Keely, Author at Things&Ink

September 20, 2016September 21, 2016

Loco Mosquito

Loco Mosquito is a Bangkok based unisex clothing label, mainly focusing on quality classic Americana staples infused with contemporary tattoo imagery. Their aim is to do collaborations every year with like-minded directional artists of different mediums.

They are currently in the process of doing collaborative projects with tattoo artists from all over the world, including Guy Le Tatooer, Kristian Gonzalez, Luca Polini and Valentin Jorquera. We spoke to Ricky from Loco Mosquito about the design inspiration behind the brand and what other collaborations they have lined up…

How did you come up with the brand Loco Mosquito and how long has it been running? Loco Mosquito Guerrilla Operators is a creative collective based in Bangkok that was conceived in January 2016. It started off as a side project that I eventually became fully immersed in. The name of the brand itself is a direct ode to an Iggy Pop song of the same name that was released in 1980, a legendary musical personality that has always been a source of great inspiration for me and the brand. I am originally from Indonesia but spent a considerable amount of time studying and working within the clothing industry in Melbourne, Australia. At the same time, I was starting to travel a lot more within the Asia Pacific region and fell in love instantly when I first visited Bangkok, Thailand. I was completely blown away by the energy of the city, its underground edge and its powerful combination of tradition and modernity, which is a quality I try to reflect as well in the clothes I design. On top of that, the living costs in Bangkok are much more affordable than Australia, making it an easy decision to relocate here.

What inspires you when designing? Being surrounded by Buddhist temples, traditional east Asian architecture and a medley of characters on the streets of Bangkok, the buzz and hustle of the city makes it a huge melting pot of inspiration. I am especially fascinated and influenced by Asian temple art (Thai, Chinese, Tibetan Buddhist) and traditional folk art of Southeast Asia and India. The whole vision behind the brand is to re-interpret and recreate classic unisex staples (biker jackets, Vietnam style military jackets etc.), influenced by traditional Asian and Himalayan art and symbolism.

Tell us a bit about your collaborations with tattoo artists and what made you pick those artists? We are closely connected to well-known Bangkok based tattoo studio, Common Ground Tattoo, formerly known as Six Fathoms Deep. They regularly host renowned international guest artists on a monthly basis. This provides me with a great opportunity to meet a wide variety of talented artists from around the world and some of the collaborative projects that we have done started off in this manner. So far we have done collaborations with Italian tattooer Luca Polini and Colombian tattooer Kristian Gonzalez. Both of them are solid traditional tattooers in their own rights and I was really drawn to their bold and striking rendition of Asian subject matters, which I felt would translate really well into a line of clothing. Right now, we are working on a line of Jackets with Valentin Jorquera from New Caledonia. I am also in the process of completing my bodysuit project with Guy Le Tatooer from Toulouse, France, and we have been discussing the possibility of doing some crazy collaboration together with the brand in the near future, so watch this space!

Where do you see the brand going in the next year or so and what things have you got planned? We are just about to release a short film showcasing our first collection of leather jackets and shirts. The super talented Melbourne based film production team Eye Sea Films and director Roxanne Halley are responsible for the realisation of this project. We wanted the film to be authentic with a distinct Bangkok flavour. That’s why we chose to film real people on the streets of Bangkok, instead of hiring models as the premise of the shoot was to showcase real people wearing real clothes in real situations. We also hope to expand our selection of products in the coming year, developing into a full line of clothing to include bottoms, accessories and a suiting line. And of course to do more collaborations with artists of different mediums in the future!

The short film can be viewed here:
Loco Mosquito Guerrilla Operators from EYE SEA FILMS on Vimeo.

Loco Mosquito Guerrilla Operators from EYE SEA FILMS on Vimeo.

Loco Mosquito clothing can be purchased via their website: loco-mosquito.com and they’re Instagram page is: instagram.com/loco_mosquito_official

September 15, 2016September 16, 2016

SILKE London and Not Another Salon

World-renowned hair salon on London’s Brick Lane, Not Another Salon have been making the headlines recently for their award-winning techniques and innovative creations when it comes to hair dyeing. And what better way to keep your locks in good nick than with one of the beautifully crafted silk hair wraps from SILKE London?

SILKE founder Maria says, “We believe that the beauty of hair depends on its health. It doesn’t matter how much you steam, style spritz and spray, there is nothing that beats having naturally strong, shiny and voluminous hair. That’s why the foundation of SILKE products is to improve the architecture of your hair so it looks amazing, regardless of how you choose to style it.”

