Imagine a world where the sun and the moon are the highest deities and living in sync with Mother Nature is just the way of life. Imagine the Rocky Mountains of the Himalaya, wilderness, heat of the sun on your skin. Imagine of a land inhabited by different groups of indigenous tribes living in harmony with their distinct custom and traditions. This is the land of Arunachal Pradesh in the northeastern tip of India, tucked in between Bhutan, Tibet and Myanmar. And now imagine implying those values, lifestyles and perspective into the modern world.
We spoke to Nixon Bui, founder of the fashion label NIXONBUI to find out more about the idea behind the brand, its story and its vision.
# Who started the brand and when was it founded?
The idea of starting my own brand was born long time back, but due to my studies and other restraints time-‐wise it was not until late 2014 that I was able to make something tangible out of it. I then created the brand as it is today. Starting the label was my idea and I am also the Chief Designer. Yet, there have been some amazing people involved in the process of creating the brand that have helped it grow into what it is today.
# What was the motivation to start the brand?
I have always been interested in art. My mother is a crafts teacher and I grew up being surrounded by amazing pieces of art that she had created. I also moved a lot and lived in different countries and cultures, which intensified the wish to start my own brand. NIXONBUI offered connecting my love for my heritage and my tribal roots with modern fashion.
# What is your inspiration for your designs?
I want to carry my heritage along with me throughout my life – and that is my biggest inspiration. I am very proud of our rich culture. The tribe that I come from values the simplicity of life – something we can learn so much from. The indigenous clothes and art are rich in color on one hand, but simple in terms of design and cut. Being born on the countryside I was always close to nature; close to the colors and shapes that create life. And the people from those areas understand that life in its purest form is supposed to be simple. We value the forces of nature, the resources we gain from them and the importance of preserving them. It’s always good to live consciously – to see beauty in all things. And even though my heritage will always be in my heart, I also enjoy the urban lifestyle very much. I love being exposed to and inspired by contemporary art in many forms. These two worlds combined – the urban and the indigenous – that is what inspires me and drives my creative process.
# What kind of products do you use and where do you produce?
At the moment we source and produce all of our designs in Europe. Still being in the process of learning we have found out that staying physically close to the production has had a very positive outcome for us. Still, we hope to be able to move a part of the production to my home area in order to give something back. I would like to draw attention to a part of India that usually gets less focused on. We use 100% Organic Cotton and aim to keep the products as sustainably and ethically responsible as possible, since that is a great part of our value system. Our pilot collection consists of a set of nine designs of T-Shirts in different colors, which makes a total of 17 different pieces.
# How many people do you work with?
Our in-house team consists of around five people, but we cooperate with a great team of freelancers, who assist us at need.
# Do you plan on expanding the team any time soon?
Yes! Since we will be coming out with more designs, including sweatshirts, pants, hoodies and more T-Shirts, we have a number of really incredible collaborations scheduled and some great partnerships with other creative. NIXONBUI believes in inclusiveness and not exclusiveness. Therefore, collaborations and partnerships are something we really enjoy.
# Have you been to any fashion fairs or plan to visit any soon?
Since the brand only just started we have not been to any fairs yet, but the most important ones for us will be the “Copenhagen International Fashion Fair” or the “Revolver”. But still, we are constantly looking for opportunities to showcase our designs. I have learned how beneficial these fairs can be for a brand so we are looking for those that match our philosophy – and when the timing is right, we will be visiting different ones in the near future.
# Thank you very much for your time.
Thank you for the interview. It was a pleasure.
Der Beitrag NIXONBUI | Selection erschien zuerst auf SUPERIOR MAGAZINE.