Boss Boys - House Of Coco Magazine

Boss Boys June 4, 2021

Harvey Broadbent on making the world a happier place with Positive Outlook Clothing

According to Harvey Broadbent, Founder & CEO of sustainable and truly inspirational fashion brand Positive Outlook Clothing, “you should always start with purpose and let your product follow.”

From a very young age, Harvey started with purpose, living a life surrounded by positive energy and encouragement which he now shares with others through Positive Outlook Clothing.

Purpose is everything for Harvey, and this rings true for his company which foregoes fast-fashion trends and instead inspires people to look inward, giving them the right clothes to live their best, most confident lives. Positive Outlook Clothing has people at heart and planet in mind and offers stylish, evergreen pieces that can go from day to night and are made to last.

“We create quality-crafted clothing that focuses on the wearer and helps them to shine and feel their best,” Harvey says. “Clothing that helps you feel and be the best version of yourself every day.”

“Each and every time a customer sees or wears an item of our clothing, it gives a small boost, a smile, a push in the right direction and acts as a symbol of like-minded, forward-thinking, positive people.”

It makes sense then, that for Harvey, profits aren’t the be all and end all for his company. Instead, he seeks something much more valuable – and that is to share his truly inspiring positive mindset with the world, one sustainably made garment at a time.

We sit down with Harvey to talk about his early forays into design, balancing profit and purpose and his goal to build a family of positive-minded people looking to change the world.

“Our motto is ‘people at heart, planet in mind’ and this rings true all the way through our company foundations… Success for me is measured by the impact you have, the love in your heart and the legacy you leave behind… not the numbers on your bank balance!

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background, what inspired you to start Positive Outlook Clothing?

My name is Harvey Broadbent and I guess you could say I was born and raised in the midlands surrounded by creativity and positivity. With the family on my mum’s side all in motorsport engineering, and the family on my dad’s side was in fabrication, upholstery, and carpentry I was destined for a world in design.

My childhood was full of positive reassurance and the general push to ‘try anything’. Our family was not afraid of failure and instead praised it, as long as you gave it your all and regardless, learned from the outcome. Although my passion began in fine arts, I had the standard concerns of “you won’t make any money,” stressed to me by my teachers and friends alike.

To keep the creativity alive, I chose to explore the world of product design with a bachelor’s degree at Bournemouth University in 2008. This was where I gained an insight into each and every stage involved in taking a product from concept to life and my sense for sustainable design was born. Little did I know that this life of positive encouragement and desire to create would drive me to build a company with people at heart and planet in mind.

We love the mantra of “A positive outlook garment is a positive mindset.” From design to production and marketing – how does this ethos inspire your business?

We create quality-crafted clothing that focuses on the wearer and helps them to shine and feel their best. We don’t cater to high street fashion and exotic trends; we look a little further inward into one’s mindset and inner confidence. Clothing that helps you feel and be the best version of yourself every day.

Each chance encounter and shared moment creates a unique opportunity for a transference of positive energy, wisdom, and culture. Each time a customer sees or wears an item of our clothing, it gives a small boost, a smile, a push in the right direction and acts as a symbol of like-minded, forward-thinking, positive people. These are the foundations we stand upon in every aspect of our business and will continue to as we look to grow as a Positive Outlook family.

In your opinion, what sets Positive Outlook Clothing apart from other fashion brands in the market today?

Sustainability, transparency, and accessibility. We have been working in the world of sustainability for over eight years. We’ve made mistakes, tackled controversy, and sailed through the smoke and mirrors that exist within the fashion industry and business world.

We take nothing at face value and instead strive to see first-hand the people and processes involved at every stage of production. For example, over the past 4 years, we have worked with one family-run manufacturer for all our clothing, and we couldn’t be happier about it. We know every member of staff working there at every process, we know where our fibres come from and the energy it takes to turn those natural fibres into fabrics for you to wear and feel fantastic in. This approach allows us to share this information confidently and honestly with our customers.

With fashion being one of the biggest pollutants, sustainability in the fashion industry is more important than ever. In what ways does Positive Outlook Clothing promote conscious consumerism?

Coming from a product design background, for me sustainable design is not a gimmick, marketing ploy or USP, it’s just ‘the way it should be’ and a sign of good wholesome design. This follows through to the type and styling of the clothing we produce – quality everyday essentials.

As a company, we promote a minimal lifestyle, producing quality made items that fit and feel amazing, styled to look as good at the bar with friends or out on your morning run. We aren’t focused on launching elaborate ranges or hitting those high-street trends. A Positive Outlook item is an everyday item that will last. Our botanical fabrics and fibres work with your body, aiding movement, allowing your skin to breathe while being durable and stylish to suit any

surrounding.

As a business owner with such strong ethical foundations, how do you balance profit and purpose?

