Providing a stage for artists to get together
“Death Before Decaf”, a collaborative event hosted by Swindon-based brands, Most Hiii and Oinkdon. The first of it’s kind to hit the area, the night provided a platform for a number of artists, photographers and innovative designers (all of whom originated from Swindon). Along with showcasing photography, live paintings and filmography, Most Hiii and Oinkdon produced a ‘one off’ t-shirt to commemorate the second installment of their collaborative project.
“The aim of the event was to provide a stage for these artists to get together, exchange ideas and show appreciation for one another. We’re privileged to be in a position where we’re able host such an event, and we hope that the success of this night and those involved will continue” – Rich Franklin, Most Hiii
I contacted Kay Deff, from Oinkdon, to find out more.
“Oinkdon is a variation of the town Swindon, where it’s based. The name comes from all the pig related references to the town, historically Swindon used to be called Swine Down, which means Pig Hill. I started it off as a way to getting some people on the same wave length in a small town together. I see creatives, photographers, sneaker head and streetwear heads come into The Forum, a streetwear and sneaker store where I work and never interact with each other. I thought Oinkdon would be a cool platform for them to connect as creatives and streetwear connoisseurs and just connect, collaborate and just vibe together, and just show that Swindon actually has a streetwear scene that’s quite varied and diverse. What’s started off as a bunch of rad guys just chilling, taking photos and just vibing is growing into a movement where we put on events, collaborate with other creatives, drop our own branded garms and just let it keep growing organically from there. At the end of the day, we’re all a bunch of kids trying to do something, the kids are the future and I’d like to think we’re doing a lot of good in this town.”
What inspired you to host this event?
There’s a lot of creative people in this town, man. Creative people who have only used social media as a platform to showcase their work and we wanted to put on an event to give them the experience of having their work exhibited in public so people can actually appreciate it in person. The whole point of it was to create a vibe. Have some music playing, people with the same interests to come together and just share this experience.
Talk to me about some of the people you chose to showcase.
The people I chose personally were Andrew Busby, Joe Whelan, Tasha Gallagher and Sam Cashmore. Andrew is a photographer who I work closely with on our Oinkdon shoots, he has some really sick shots and he does has some really creative prints. He deserves this platform to get his work out there. Joe is a graphic designer and digital illustrator who I work with on the designs of the OInkdon product. He does a lot of cool branding work but he switches it up with some cool illustrations. We click really well creatively and that helps. It was a no-brainer to showcase his work. Tasha Gallagher is also an illustrator who I’ve known for a long time. I’ve been a big fan of her illustration style and she deserves the exposure as well. Sam is another photographer who mostly focuses on skate photography, so he appreciates the streetwear concept of Oinkdon as well as having some really good skate shots. He also takes some great shots for Oinkdon so it was only right he’s showcased.
What’s your relationship with Most Hiii? How did the two brands start collaborating?
The guys from Most Hiii and I have been boys for a long time. We’ve always been in the same circles and when I decided I wanted to take Oinkdon to the next level, no other brand came to mind to collaborate with, we’re friends first and foremost, and we’ve dropped a couple of sick tees in the process. It was just organic, really.
What message, if any, do you want people to take away from this exhibition?
We wanted to show people that there’s a lot of like minded people in this town, whether they are taking photos, creating art or just really into streetwear and sneakers. The message would be that we are the youth and look what can happen when people come together and just vibe for a few hours. Hopefully it’s inspired others to get themselves out there and just do their thing.
The whole point of it was to create a vibe, have some music playing, people with the same interests to coming together and just share this experience. It was a great platform to drop our ‘Deff Before Decaf’ tee, which was perfect because it was held in a coffee shop, considering my love/reliance on caffeine, it was a perfect marriage.
Most Hiii and Oinkdon are set to host a variety of events, paying homage to the musicians who inspired the evolution of the two brands, but for now- you can check out the exhibition at Darkroom Espresso Coffee Shop until January 31st.
@oinkdon
@mosthiii
Words by @sadiebailey
