GET FAMILIAR: ORDER COLLECTIVE
Amsterdam based artist collective Order consists of five fine gentlemen, all with different backgrounds, combining their expertise to create, well, everything. Tattooing, graffiti, photography, music, painting, it's hard to put a label on ORDER, and at the same time, they are hard to miss. We caught up with Etienne and Joshua to find out what they're all about.
Guys, who all makes up the ORDER collective?
Etienne Memon, Joshua Hoogeboom, Nanno Reveco, Henrie Schiffer, Tomas Redrey.
How did ORDER come together?
Etienne: We have been friends for over a decade. But mostly the graffiti scene got us together. We all developed our own skills and professions over time. In 2015 a few of us shared a big squatted studio in the centre of Amsterdam. It was a place where we all had our own corners where everybody did their own thing. I was mostly using it as an atelier to paint. The others where designing, doing photography and loads of other things. We were hanging out there all the time. My dream has always been to join forces with like minded friends as a crew and create whatever we want. That started in this place.
Joshua: The whole idea of a collective sounded very interesting and logical when we started talking about it. Although we have different kinds of disciplines. Where we come from is quite the same. To use that as a creative starting point is something that I haven’t experienced before. So I already felt that this collective could be the place where we could create that. And we did.
What is ORDER’s mission?
Etienne: I think we are not on one mission but more on a journey to reach something that is bigger than ourselves. I want people get to know our world by our backgrounds and different (sub)cultures that we come from. We are a bunch of kids with immigrant parents and all grew up in different parts of Holland (and Belgium) mid 90s / early 2000s. We come from the time that you pick one kind of subculture. I started out skating, listening to hip-hop and punk and got in touch with graffiti and electronic music a lil while later. I was influenced by more subcultures and that's what I try to get across with ORDER; that you don't have to stick to one thing or one group but explore anything you want. Try out all sorts of mediums you think are interesting.
Joshua: From a creative point of view i think this collective made it possible to do stuff we have never done before. I also felt that my background gave me a totally different view on things than most people around me. And I have always known that it was something special, although society doesn’t see it that way. And that at some day I could use that in my advantage. With ORDER we made that possible and I think we can inspire other people to do the same.
What was the inspiration behind your latest apparel collection?
Etienne: The collection is called “Territory”. The inspiration comes from graffiti where marking your territory plays an important role.
Joshua: I used the meaning of the word ‘Territory’ in the broadest sense to translate what the collective is all about. The black tee is referring to the aggressive visual language in hip-hop which really suits our mentality. The black crewneck has cheeky references to our activities in the night (graffiti, clubbing, etc). The white long sleeve is the most literal visualisation of Territory. The red line going through the order type shows trespassing a territory.
Etienne Memon, Joshua Hoogeboom, Nanno Reveco, Henrie Schiffer, Tomas Redrey.
How did ORDER come together?
Etienne: We have been friends for over a decade. But mostly the graffiti scene got us together. We all developed our own skills and professions over time. In 2015 a few of us shared a big squatted studio in the centre of Amsterdam. It was a place where we all had our own corners where everybody did their own thing. I was mostly using it as an atelier to paint. The others where designing, doing photography and loads of other things. We were hanging out there all the time. My dream has always been to join forces with like minded friends as a crew and create whatever we want. That started in this place.
Joshua: The whole idea of a collective sounded very interesting and logical when we started talking about it. Although we have different kinds of disciplines. Where we come from is quite the same. To use that as a creative starting point is something that I haven’t experienced before. So I already felt that this collective could be the place where we could create that. And we did.
What is ORDER’s mission?
Etienne: I think we are not on one mission but more on a journey to reach something that is bigger than ourselves. I want people get to know our world by our backgrounds and different (sub)cultures that we come from. We are a bunch of kids with immigrant parents and all grew up in different parts of Holland (and Belgium) mid 90s / early 2000s. We come from the time that you pick one kind of subculture. I started out skating, listening to hip-hop and punk and got in touch with graffiti and electronic music a lil while later. I was influenced by more subcultures and that's what I try to get across with ORDER; that you don't have to stick to one thing or one group but explore anything you want. Try out all sorts of mediums you think are interesting.
Joshua: From a creative point of view i think this collective made it possible to do stuff we have never done before. I also felt that my background gave me a totally different view on things than most people around me. And I have always known that it was something special, although society doesn’t see it that way. And that at some day I could use that in my advantage. With ORDER we made that possible and I think we can inspire other people to do the same.
What was the inspiration behind your latest apparel collection?
Etienne: The collection is called “Territory”. The inspiration comes from graffiti where marking your territory plays an important role.
Joshua: I used the meaning of the word ‘Territory’ in the broadest sense to translate what the collective is all about. The black tee is referring to the aggressive visual language in hip-hop which really suits our mentality. The black crewneck has cheeky references to our activities in the night (graffiti, clubbing, etc). The white long sleeve is the most literal visualisation of Territory. The red line going through the order type shows trespassing a territory.
What do you want people to take away from your collection?
Joshua: With our collections we are always referring to the (sub)cultures we come from. Using apparel we can give people a glimpse into our world. We see this collection as an introduction of ourselves to the big audience.
What is your connection to Patta?
Etienne: We've known each other for a few good years through always going to the same type of stuff and bumping into each other. We see Patta as one of our big brothers that made the way for independent crews to do it their own way by following their heart and ideas. Patta is a good example of never giving up and to strive and prosper. Don't do stuff for a quick “buck” but for the love of the game and culture and their family.
Joshua: What Patta is in its form is very inspiring to me. Because they move on so many different levels like culture, politics, fashion and arts. They paved the path for us and I feel honoured that they give me the chance to experience that from up close.
Can you share some of your influences?
Joshua: I have a great passion for photography and get a lot of inspiration from photographers. At this moment I'm trying to collect as many books as possible from Henry Wessel. A great photographer who made mainly black & white landscape photos of the American West. His observations of daily life are really inspiring.
Etienne: For me at the moment its 80s cartoons like Fritz the Cat and strong and cheeky imagery from all sorts of places.
What is in store for the future of ORDER?
Etienne: Everything we think that needs to be done
Joshua: Love & creativity.