Our motto is ‘people at heart, planet in mind’ and this rings true all the way through our company foundations. I have no dreams of incredible riches but rather to succeed as a company, to reach our goals and build a family of like-minded ambitious people that are living the life they want to live and positively impacting as many people as they can while doing it. Success for me is measured by the impact you have, the love in your heart and the legacy you leave behind… not the numbers on your bank balance!

What’s next for you? Any new exciting projects in the pipeline?

Where do I start! I’d say out of everything we have going on now, I am most excited about the podcast concept we are currently creating as a company. The podcast we’re launching will ultimately be an extension of our heart, championing various youth organisations across the country, starting local to us.

We will be sharing the amazing work they do, breaking down the challenges/stereotypes they and their members face and chatting 1-2-1 with the inspiring young people these organisations work with.

We have 6-7 projects lined up so far at different stages and already each conversation we’ve had has been eye-opening and powerful to say the least! Keep your ears peeled and eyes open for this one…

What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start their own fashion brand?

Start with purpose and let your product follow.

www.positiveoutlookclothing.com

Boss Boys April 29, 2021

SWAY London Founder Mark Winter on rising from the ashes of lockdown and taking the streetwear world by storm

From the ashes of lockdown, rises a new streetwear brand. So says SWAY London Founder Mark Winter as he recollects on how he turned the tables on 2020 to finally chase his dream of launching his own fashion brand.

SWAY London is wonderfully inclusive and offers achingly cool streetwear styles for both men and women. “SWAY London is for everyone,” Mark says and rightly so. Its debut collection is 100% sustainable and is characterised by bold colours and prints, tied together by the brand’s emblematic Phoenix symbol.

The Phoenix, according to Mark, is not just a logo – but represents SWAY London’s unique origins and spirit. He says, “What better symbol to have embedded into the SWAY London brand than the Phoenix, a creature that is born from its own ashes.”

We sit down with Mark who tells the story of how he turned idle time during lockdown into the opportunity of a lifetime. He also talks about SWAY London’s creative inspirations, his commitment to sustainability, his grand ambitions for the brand, and why everyone should follow their dreams.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background, what inspired you to start SWAY London?

I have been working as a commercial consultant for the last 10 years, working with a number of professional sports clubs and associations as well as directly with the brands, mainly around partnerships, marketing and activations. When the lockdown first happened, I spent the first few weeks taking apart all of the activations and events we had planned for the year. Afterwards, I found myself with something I never really had — time on my hands. I’ve never been one to just sit around, so from there I decided to look at something I have always wanted to do, a dream of mine really, which was to start a fashion brand.

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced as an entrepreneur so far?

I’ve always had a huge passion for fashion and have always wanted to chase my dream. I just never had to time to do it. Lockdown gave me that time, so I went for it! Working with the clients I have over the years, I’ve been very lucky to have made the connections I have, some of which played a huge part in getting SWAY London off the ground, especially on the production side of things.

Why did you choose the Phoenix as your logo? What does this represent?

Finding the right logo and designs was always going to be key, and it took some time to come up with the SWAY London name. SWAY for me just fitted well, but I was keen to add London to the logo being an SW London guy myself.

The Phoenix is a different story, I wanted to find a design and not a second logo – I wanted to find a design that could withstand the test of time. Something that we can grow and develop into what I hope will become an iconic symbol of the SWAY London brand. It also needed to have a story behind it, as I feel that this brings more to the brand.

SWAY London is a story of a business that was born from the ashes of the Lockdown, and what better symbol to have embedded into the SWAY London brand than the Phoenix, a creature that is born from its own ashes.

SWAY London offers both men and women’s ranges including a swimwear line. In your opinion what sets SWAY London apart from other fashion brands in the market today?

I strongly believe that SWAY London offers a fresh feel to the streetwear side of fashion, especially with our high quality materials, uplifting bold colours and our high build finishes. Not to mention that even as a start-up, all of our apparel products are already 100% sustainable. We believe that with our wide range of products, that we have something for everyone.

We heard that the SS21 line is made with sustainable cotton. How important is sustainability to the SWAY London design ethos?

Being sustainable was non-negotiable for me. It’s so important that we all do what we can to make a difference and starting out on the right foot made perfect sense.

SWAY London has a decidedly streetwear aesthetic – who is your target audience and what kind of person do you envision wearing your pieces?

Most people these days do have some kind of streetwear clothing in their wardrobe. For me SWAY London is no different, it is for everyone. I have designed it so that we have something to suit all situations and occasions, whether that’s a night out, a holiday or simply going shopping.

What’s next for you? Any new exciting projects in the pipeline?

All my focus is currently on SWAY London, but I do have some very exciting things going on at SWAY. Not only am I in the middle of finishing touches for the AW21 range, but I am also currently in the middle of producing our footwear range samples for our Shoot in July. Footwear was a very big part of why I started this as I am a huge trainer fan, so it’s very exciting…

What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start their own fashion brand?

