+41 Swiss originals
If you think of Switzerland, you think
of good cheese, precise clockworks and secret bank accounts.
When it comes to streetwear, however, there’s also a lot
going on in the country with the white cross on the red background.
Since 2002, Philippe Cuendet, Laurence Jaccottet and Ivan Liechti
run the agency //DIY and, in collaboration with designer Nicolas
Duc, the clothing label + 41, with Stephane Polikar being the
label manager. As if it wasn’t enough to create new trends,
in 2003 they also initiated the record label +41 records, which
already released two dope albums: “Look Ma’ No Rappers”,
a compilation of remixes produced by Philippe Cuendet, and Big
Pants’ “Lazy & Versatile”. Their collections
are a fancy mixture of graphic design, fashion and streetwear.
Initially, their pieces were only available in Switzerland and
France; meanwhile they are sold all over Europe and even Thailand.
Their goal is to expand their scope internationally and to make
Switzerland known for fashion and design. We had the chance to
talk to the +41 guys of about their roots, views and projects.
How did it all start
and how did people react to your stuff?
We met at Lausanne’s art school, we are all graphic designers.
At first it was a job, someone asked us to create a new brand,
and it turned into our brand “+41”. The audience reacted
pretty well on our first collection, it was sold out really quick
so we decided to jump on this train, creating more collections!
How closely are //DIY
and + 41 related?
//DIY handles the whole art direction and the visual identity
of +41, from creation to communication. Primarily, we are graphic
designers and then a kind of “fashion designers”. Then,
to another extent, +41 is used as a medium to express //DIY’s
expertise and ability in art direction and brand building through
visual communication. So, the brand also became part of the identity
of the agency. This fosters lots of synergies and both feed each
other. You can’t separate the brand from the agency as you
cannot separate fashion from communication. One of your most
recent designs was a t-shirt motif in memory of legendary rapper
and producer J-Dilla, who deceased this year. Do you see +41
connected to hip hop? Yeah Philippe (+41) and Serge (Lowrider)
wanted to react to J-Dilla’s passing and so they made a
t-shirt. Philippe did the design, Serge printed them (more than
600) and we shipped them all over the world. J Dilla’s Mom
and Stones Throw answered positively to this creation so it was
a nice adventure, and all the benefits went to Dilla’s Mom.
We are big music consumers and we like hip hop. +41 is more linked
to music in general than specifically to hip hop, even if Philippe
has a close relation to it because of his personal background.
What is the Gold Thing
all about? You know these pimped lighters, pens from real gold,
and stuff…
This is called the “New Rich Project”. It started when
we met Big-Game, some industrial designers who attended the same
school as we had. We talked about a collaboration and so they
came up with this idea to replace part of mass-product objects
by the equivalent in gold. We liked the idea so we decided to
produce it as a +41 exclusivity. We created the ID and made the
art direction; of course we did the photo shoot, too. About a
year ago, you released the Nike chocolate mini sneakers. How
did Nike react to them and how did your later collaborations
with Nike come about? Nike was enthusiastic and got involved
at the start of this idea, which came from Al Cabino. He wanted
to do an interview with us for Sneaker Freaker and then he asked
us if we would be able to make a chocolate sneaker. We said yes
and we did it. Then we obviously had the idea of making nice
boxes of small pairs. We have been collaborating with Nike for
two years and things are going well. It is always great to see
that a famous company as Nike wants to associate their image
with our brand, they like our creations and our views and we
like the brand.
Just now, an Air Max
1 designed by +41 is released. Please tell us more about that.
It’s an Air Max 1 ID by +41, Nike Germany kindly asked for
our interpretation of the Air Max 1, it’s a series of 41
pairs only sold at Thomas I-Punkt in Hamburg, with all benefits
going to the charity. The shoes come with a nice package, a t-shirt
and a pack of stickers all that linked with the concept which
was to give our “vision” of this historic sneaker.
By personalising the kicks with eyes we switch the roles. Its
not the sneaker head who looks at the shoes anymore, rather the
shoes look at him; they become a character.
What does streetwear
mean to you and what is your contribution to it?
We create all kinds of designs and many times they hit the street,
like our clothes, skateboards, stickers, flyers. So, they become
part of the urban life, able to link people and ideas. Then,
street is and will keep always being a big source of inspiration
for all kinds of creative fields.
What are your plans for
the future?
The brand keeps on growing from a side activity to an autonomous
activity. For the first time we designed two collections for
2007. The aim is to shift towards a seasonal schedule and be
able to share our interpretation of street wear through the international
market distribution channel. We will keep on pushing the brand
as an interdisciplinary platform. Aight!
Text & Interview: Roland
Bieber
www.plus41.ch