We recently added winner of the lockdown competition KRIME to our curated section and had to interview him on what fuels his work and ideas.
What is your main practice? Did you study at University?
My main practice is graphic design, I did a degree in the same at PCAD.
What made you start a brand?
I wanted to start one years ago when I was still at college, there seemed to be t-shirt brands popping up everywhere, a lot of tattoo inspired stuff at the time. I really wanted to do something in that vein back then, I never got past sketching ideas though. Krime, as it is now, happened pretty incidentally. I was using the name to write graffiti and someone liked a sticker design of mine enough to want it on a t-shirt so South Coast Rats helped me out getting that off the ground and I went from there.
What inspires your designs?
Most of my design work is pretty blatant about opposing authority and oppression in all it’s forms, a lot of the inspiration behind that comes from my friends, the books I read and the music I listen to. Quite often I find that a song or a conversation with a friend sets off an idea for a design. As for the aesthetic, I really enjoy vintage poster art and illustrations so that’s where I draw creative inspiration from.
Any advice for anyone that is thinking of starting their own independent brand?
Don’t doubt yourself, if you think something is cool then other people are going to think it’s cool as well.
What is your favourite pin design at the moment?
Do you have any favourite designers?
Favourite designers/illustrators I would have to say - South Coast Rats, Pizza Boobs, Ghost Bongo, Wept and Broccoli Boy. For pins it’s gotta be tittybats.
Do you have a creative process you go through?
What steps does this include?
I’m not sure I follow anything that resembles a process, sometimes I’ll re-draw the same thing over and over until I’m happy with it, sometimes I give up on stuff and come back to it but that’s about it really.
Do you have favourite themes you like to focus on?
Anything anti-police or anti-capitalist, anything advocating a vegan lifestyle or anything that promotes sobriety.
Any big plans for the future?
Any cool collaborations lined up that we should watch out for?
I’ve just set up my own print press so I’m hoping to print a whole bunch of stuff soon. As for collaborations, there isn’t anything set in stone but I’m usually cooking something up with South Coast Rats, we just dropped a new T-shirt the other day. There’s also a Krime/Wept straight edge collab we’ve been sat on for a while that I hope see’s the light of day soon.
We love the message that KRIME portrays in all his designs. It's important to create work that you believe in, that you feel passionate about. Like he said, "Don’t doubt yourself, if you think something is cool then other people are going to think it’s cool as well."
If you have any designs you want to see as a pin but you're not too sure how to go about it, send 'em our way, we can help you get them made up.