I’m always going to tell people to follow their dreams, so my advice to anyone who has a dream is to go for it – doing your homework is very important so that you can map it out, because having a clear roadmap to follow really does help at the start.

You can pre-order some of #TeamCoco’s Top 10 SWAY London picks below

Boss Boys January 20, 2021

Boss Boy Interview with Wing Shacks Joshua Jarvis

We sat down with Joshua Jarvis, founder of one of London’s best-loved chicken wing shops, Wing Shacks Joshua Jarvis, to pick his brain about all things related to our favourite chicken snack, as well as running a business amidst a pandemic. Life is tough now for all of us but particularly those in the hospitality industry so House of Coco was keen to get an insight into the journey, particularly as Wing Shack opened new locations last year – including their fourth London site at the acclaimed Selfridges & Co on Oxford Street.

Following a nine-month prison sentence – prison tag included and everything – for ‘perverting the course of justice’, Josh decided to do many things with his life, including his Wing Shack venture, but also working with Only a Pavement Away, an initiative which looks to employ ex-offenders and homeless people into the hospitality sector. Josh mentors these people, as he did during his prison stint, hoping to turn his challenging experience inside into a positive one now he’s out of prison.

So how did Wing Shack come about?

I had the idea when I was young. I love chicken, I love chicken wings and, at the time, I felt there was nowhere in London that specialised in them. I didn’t have a hospitality background and I didn’t know how to start a restaurant, I just always had a vision for it. When I was in America, I went to different wing places and felt that the food was good but I could bring something here that was both atmosphere and music, as well as good food. My friend’s dad was selling the lease for his shop in Loughton and we opened Wing Shack in Loughton in 2018. From there, we went on to open a delivery kitchen in Bethnal Green and we opened Clerkenwell in February, right before lockdown.

How was opening then going into lockdown?

Well, we’ve only got this for a year so most of it has been wasted because even though we were open a bit last year, the Clerkenwell area is nothing like what it used to be. It’s very office-based and other eateries in the area aren’t even open. We decided to keep open when we could and we launched the latest site in December; a permanent spot in Selfridges. Even that was originally delayed, opened in December and shortly closed because of lockdown – so it’s not been without its difficulties.

Are you still confident about opening new spots?

Yes. Of course, it is a demoralising time, but only if you think it is. Even before COVID-19, I was always optimistic so, for me, this is a perfect time to make use of opportunities. I get why brands and companies feel demoralised but I’m happy to see how it goes.

You’re open for takeaway – surely that helps?

So we opened a new delivery kitchen in Canary Wharf which is doing well and we’ve got offers accepted on places in Brixton and White City so we’ve got plans. We’ve also got Ealing in the works but it won’t be ready until November time. It’s crazy because right now, there are a lot of good deals and places available if you are able to expand right now.

What advice would you give to other small businesses in your position?

You need to be able to adapt. As a business owner, the main thing you have to do is problem-solve; if you can’t solve problems, it’s never going to work. You can’t just have one model and expect things to progress; maybe one or two things but you have to be willing to change whatever is needed. It’s also about seeking opportunity and keeping positive. It’s a bad time and, don’t get me wrong, it’s a lot of pressure for businesses right now – especially for bars and restaurants. I especially feel for pubs and bars where most of the trade is after 10 pm so even when things were open, the curfew made things difficult. I also get that it’s easier for us because we have minimal staff but, ultimately, you have to take risks.

How come you’re such a risk-taker?

That’s how I’ve always been, to be honest, with my background.

Tell us more about your background; what were you doing before Wing Shack?

So I’ve always been interested in sports; I’ve played sports all my life. I got to the age where I knew I wouldn’t make it to the level I perhaps wanted to so I stopped and went into sports coaching but it wasn’t for me. I then went into fashion and worked in personal shopping for celebrities; I had friends in the industry so I had contacts. Then I developed a new concept called Be On Trend, which was a fashion platform for independent brands which I’m still working on, alongside Wing Shack.

So there’s a lot of entrepreneurial spirit here?

Yes, always. I’ve only had one job which was working for someone else – at LA Fitness – otherwise, I’ve always loved doing my own thing and taking my risks.

Let’s go back to your thoughts on this lockdown…

I honestly have no idea. There’s good news and confidence with the vaccine but I think we’re going to be in and out of restrictions until March time. Hopefully, then we can just crack on. Once we do get through it, it’s going to be such a powerful feeling and there’ll hopefully be a lot of good times ahead, especially for hospitality and entertainment.

How have you had to adapt?

