OLOW x ARTILLERYLANE
Piazza delle erbe, Valpolicella classico superior, remember the love of two lovers called Romeo and Juliet; OLOW left for its latest collaboration that draws inspiration in Verona, which also houses the headquarters of ARTILLERYLANE. Meet Michea, Daniele, and Nicolas the co-founders of the brand.
First of all I would like to begin this interview with a question that has probably already been asked before: ARTILLERYLANE, what does this have to do with the Artillery Lane corner in the borough of Tower Hamlets in London if anything at all?
Artillery Lane is the beginning! The idea behind our brand came to us during a trip to London. Artillery Lane fascinated me more than any other place I ever visited. The memory of coming from Liverpool Street and suddenly discovering such a small, timeless alley still gives me shivers.
Today you essentially make scarves and leather goods but if my sources are correct, in the beginning you were going to make T-shirts?
Yes, t-shirt is where it all started. Niccolò and Daniele created the brand Woosh, which I joined for the second collection. However, our aspiration was to create something different, more original which would have allowed us to express ourselves in a very distinctive and unique way.
Heritage, Authentic, Culture, Pride, Local, Craftsman, Design, Concrete are the 8 ARTILLERYLANE values, how do you enforce this strict kind of specification?
The values connected to craftsmanship are what inspires us, what encouraged us to create the ARTILLERYLANE brand, so holding onto them in every creation is only natural. Doing otherwise would be difficult.
Your scarves are atypical to say the least especially the fasting system! Who was it that said: We will do a scarf with clip buttons and another with a loop of leather?
To be completely original, the t-shirt brand was dropped in favour of an accessory created around the idea of how to wear it. To my mind, how to wear an accessory is a very distinctive and functional concept since all accessories are designed first of all to be useful.
You recently collaborated with designer Elisa Biroli for a collection bag which sold out pretty quickly! Will we have the chance to find this kind of article soon in your ARTILLERYLANE journal?
The bag will be back, for sure! The collaboration with Elisa will continue, given the importance she has for ARTILLERYLANE’s collections. Collaborations, especially with people the same age as us, are very important for the brand. In addition to Elisa, Marco Antonini contributed to create some of the textures of the new collection.
En restant sur les projets « associatif » après OLOW et Wood de nouvelles collab’s en perspective pour 2015 par exemple.. ?
Our next project will be something incredibly tasteful. Furthermore, something else is going on, something which will be relevant not only in Italy but also in Europe years to come. But it’s top secret!
I imagine it is quite complicated today to establish oneself in the fashion world, especially in Italy. In your opinion, what brand or designer should be more on the front of the stage?
Unfortunately, the value of many brands is not acknowledged yet. In Italy, PEB, Camo and many others deserve even more recognition!
One last question, the video “The Burger Issue” was made to show us that there is no difference between cooking and fashion. It’s all about precision, inspiration and taste, but between us, would you more likely go for a Burger or Tiramisu?
An hamburger, no doubt! We prefer what is young and honest above all!
All pieces from this collaboration available HERE