SILKE London hair wraps are designed to slip on before you go to sleep so that it protects hair from the tossing and turning that occurs throughout the night. They can stop frizz, breakages and split ends, increase thickness and length and maintain your hairstyle for longer. The hair is cocooned in the wrap enabling the natural oils to moisturise and nourish the hair from root to tip, and oil no longer being concentrated at the root which means less greasy hair days!

Combined with Sophia Hilton, founder of Not Another Salon’s next level colour skills and her focus on keeping hair healthy, these head wraps are a must for anyone wanting to take the plunge into fantasy follicles!

Silke hair wraps can be bought online at: http://www.silkelondon.com/

June 17, 2016September 10, 2016

Izabella Dawid Wolf and her creepy etchings

Tattoo artist Izabella Dawid Wolf, who hails from Poland, was over in London recently guesting at the-soon-to-be-closed Into You. We caught up with her to find out about where she draws inspiration for her creepy yet cute tattoos and her love for sludge metal and all things dark…

How long have you been tattooing and what made you want to become a tattoo artist?
I’ve been tattooing for two years and beforehand I was apprenticing for two years. It’s a funny story that made me want to become an artist… about eight, years ago when I was living in London, a friend of mine, who actually doesn’t have any tattoos, wanted to get a tattoo. I had this design I used to carry round me and I really wanted to get it done by someone and she introduced me to this guy, Liam Sparkes at a party… he probably doesn’t even realise how important he is to me! So we went outside and I was asking stupid questions like, “what do you do?” then I showed him my tarot card etching and I told him I didn’t know who could do it, and he was like, “I will do it!” My mind was blown that this etching could be turned into a tattoo! So then I got my first machine… a shitty Chinese machine and I used to tattoo fruit in my bedroom. My flatmate thought I was constantly masturbating with a vibrator!

Where do you draw your influences from?
Music! Lyrics and the atmosphere of the music. The only word that puts it together is dark. The music I like is anything from sludge metal to weird dark techno, so I think I have an eclectic taste. But sometimes I listen to the lyrics and hear a beautiful sentence which inspires me. I love everything though, especially photographer and film makers like Helmut Newton and Gregg Araki. I have so many mood boards in my house and someone once said to me: “you are the effort of everyone you know”. I still have my portfolio from university and I was looking through it recently and I still have the same themes in my work that I am interpreting now in tattoos. But its always been the same freaks and some sexy ladies.

If you could tattoo anyone dead or alive who it would be and why?
There would be so many people I would love to tattoo! I think it would have to be John Balance from Coil. I’d love to do something weird because I love the music so much. It’s so important and inspiring for me. I actually don’t know what I’d like to do on him… maybe something simple and symbolic. I’d probably die from a heart attack from having this opportunity. Maybe something fetish-y… a mask or a gag or something creepy!

If you had to have a different career, what would you do?
I would be a vet… I love animals, anything to do with animals.

What would you love to tattoo that you haven’t done yet?
There are a few designs I would still like to tattoo that I haven’t yet… some more creepy girls and animals, which is something to do with wanting to be a vet maybe! More big pieces and I’m starting to learn more about composition on the body, so maybe a full leg or chest piece. I’m always open to ideas as long as someone gets my style.

Is there anything that you would never tattoo?
More a certain style I wouldn’t tattoo and it’s not about being an arrogant dickhead, it’s just I would rather recommend someone to go to someone who specialises in a certain style. I would never do a realistic portrait of a baby, for example! It’s so scary, and then you grow and the skin changes!

How do you see your style adapting in the future?
Its so hard to call what I draw a style, the only aim is to never stop. I’m still learning every day. Each day is a challenge with a person’s different skin or a different part of the body. I want to get better and more conscious about getting better. I still feel too immature to say what my style is! It’s so hard to say and define. I think the most important thing is to never to sit down and feel satisfied. You can never say that one artwork is finished.

More of Izabella’s work can be seen via her Instagram and blog.

June 9, 2016June 15, 2016

The girls take a trip to Not Another Salon

Editor-in-chief Alice Snape and Managing Editor Keely Reichardt got treated to a revolution in haircare known as INNOluxe by the fabulously extravagant gang at Not Another Salon in east London.

Based on Brick Lane in London, the aptly named Not Another Salon is owned by Sophia Hilton, whose background is in hair education, teaching in over seven countries and winning prestigious awards such as the L’Oréal C olour Trophy in 2013. (look out for an interview with Sophia on the blog very soon)

The salon is like no other… stepping through the door is like entering into a psychedelic fantasy where people’s hair-colour dreams come true! The attention to detail is next to none… from the multi-coloured plastic wine glasses and water bottles, to the pick ‘n’ mix sweetie style bowls at the reception desk for you to pick up an assortment of kitsch and kawaii hair accessories.

