Secure Studios - 'I NEED THE CURE'
We caught up with the man behind Secure Studios.
On a sunny afternoon on a rooftop in Dublin we had conversation with Jee, Creative Director for Secure Studios, an up & coming Luxury Fashion Brand from Dublin.
Before we start could you please introduce yourself?
Jee: "Yo what's good my name is Jee, Silent Jee, I'm Just a kid from Dublin, Dublin is all I know, Half Nigerian, Half French Surinamese".
We’ve heard that Secure Studios is actually an art project, explain why that is?
Jee: "Because there's more to the actual brand, when it comes to the fashion aspect I love it, but I've always wanted to do paintings.
I always wanted to do shit visually, so I treat Secure Studios as an art project in the sense that I'm doing fashion, I'm doing art and I'm doing visuals all under the name of Secure Studios.
Every thing ties in so if I have a subject matter then I do art or design around that subject,
It doesn’t even matter we could be designing furniture under the name "I NEED THE CURE", it’s all art at the end of the day,
If I was a musician I would make an album called "I NEED THE CURE".
What do you hope to achieve with SS?
Jee: "Well it all starts from me, everything I do is from me going through experiences, so I'm tryna show people my experiences, I'm obviously tryna communicate with people my age & as I grow the brand will grow with me, so when I'm in my thirties I'm can't keep shouting for the youth, the brand is supposed to reach to everyone, but because it's coming from my perspective its going to grow with me".
What is the message you’re trying to communicate with this collection?
Jee: "The Fashion aspect is the only angle that’s out at the moment, we have an exhibition that we are going to be working on soon, but "I NEED THE CURE" was me seeing what I myself, other people & what countries use as a cure & then trying to implement that into clothing & make it causally wearable, that was the main thing for me, because the topic it self is very sensitive, if I was to actually make what I had in mind, no one would actually wear it, it would be very niched, so I tried to make it so that the actual graphic would be cool for anyone to wear, that was one thing that got a 'tick' from me because I saw people that actually had style pick up a few pieces before even thinking about the brand, that’s my main aim to reach people from both sides".
Now that “I NEED THE CURE” has been released how do you feel?
Jee: "Relief, I feel relief, because it took a lot fam, because its personal experience too.
Especially with living in Dublin not a lot happens here & it took a lot of work especially from me, coming from educational background taking a year out, was a big deal, and to get good reception that’s even greater.
The Collection Is doing well, we went over the Cap for the pre-orders.
People are actually fuck*ng with it, when I was telling you earlier that I put it on Fashion Fuckery (if you know you know) the 1st hour I got like 7 likes after that it went off, bare reactions & comments, if people fuck with it now, wait until I get onto a bigger platform".
When did you realize that this was the path you wanted to take?
Jee: "I always knew, I don’t even know the path I'm tryna take to be honest, because when I say art, one of these days I'll be in the studio, paint brush in hand.
With Art & sh*t I had to put that on hold because I was playing football, when I was younger I got a scholarship for Larkin, I applied for the art scholarship & football scholarship, I got both & at that time I picked the football path, but I knew this was the path I wanted to take but when I was younger football was the one that would take me places, but you know "African Parents" but you can't hate on them."
Is there anyone that has inspired you?
Jee: "Obviously Virgil (Abloh), there's a lot, even people that were my age dons like Jai (Eleven) 3-4 years ago shutdown Selfridges tryna sell hats, that’s like someone that kind of inspires me & that’s not even someone at a high level but dons like them, at the moment I can't remember anyone but sh*t like that motivates me".
Tell us about your creative/design process?
Jee: "It always has to have a topic, off of the topic I can like make entry pieces as well, everything I make has to have a topic it's just deep like that, I'm not into that thing where you just design to design, when it comes to certain things, I can understand when you design buildings you design to design, I just feel you need to have an emotional connection to things, I feel it's much better when people have that emotional connection, I like that sh*t….. It doesn’t have to have a reason don’t get me wrong but just for me it has to.
Most of the designers you see, let me just go off of fashion everything you see has a meaning, even with Virgil himself".
If there is one thing you could say to people starting brands what would it be?
Jee: "Do it, Just do it fam, but wait before I say just do it, look around at where you're trying to be,
Don't make no brand just because you want to make a brand, we are lying if we say we don't want to get rich from our brands, but just know where you want to go with this brand, you also need to look & see who you want to compete with, if you're some gym brand then like look at other gym brands, fam even look at Nike ask yourself can your sh_t be mentioned with Nike, & then you can start obviously its not going to be up to Nikes standards just yet, but work towards that, you won't release no corny sh_t, it wont just happen.
Even me, it's not there yet but I always say to myself I'm competing with the likes of Matthew Williams, for time I was never tryna be corny, even when I was shooting with film cameras people were f_cking with it, it’s a thing where you need to know what you're doing, make everything professional, start off the way you want to finish, don’t take pictures with a shitty mobile phone, not a good model & some whack ass pose, there ain't nothing wrong with taking pics with your mobile phone, with a iphone 4s I could bang out a photoshoot, because you have a concept, that’s what a lot of Irish brands are lacking a concept, because me & my guys_laughs* are here to change the game, I'm not even looking at Irish brands really but from what I've seen it’s a bit mad"
One last things, Is there anything you would like to say?
Jee: "999 type shit, we are going to be having a party still, 999 Art Collective.
Bring your Headgear bring your Kneecaps, you feel me? Lockaff".
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