Some of our restaurants are easy to operate; one chef, no front-of-house staff, and we use QR codes. Loughton’s site is a completely different situation as it’s more of a restaurant and it’s simply much busier. Loughton is out of the city so lots of people can get in their cars and drop by. It’s different to London, especially central. We’ve had to put more front-of-house staff on furlough but, thankfully, we’re okay with chefs because we can spread them out and use them in different kitchens. Loughton also runs a breakfast so we have that to keep workers and trade.

Has organising delivery been a headache to organise?

I say we’ve got a good team, good chefs and managers who work closely with us to help a lot. We opened a delivery kitchen before the pandemic too, so we knew how it all worked and it wasn’t a new thing for us. Delivery kitchens are an entirely different concept with different complications. You’re not dealing with customers but you’re involved with delivery drivers and have to keep an eye more on cooking time etc.

Has anything in your background prepped you for this quick thinking?

All my business ventures have helped me; no one handed anything to me. I had to ring round the houses in many jobs and it’s made me have a direct approach in what I do today.

How do you keep in touch with the business you built?

I would go to the Loughton restaurant, probably twice or three times a week under normal circumstances; Clerkenwell and the others once a week. Before lockdown, I used to work in the kitchen in Clerkenwell and Loughton and only when we opened more spots, I had to take more of a backseat approach because I needed to focus on growing the business, as well as being physically present.

What’s next for Wing Shack?

We’ve got our new meal kits which recently launched. The new opening in Selfridges was great for December but then obviously lockdown happened. We’ve got some opportunities in the works with stadiums and that wouldn’t just be on match days but every day. We’re hoping by popping up on peoples’ Deliveroo apps and such that we’ll continue to be on everyone’s mind to order from us. Our vegan menu is doing well so we need to see how it goes and maybe we can open separate shops for a vegan menu in the future. The vegan options are on Deliveroo too; it’s more than just jackfruit wings, we have a jackfruit burger and a chicken substitue burger and strips so there’s a lot for vegans to choose from.

Will Wing Shack go down the catering route?

For me, I’m not worried about being in the stadiums, it’s a halo effect and the spreading of the word from knowing you at public events and spaces. Similarly to Selfridges. If you’re a football fan and eat it at your club or match, you’re going to choose to eat there when you visit the city. For now we’re focusing on our delivery kitchens and keeping the choice on our takeaway menus to entice takeaway orders. I’ll scroll through Deliveroo myself and go through the whole list and know I’ll end up choosing Nando’s or something I know and am used to. People don’t want to take a risk with takeaway.

So why should people take a risk with Wing Shack?

Well, I don’t see it as a risk! I think if you order it, you’re going to be happy! But Deliveroo and other apps like it are so saturated. Before, restaurants wouldn’t have ever touched them but now they’re being forced to actually rely on them. But you want to be on Deliveroo because it’s the most used of the delivery apps and they know it; they’re very clever and have all the technology. That’s their power and perogative.

What’s your favourite wing place in London – apart from Wing Shack?

I like Orange Buffalo and I also like Wingmans. But coating of wings is very important to me and I didn’t love the Soho branch of Wingmans when I visited a few months ago.

Have you heard of the Snake in a Basket challenge from Orange Buffalo?

Yeah and we actually have our own version. It’s very hot. People would leave in ambulances and you definitely had to sign a disclaimer form. But we stopped it because of COVID. We’re still running our Wing Wednesday offer which is two for one but it’s for eat-in only. It gets crazy, especially in Loughton. People love their wings.

Get your chicken (or vegan) wing fix and order Wing Shack on Deliveroo.

Accessories November 8, 2020

Everything we’re buying our beaus this Christmas

Tis the season for online (Christmas)shopping and if like many, you’re scrolling along countless websites and still stuck on what to get your beau this Christmas, then our Fashion Editor Hannah Tan-Gillies has got you covered.

Let’s face it – men are EXTREMELY hard to shop for. Lucky for you – these top Christmas gift picks are so good that you really can’t go wrong. This season, we’ve set our sights on cosy, functional and timeless pieces that will certainly carry your man through the lockdown winter in style.

We are loving these handsome knitted pieces from Turnbull & Asser, Calvin Klein and Lock & Co hatters, which will certainly elevate any man’s cold-weather wardrobe. We also rate Spoke London’s ‘Bulletproof’ trousers, which are made with technical, breathable, and water-repellent fabrics; and Stubble & Co’s sleek yet extremely functional Backpack. Levi’s Made Crafted line also offers plenty of style in elevated denim pieces — that are also sustainably made. All perfect for a cold-winter dog-walk or a socially-distanced getaway in the Lake District.

We’re also looking ahead beyond lockdown and investing in this stylish Globe Trotter case, which will undoubtedly add some style points to your next and very well-deserved holiday.

Oh – and if you’re looking to really give your partner a treat – then these watches from Victorinox and Breitling will certainly do the trick. Happy shopping!

