Retaining Who Am Eye’s familiar monochromatic colour template, the 'And If You Save Yourself' collection is inspired by debt and death; the looming recession and grunge forefather, Kurt Cobain. I caught up with Johnny Leong[r] and Glenn Cameron[l], the geniuses behind Who Am Eye and we talked about the brand, from its beginnings to its future.
How did both of you meet and what gave rise to your decision to start who am eye?What's the unique aesthetic element that's always present in any Who Am Eye collection?
Since the beginning we've always referenced Death, don't ask us why, i think there's just a sub-conscience fascination, or maybe, fear of it. Whether it's printed on a tee or just inspiration behind the concept of the collection, it always translates into the design process, like the 09/10 Collection which is heavily based on the life of the late Kurt Cobain.
Who am eye performed incredibly @ the 08 rosemount Australian fashion show, how hectic and challenging was it to get the collection ready?
We were surprisingly calm, I don't know if it was because we'd never done it before or if we expected it to be way more intense and then it actually turned out to be, although we can't take all the credit as there was a great team helping everyone make it happen.
After the show, Who am eye received a lot of publicity through various magazines in the U.S, how has this translated into growth and visibility of the brand?
We didn't really notice it straight away as we were pretty much back to working on the next collection as soon as it was over. We'd have to say that in the last couple of months, we've actually felt it more as we've had more interest from stores, press and stylists (local and international) and late last year we picked up a PR agent in New York (MAO PR), which has been great exposure. It even led to Iman getting a pair of our leggings, which was a huge complement.
Australian fashion is getting more visibility in other parts of the world more than ever, what do you think is the reason behind this?
We think it's the whole lifestyle that Australians give off, that laid back attitude. It's easy going but without loosing site of quality, construction and the overall aesthetic. Also the fact that we're so isolated from the rest of the world means it's hard not to be different.
In about 5-10 yrs where do you want the brand to be in terms of production, revenue and market position?
Well we would definitely like to get involved in a lot more international fashion events/trade shows, and gain far greater exposure on an international level. We'd also like to open our own store in the not so distant future, it would be a great thing to be able to present our entire collections in full under one roof to our customers.
