Stööki is far from your average label. Founded by three creatives – Quincey Cassell Williams, Luke Hippolytes and Nadia Abbas – the jewellery and clothing brand incorporates interactive art and events into themed capsule collections. This Saturday, the trio presents a series of interactive workshops at the TATE Modern in collaboration with the Louis Vuitton arts project and spoke to Wonderland ahead of the one-of-a-kind event.
Where did the name Stööki come from?
Stööki was Quincey’s nickname as a mischievous child, then when we researched the name as a group and it had various meanings around the world. In Jamaica it’s the name of a song and a dance, in Glasgow it means to head-butt someone and in France it’s like a plaster for when you break a bone in your body.
How did you all meet and come up with the idea for Stööki?
Stööki was born from the concept of marrying pendants that coincide with the art work on a t-shirt, so both pieces complete the design and present a wow factor when worn. Quincey and Nadia went to the same jewellery school (Sir John Cass) and started working on the ideas for a jewellery range together. Then through an art collective we used to be in called Plain Janes, we met Luke (who graduated from Central Saint Martins) and formed a friendship.
Describe your jewellery and apparel in three words
Slick, innovative and intrinsic.
Every other day you hear of a new streetwear-esque clothing line. Did you consciously make the decision to include art in your work to differentiate yourself?
It most definitely is an organic extension of the Stööki Craft Makers manifesto. We all represent one of three elements: sound, vision and play, providing our audience with a chance to explore themes of each collection through interactive art and immersive events. Luke has the skills to not only design but also produce music, whereas Nadia is the most practical with skills in design and production and Quincey has a cross platform background in advertising, TV and gaming. It only made sense for us to combine our abilities.
How did you get involved with the Louis Vuitton arts project?
We were selected by the Tate Modern, as we represented a mixture of their target audience and the next generation of artist they wanted to work with.
What do you hope visitors will take away from the workshop at the TATE Modern?
Inspiration and an insight into how the Stööki Craft Makers work as a team. We always aim for 100% enjoyment and for people to leave our events saying: “You know what, that was so much more fun than just going to a rave. I’ll definitely do it again.”
You launched Stooki last year and have since collaborated with quite a few major brands. What has been your favourite moment so far?
Our first launch (Make Your Mark) would always be one of our biggest highlights to date, it was nice to see people’s reactions to the hard work we put in. The fact that kept everything a secret until you arrived and with all the support from Red Bull’s PR team it was a great success.
In what way do you hope to expand Stooki in the future?
For the label to be selling in various boutiques and concept stores around Europe. Since our feature in WAD magazine and going to Berlin’s Bread and Butter Tradeshow, we started to get a bit of attention overseas.
What advice would you give to someone hoping to start a new label?
Don’t get bogged down in the logistics of starting a label. If you have a vision try and execute it and once you take that first step, everything else will start to fall in place. Make sure you plan as much as you can, then you will start to notice how you learn things on the fly.
Words: Jade Thompson