Olive Green scarf by CK Accessories available at https://www.calvinklein.co.uk/men
Alliance Mechanical Watch by Victorinox available at https://www.victorinox.com/
Merino Knitted Crewneck Jumper by Turnbull & Asser available at https://turnbullandasser.co.uk/
Dark Navy Bulletproof Trousers by Spoke London www.spoke-london.com
Blue Beanie by Lock & Co available at https://www.lockhatters.co.uk/
K by Dolce & Gabbana available at https://www.boots.com/
White trainers by CK Accessories available at https://www.calvinklein.co.uk/men
Denim Mountain Coat by Levi’s Made & Crafted available at levistrauss.com
Endurance Pro Watch by Breitling available at https://www.breitling.com/us-en/
Printed Boots by Dr. Martens available at https://www.drmartens.com/
Water-resistant Backpack by The Stubble & Co www.stubbleandco.com
Carbon Fibre four-wheel suitcase by Globe Trotter https://www.globe-trotter.com/

Boss Boys December 10, 2019

Boss Couples: How HayPigs!® Founders Rik & Helen Are Creating Fun For Guinea Pigs Everywhere

Pushing boundaries in the world of guinea pigs, Rik and Helen create fun-filled toys and accessories – including world firsts!

We find out how they went from simply adopting two piggies, to creating their own range of circus-themed goodies and learn what it means for a guinea pig to ‘popcorn’ (you’ll be wanting to look that up on YouTube, trust us)…

What made you decide to first adopt guinea pigs?
Rik: It was Helen’s doing! We got married in 2010 and shortly after the wedding was over, she said, “Right, now I want us to get guinea pigs!” She’d had every other small animal as a child but never a guinea pig, so felt this was the natural next step! It didn’t take Helen long to find that we had a local guinea pig rescue near our home in Chelmsford. One visit later and we were both hooked!

Guinea pigs do make great family pets but don’t be fooled into thinking they are ‘easy’ or ‘cheap to look after’. They require the same dedication and commitment as any other pet. That said, they are fairly self-sufficient during the day, so guinea pigs are a good choice if you want the companionship of a dog or cat, but work away from home in the daytime. They have, in fact, remarkably big personalities!

So, how did having pet piggies then lead to you creating your own line of pet accessories?

Helen: Keen to lavish our new family members with love, we went out and bought them every toy and accessory on the market, they were spoilt rotten! But we quickly discovered many of these products weren’t up to the job. For some reason (probably financial), all small animal products were lumped together in one category and many of these products were trying to cater for all small furries at once, rather than being species specific. It meant that the true welfare and enrichment needs of these creatures were not really being met. With Rik’s background as a product designer and our desire to improve the lives of guinea pigs, we decided to have a go at changing things.

Disappointed with the quality of what was already on the market, how do you ensure your products stand above the rest?

Rik: We simply made it our mission statement to make the best enrichment toys on the market, regardless of cost. This was a brave step, but we knew what the market wanted and were very confident that people would want to pay more to give their small furries a better life. We go through a rigorous testing process before committing to a new design, these products are literally “tested by guinea pigs!”. If we are not totally convinced that a new product concept raises the bar and will be the market leader, we don’t do it.

All your products are themed around a circus. How did you decide of this theme for your first range of products?

Helen: We had lots of ideas for themes and will definitely do other ones in the future, but we started with the circus for good reason. Firstly, it’s unisex. Remarkably, around 90% of our customers are female, but we felt there was huge opportunity to get boys engaged and encourage them to consider guinea pigs as a pet in later life (and not just as children). By having a trendy guinea pig brand, we’re already beginning to address this. ‘PigDads’ get a lot of attention!

Secondly, with a circus theme, it’s really colourful and eye-catching, something you really don’t see in the small animal section of your local pet shop.

Thirdly, we knew that the interest in circuses (despite some bad press) was here to stay. Rik had spent 3 ½ years up in London designing film merchandise. He recognised how popular collecting ranges was and was also very aware of some of new film titles on the horizon. It’s no coincidence that ‘The Greatest Showman’ released shortly after HayPigs!® and that the remake of ‘Dumbo’ was also scheduled for 2019.

While the use of live animals in circuses is now widely condemned (and with very good reason), we felt the essence of the circus is still relevant today*. It’s all about tapping into our childhoods. That sense of fun, nostalgia and wonder. By engaging the humans and encouraging them to spend more time with their pets, everyone is a winner!

*It’s worth pointing out that HayPigs!® Guinea Pig Circus™ is a parody of the circus; our guinea pigs are playing the roles of the human characters and not the animals.

The products are all novel ideas, with fun and creative designs, but cater to real needs of small animals too. Why is this important?

