Thanks to the cool guys and gals from I Heart Studios the pictures for the Add fuel to the fire tee came out amazing. Also had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with Pam and Luke who run the studio, to my surprise Pam’s puppy practically opened the door right in front of me like it was nothing haha i was in total awe.lol

I would totally recommend having all your pictures taken by these cool dudes and dudettes.

Check out their Website & Blog

I Heart Studios
Unit 3, 37 Heneage Street,
london.
E1 5LJ

*Thanks for the blog post guys see ya very soon to retake the koch1no tee pics.

By Tunde

Kiimono released it’s second official collaboration with Diogo Machado a.k.a Add fuel to the fire last Thursday, it was exciting to see how great the tees turned out. The concept behind the design was to show the real nature of how things work together, diogo’s style and artistic attitude was perfect for depicting such a colorful yet visually stimulating theme. It looked great from the first mock up, with suggestions from the fire man himself we decided to go for a large print over the chest and a three color design variation that turned out so well.

From the design stage all the way up to production, Diogo’s choice of colors popped on all three tees and till today alot of people have complimented on its colorful and energetic feel. Its an honor to have the fire man on Kiimono and we look forward to working with him on more cool stuff (hint* hint*) in the near future.

Many thanks too Diogo Machado a.k.a Add fuel to the fire for all the support and advice.

Next Up: Interview with the man himself.

By Tunde

The Fire-Man Addfueltothefire aka Diogo Machado is an artist/illustrator from Portugal.  Its truly an honor to have diogo on the kiimono project, hope you guys enjoy the collaboration tees coming soon.

By Tunde

Kiimono had the opportunity to work with David Nino on a design for the project. As the first artist to be featured,  we had the opportunity to have a short talk with the man himself.

Hi David, tell us a little about yourself?

David Niño A.K.A Koch1no (cochino: means dirty, filthy, sucio!) is an illustrator born in Bogotá Colombia, my works have appeared in some children books and other publishing’s.

When did you start working on your signature bunnies?

It all started 5 years ago with a few small bunnies appearing on the streets of Columbia.

Is there any hidden meaning behind the bunnies?

Those kind cute looking fellas reflected the attitudes and actions of some of Colombia´s conflict actors,  a hidden war that comes dressed in different uniforms and  waving different flags.

Statements are crafted in many way, how did yours come about?

This began more than 5 decades ago, building in my mind to the point it started to take on the shape of those bunnies. In some way it shows my vision of this hidden conflict in Columbia that still goes on today. Some of my most recent illustrations give a more hopeful view of a different world in which all of us with our differences could live together in a more peaceful and happy respectful way, maybe we could see this some day perhaps.

Are there any plans of painting in other locations outside Columbia?

Yeah as soon as i get some time, since i work on a very tight schedule. But my sketchbook is filled with plenty of ideas for painting around my city and other places.

Do you like painting or illustrating?

Well i like my job as an artist, but honestly i prefer to paint crazy stuff than working on commissioned illustrations. I find more fun in painting pigs, rabbits and stuff like that. I’m very lucky to be able to make a living with my illustration skills, i wish i had more time to work on each one even though i try to give my best by representing each piece as accurately as it can be.

Part 2 Coming Soon

Images Via: Koch1no Flickr

By Tunde

The KIIMONO X KOCH1NO collaboration has finally come to fruition, I can’t tell you guys how excited we are to finally get things rolling with the project, its been a blessing to work with such a creative and humble artist like David. The whole process was very interesting and a real learning experience for me, from color variations to the overall look and feel of the design. Throwing so many ideas back and forth for the collaboration, we eventually picked an existing concept and then i came up with the slick one liner ‘CRUNCH WITH A BANG’.

David was also kind enough to guide me on how to create nice color combinations, we then both agreed on the versions to have screen printed for the 1st release which comes on (White/Blue) tees for guys and (White/Pink) for girls. Future limited edition colors will be available as the project progresses, kiimono will continue to feature more artists as we embark on this cool journey as a collective of creative people who simply like to make new and fun items.

Many thanks to David Nino aka KOCH1NO for all the support and patience he had with the kiimono project, he is truly an outstanding artist and a great friend.

Next Up: Interview with the man himself.

By Tunde

This is going to sound crazy but…I’ve never owned a camera in my life. To date I can count how many pictures of me are out there.lol. After a long talk with a friend and many suggestions…I’ve decided to buy a camera early next month. A canon of course, but I won’t be able to afford the 5D.

So I previewed the 1st tee release from the kiimono x koch1no collaboration today using my trusty bb. Before the official release, am getting professional pictures taken and might have custom pakaging too…guess you have to wait and see.

By Tunde