Turning Internet Images into Itokawa Film

Like many good things, British brand Itokawa Film began as an exchange of ideas between two friends on the Internet. "[James Ari King and I] would spend hours taking pictures and reworking them on the computer, sending them to each other," designer Samuel Membery said. "It started out as a loose back and forth of images and developed into a brand with a concise vision."

That vision is stark and dark, true to the brand's HTTP beginnings. Its first collection, now available at OC, was inspired by the subversive underworld of internet hackers. "We found images on the Internet, as well as created our own. We'd made a few hundred and then decided to do something with them, but we didn't know we were going to make clothes."

But Samuel's eight years of fashion design training made clothing a natural choice as a vehicle for the art the duo created. Working with artist James' self-taught ability to manipulate and create images, Itokawa Film was born. "The images are important to the concept, as well as the overall styling of the look book, and film collaborations... It's all part of creating the world of Itokawa Film." But don't expect them to stop there, Samuel expressed a desire to branch out into furniture, jewelry, and more. "I'm hoping it can become a lifestyle, so that people who like our aesthetic can have more than just clothes."

To celebrate the creation of this world and its place at Opening Ceremony, James and Samuel produced an OC-exclusive video in collaboration with Listen Studio. "It's more of a mood video, as it doesn't show the whole collection. Listen Studio does interior and furniture design, and they worked with us on the set, making it resonate with the surfaces of the prints that James made. The chrome tubing has a reflective quality that worked with the colors, and they moved around to create a mood that emphasized our collection."