Rik: Yes, while novel, it was not just about making quirky circus themed enrichment toys. We wanted each and every product to have awesome functionality and durability, and raise the bar in design and aesthetics. Funnily enough, it’s in introducing a theme that we have been inspired to come up with some world firsts! For example, our Cavy Cannonball™ – Tilting Tunnel is the first guinea pig tunnel to feature a tilting axel. Had we not been considering how to come up with a toy based on a human cannonballer, we may never have thought about it!

Will you ever create products to fit a new theme or are you going to continue to expand the circus range?

Helen: We definitely will in the future, but for now we are concentrating on expanding our existing range. We’ve just released two brand new products (the HayPigs!® Circus Treat Ball™ – 3-in-1 Enrichment Toy and the HayPigs!® Junior Food Tamer™ – Mini Food Bow) and they are already a massive hit with our customers and, of course, their piggies! We’ve got some more big ideas for 2020, but they are all top secret I’m afraid so watch this space!!

Very intriguing… Your website says that your products are “designed for and tested by Guinea Pigs”. Tell us more! What’s the testing process and how to you gather feedback from the little guys themselves?
Rik: Working with guinea pigs is very rewarding and what distinguishes them from many of the other small animals is that they do give you a lot of feedback! They have a plethora of noises and mannerisms that you can learn to read. If they’re happy or sad, frustrated or content, angry or hangry, you’ll know about it! This makes them the perfect product testers. We create working prototypes that we can gain feedback from. If they don’t like what we’ve come up with, they will discard it. If it captures their interest, they’ll be all over it – guinea pigs are naturally very inquisitive. The secret is to hold their attention for as long as possible and retain that attention every time you introduce the product. Then you know you’ve got a winning design!

Helen: The ultimate compliment from a guinea pig is a piggy ‘popcorn’. This is like an uncontrollable spasm in which your piggy leaps and spins in the air in excitement. For anyone who has a guinea pig, watching your piggy popcorn makes your heart glow inside!

A popcorning guinea pigs sounds adorable! Do you share the daily lives of your piggies online?

Rik: Yes, we have a very active social media account. We started our Instagram page before we’d launched the business and you can follow the lives of our rescue piggies on there (we currently have six). If you love cute and fluffy and a little escapism from daily life, we promise our posts will make you smile every time they pop up in your feed!

You can follow HayPigs!® on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube (@haypigs). We also encourage you to check out our website: haypigs.com

Boss Boys October 13, 2019

BossBoy Interview with Justin Pogue

Justin Pogue knows a thing or two about Real Estate, having build a wildly successful business, though it was not his original goal. An author and real estate consultant based in San Jose, CA, Justin is one to watch. His services are sought after by property management companies, investors, and real estate consulting companies alike. FOX News, The Mercury News, Realtor.com, and ApartmentTherapy.com have all featured his insights for the benefit of their audiences and now we can add House of Coco magazine to that list.

He got his start in real estate by purchasing properties on the Lands Available list in the state of Florida. Since 2003, he has developed and managed apartments, rental homes, and student housing across the United States. Justin holds a degree in Economics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as an MBA from The Darden School at the University of Virginia. As a San Jose native, he also attended Bellarmine College Preparatory and the Harker School. Here, we chat to Justin to find out more…

Justin, you’re an author and a real estate consultant. Can you tell us about the journey that lead to this career choice?

Working in the real estate industry was not my original goal when I entered graduate school. I was focused and driven to get into management consulting. I had researched the companies, done the interview prep work, and gotten the summer internship at a strategy consulting firm in San Francisco. I was on my way or so I thought.

All of this took place in 2001 and 2002, which is precisely when the dot com bubble in the US was imploding. As a result, the management consulting firms were in full panic mode redesigning their business plans and they didn’t need new people for that. In fact, they were rescinding offers they had already made. As in thank you very much for buying a house near our office, but your services will no longer be required. A few offered severance pay but the overall situation was pretty grim. This was a fantastic lesson in the value of resilience and flexibility. When I entered school the world looked one way and as I left the landscape looked completely different.

Twenty years prior, my mother had been a real estate agent. While it never became a full-time profession for her, she never lost her interest in the industry. As I was going through the process of determining what my next step would be, she suggested that while I had free time I could help her evaluate some real estate investment options. At the time she was looking at buying properties in Florida by paying the unpaid property taxes. So we went on a road trip from California to Florida.

This trip to Florida changed everything. It led to taking possession of a few properties, ensuring the legal title was clear, and selling them to some local Florida developers. That then led to a series of real estate investments in the US states of Mississippi and Georgia. These properties were not in the best of shape when I found them. But, I analyzed the market they were in, determined the best improvement plan, negotiated the financing, and managed the construction process to rebuild them into homes people would be proud to live in. Over the next 12 years, we went from 0 units to a total of 72 units.

