mind right now in terms of Fashion Week?
Mikey Nolan: It would be some kind of Japanese noise music.
Why is that — confusion and a bit of anger?
[Laughs] No, not a lot of anger; a fair bit of confusion… There’s just a lot going on…
Do you have any pre-Fashion Week rituals?
Not really. We don’t always do Fashion Week, so it doesn’t seem very routine to me. We did it in 2010 and before that it was in 2007. So, no, I don't really have any Fashion Week habits. Usually we do the last day of Fashion Week so our Fashion Week ritual is actually just being crazy, busy motherfuckers.
Was there any reason why you decided to show this year?
To be honest, [we decided to show] for commercial reasons. I think that you have to show every now and then and now feels like a pretty good time to be supporting local retail. We just opened eight new retail stores last year, so we need to support them and build some hype around it, and we’ve also been spending the last three seasons really developing the product and elevating the design. I think we are really happy with where we are at the moment, so we feel in a good place to show.
A sneak peek of the Ksubi studio.
What are three things you just can’t live without during Fashion Week?
Just the same things as normal life — water, alcohol, and food.
What is your favorite thing about Fashion Week? Do you like being really busy and stressed?
Yeah, I actually do. Showing is kind of fun. I think 'cause we don’t do it all the time, it's still kind of fun for us. I wonder if we showed each year whether it would be as much fun. I actually do enjoy the stress of it. I actually do enjoy the team work that goes into it, the camaraderie. It sounds really corny but, I actually do enjoy working on something as a team.
How will you be celebrating after your show?
We will be going to The Flinders. We’ve got a big party over there in the restaurant and the pub. It should be pretty fun; lots of free booze.
What do you still have to organise?
We are doing a whole day tomorrow of styling and fittings and a hair test, then Friday we do fittings. We’ve got to make some extra things and we’re still customizing some shoes. We’ve got a lot to do. The music for the show, I haven’t even heard yet.
Who is doing the music?
Nick Routledge from Van She is doing the music. He’s doing an original piece of music. We briefed him on Monday, he’s starting on Thursday. We’ll be doing it all weekend with him.
May I ask who is styling?
Christine Centenera is styling… She’s consulted on the last three collections, so she’ll be styling it. Mark Vassallo is doing the Creative Direction.
Ksubi will be live-streaming their runway show at their Paddington boutique (located at 140 Oxford St) on Monday night. It's open to the public so be there for a 7:30pm start, with drinks provided by Rekorderlig and Peroni.
Words: Ingrid Kesa
Photography: Ingrid Kesa
See also:
• MBFWA Review: Ksubi
• Social Snaps: Ksubi After Party
• Exclusive: Lorin Askill's SS12/13 Runway Film
• Yimmy Yayo x Ksubi