Alice and Keely were there to experience a new deep-conditioning product, Innoluxe. (You may have heard of Olaplex, which gained vast media attention after Kim Kardashian went from dark to platinum blonde over night.) Innoluxe actually rebonds the hair follicles and saves the structure of our hair when bleaching and colouring by using advanced protein technology. (Read more here)

Keely gives us her experience of using Innoluxe and a little step by step of the treament…
“I have always dyed my hair a very dark brown – almost black – for most of my adult life (my natural hair colour is dark brown) but I always hankered towards being blonde. After a bleaching disaster a few years ago, I have avoided bleach at all costs… until the invention of these re-bonding hair products!

Keely having a head massage with her treatment

“The Innoluxe ‘in salon’ treatment is done in two stages, the first stage is an oil and water combination that is applied all over the hair and then left for about 10 minutes. The second stage is the actual Innoluxe, which restructures and re-bonds the follicles of the hair and this is then left on for about 20 minutes. For those who have severely damaged hair, the staff at Not Another Salon recommend the ‘in salon’ treatment every two weeks for up to six weeks.

Keely relaxing in the chill out room while the Innoluxe works its magic

“I naturally have very dry hair so having it bleached is probably not the best thing for it, but after my Innouxe treatment my hair feels as if it has never even had a sniff of bleach! The texture and overall appearance is soft, shiny and bouncy (definitely helped by the fabulous blow dry) and it feels as if the Innoluxe has literally brought my hair back to life again.”

Keely’s hair before Innoluxe

Keely’s hair after Innoluxe and a blow dry

Alice enjoyed the treatment too:
“It really is all in the name. Getting a treatment at Not Another Salon is like a girly sleepover on acid (the decor is like Pop Art come to life, a little like the staff too). It felt like Keely and I were in salon owner Sophia’s bedroom, and as we got our treatments, we all chatted away about hair (obvs), relationships and weddings – I recently got engaged so I loved hearing about Sophia’s south London wedding for inspiration!

“It was stylist Hattie who worked the Innoluxe magic on my recently highlighted hair. I am naturally dark blonde (don’t dare call me mousey brown) and have just come out of a two-year break from the all-over bleach that used to be my go-to look. The bleach break was to allow my hair to grow – I have always dreamed of long, flowing, healthy-looking hair, and bleach never seemed conducive to that. However all that may be about to change…

It’s all in the detail… pink water bottles and wine glasses at Not Another Salon. And editor Alice’s bouncy blow dry

“Innoluxe is a dream invention for those who want colour, particularly bleach, without the damage. My hair felt baby soft after the treatment. So good, in fact, that I may be back to that bleach some day soon. And if I do, I know where I’ll be heading!”

Alice in the colourful waiting room while the Innoluxe treatment takes effect

Before

After, Innoluxe rocks!

Not Another Salon, 188 Brick Ln, London E1 6SA #antifactory

May 31, 2016June 1, 2016

Quick-fire questions with tattoo artist Claudia Ottaviani

Our resident make-up artist and managing editor, Keely, recently got tattooed by tattoo artist Claudia Ottaviani while she was guesting at Sang Bleu in east London… she asked her some quick-fire questions that she doesn’t normally get asked!

Keely’s tattoo by Claudia

Keely and Claudia

If you could tattoo anyone dead or alive who would it be and why? I’ve never really thought about it, but it’s always an honour when another tattooer asks you to get a tattoo. I’ve never met him in person, but I’ve been in his shop and I think it is one of the most powerful places… So I’d have to pick Freddy Corbin at Tattoo Temple – and I hope he will never read this ha ha!

If you weren’t a tattoo artist, what would you be? Some other creative job for sure: singer, guitarist, wood artisan, writer… I just need to use my hands when I work.

What’s the strangest body part you’ve either tattooed or have been asked to tattoo? I tattooed a girl’s pubis, that was pretty strange, but not so difficult.

Who is your favourite artist of the moment? I follow so many artists who don’t come from the tattoo world, so I can’t choose just one… Here are a few: Robert Ryan, Adde, Jess Swaffer, Matt Chahal, Bailey, Cheyenne Sawyer, Tony Nilsson, Becca Gennè-Bacon, Lina Stigsson and I have no idea how many more…

What is your response to someone saying to you “what will you think of your tattooed body when you are old?” First I laugh… I think I get tattoos to make the body more beautiful. I love to see the story on the skin! The body and the skin will grow old in any case, with or without tattoos, so why wouldn’t I get something that I think makes my body more beautiful now? It will be even more beautiful in 40 years.