At first, I was focused on the challenge of developing and managing these investments. Through this experience I gained first hand exposure to financing, construction, insurance, marketing, leasing, and property management. But, I came to realize that I was holding myself back by working in such a small market. Mississippi and Georgia were simply not on the cutting edge. So I hired a property management company and returned home to San Jose, CA – the Capital of Silicon Valley.

It was only after returning home to California that I came full circle. I took my real estate experience and started to marry it with my original interest in consulting. As I determined my next move, I started networking which led to amazing conversations with other positive, supportive, and successful people. These conversations led to opportunities to work as a real estate consultant for investors and property management companies. These same conversations led me to write my new book, Rental Secrets. They help me cement my belief in the value of my experiences and to truly understand how many people I could help.

You’re very well connected, having had your insights featured on the likes of Fox News, why do you think you have had so much success?

Becoming well connected is nothing more than continually meeting new people and sharing valuable information with them so they walk away from the conversation with a warm and fuzzy feeling. They may remember some of what I say, but the feeling is what really sticks with them. This leads them to introduce me to their friends because they want to give their friends that same feeling.

The other part of my success is being authentic. We currently live in a world where people try to fake it until they “make” it, where social media friends are being substituted for real ones, and more than a few major businesses have proven themselves to be less than trustworthy, if not downright fraudulent. This leaves us all looking for what is real, honest, and authentic.

These two concepts form the basis of the brand that I’m building for myself and my book Rental Secrets. They make people comfortable sharing their time and friends with me. They’ve helped me create relationships with politicians and business leaders. And yes, they even led to becoming a quoted real estate. Sure, I had the experience to provide relevant information but I wouldn’t have learned the system of how to do it without building relationships. But, most importantly this is a strategy that anyone can do.

I assume you have an impressive portfolio of properties, what has been your biggest purchase success story?

The biggest success I had was to take a 32-unit apartment building and increase its value through forced appreciation. Forced appreciation is when you make improvements to a property to increase its rental value. I developed a vision of what the property could be and led the remodeling effort. At times, I was painting walls, laying carpet, and installing tile to make sure we stayed on budget and on schedule. Being a BossBoy means knowing when to get your hands dirty.

Completing that work allowed me to refinance and pull $200K out of the property. You may have readers who look at that deal and think that $200K isn’t really that much. But, it’s not the dollar amount that made it my biggest success.

It was the first deal I’d done like that. On your first deal, I don’t care what size it is. You’re going through a process of learning, overcoming internal fear, overcoming the objections of others, and testing what you’re capable of. When you come out on the other side of that first deal, I know you’ll be a different person because I was when I finished my first one.

Who was Rental Secrets written for?

My book, Rental Secrets, teaches renters how they can save money on rent and get better value for their money. The idea is to teach them how landlords think so they can negotiate the best deal possible when renting. This creates a win-win outcome for both parties.

Obviously anyone who rents could definitely use the information in my book. But, there are a few other groups who could use it as well. Major corporations wrestle with employee attrition every day. The high cost of rent in urban areas is one of the reasons that employees leave. The cost of losing employees is enormous when you add up the costs of recruitment, training, and rebuilding relationships. Sharing this book with their employees can absolutely save them both time and money.

My book can also help any financial institution that provides home mortgages. When people apply for a mortgage, some applicants are denied. Usually this is because their expenses are too high and their financial ratios are out of whack. So how can the lending institution maintain a relationship with them? By sharing Rental Secrets with these denied applicants they can maintain the relationship and more importantly help solve the applicant’s problem. Since the lending institution is helping the applicant solve their problem the previously denied applicant is likely to re-apply with them.

Finally, Rental Secrets can definitely help college and university students. In the US there are 4.5 million young adults graduating each year who will be searching for a place to live. This topic was never covered in any class during their four years of study. What should they be looking for in an apartment? What do they need to be a qualified applicant? What language do landlords even speak? Since these questions were never answered they are just left to figure it out — until now.

Where is home to you?

San Jose, California is home for me.

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to start a career in the world of real estate?

Real Estate is a vast industry. There are a wide range of property types: single family, multi-family, retail, office, hotel, and industrial. There are transaction agents, investors, insurance agents, interior designers, property managers, loan officers, construction companies, and consultants. So my first suggestion would be to do informational interviews with people across the industry to learn which property type and role might fit your particular genius. Second, network relentlessly. Go to mixers, networking events, and panel discussions related to real estate. You’ll start building a network of industry connections. That has been a key to my success and it will also be a key to success for your readers as well. It would be exceedingly difficult to be a BossBoy without a network that is both deep and wide. Lastly, please be teachable. When I’m out networking I love sharing ideas with people if I think they might use them. If you come across as knowing everything and someone who doesn’t listen, I’ll keep my great idea to myself. That idea might have made you millions but, you’ll never know because you never heard it. Just be open to what others have to share.

Talk us through an average day in your life…

Today started with a webinar about marketing strategies for authors followed by a client meeting with a property management company about our current consulting project. Then, I took a brief moment to scroll through requests for comment from journalists to determine if my expertise would be valuable for their articles. I also confirmed a meeting next week with an intellectual property attorney to discuss creating a licensing agreement for Rental Secrets.

In the afternoon, I read through a mutual non-disclosure agreement from a potential business partner and took some time out to slow down a little and enjoy this interview session with Bossboy.

This evening I attended a forum featuring candidates for San Jose, CA city council and the California state senate focused on housing affordability. I ended my evening by responding to direct messages which included requests for interviews, people following up on previous networking, corporate HR professionals responding to my marketing campaign, and progress messages from my support team.

One of the best parts of my life is that every day is different and an amazing surprise might be contained in the very next conversation I have.

Have you had any failed investments?

The only failed investment is one that you don’t learn from. Yeah sure, I’ve had investments that didn’t turn out the way I wanted. I’ve had investments that ended up costing way more than budgeted despite my best efforts. I’ve even had some days where I wasn’t sure where next month’s mortgage payment was coming from. No real estate investor who’s honest will tell you that everything was always great. This business is not for everyone. It can be very tough especially with the evolving laws of different cities, counties, states and countries. But, every day is a new day and if you are providing authentic value you will find someone who needs what you have soon enough.

Can some of your theories be carried out in the UK property market?

The negotiation strategies in Rental Secrets are based the problems and issues that are common to landlords around the world. They have very little to do with the laws of any particular country or specific geographic issues. Every landlord wants to have great residents. Every landlord is in competition for those quality residents. Every landlord wants to avoid the costs associated with losing great residents. These are universal issues for landlords focused on providing quality places to live no matter where they are on the globe.

Looking back over your career, is there anything you would do differently?

Honestly, I wouldn’t change anything. Was it all sunshine and lollipops along the path I took? Absolutely not. There was a time I was standing knee deep in mud. There was a time when 16 residents were displaced by a flood. Those were two separate events by the way. There were times when my stress level was through the roof.

But if I wave a magic wand and do things differently in my past I wouldn’t be where I am now. I wouldn’t be the person who is sitting in front of you now. I wouldn’t be an author. I wouldn’t be in this amazing position to help renters and landlords around the world create better deals and have better relationships. Those past experiences make me who I am and I wouldn’t change a thing. I accept my past, mistakes and all.

What does 2020 look like for you?

I’m looking forward to 2020 being a very amazing and busy year. Rental Secrets will be guiding thousands more people in making their financial lives better. As we speak, I’m laying the ground work for licensing agreements with companies and non-profit organizations so their employees can have easy access to this valuable information.

I’ll also be doing more guest appearances on podcasts, radio shows, and live on stage. All of these events will be added to the Rental Secrets.net media archive.

Finally, I’m planning on creating a new video series that dives deeper into the rental process guiding people from renting their first apartment to the time when they’re ready to become a property owner. I can’t share any more details on that, but I can promise it will be well worth the wait.

Find out more at RentalSecrets.net

Rental Secrets Guided Tour

Accessories July 30, 2019

#BossBoy: Phil Spencer Talks About The Serious Business of Jewellery

When you visit the London DE website you are instantly blown away by the in-depth knowledge that Phil Spencer and his team have of diamonds, coloured diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires and other precious stones.

Phil showcases each and every jewel on his website so that the customer can see exactly what they are buying. He also provides professional drawings of bespoke jewellery designs before the diamond, emerald or other stone is added to the piece, meaning that every single design is perfected to the customer’s requirements.

We are intrigued to know more about Phil Spencer, and how he got into the world of beautiful diamonds and emeralds.

Q. HOC. Did you start your working life within the jewellery industry, or did you come from a different background, and did you always know that you wanted to work with precious gemstones and jewellery?

A. Phil. Whilst I have always been interested in jewellery and gemstones (and coloured gemstones in particular), I started my formal career as a commissioned officer in the UK armed forces. On completion of that I spent 5 years in financial services but I always wanted to work in the luxury market and I yearned to run my own business. Finally, in 2013, the opportunity arose to strike out on my own and become an entrepreneur in the marketplace I love.

Q. HOC. Can you tell us more about what London DE is all about, as we understand that it’s not just about precious stones?

A. Phil. We’re an ethical jeweller and coloured gemstone specialist. With connections high in the Colombian emerald and Sri Lankan gemstone supply chains, we aim to cut out the middlemen and ensure the integrity of our supply chain. We operate a mine-to-market approach and offer our customers, both retail and trade, a truly bespoke service via our hybrid model. This provides the functionality of e-commerce, coupled with personalised human interaction, both face-to-face and via digital channels.

Q. HOC. You currently have a London office, based in the world-renowned Hatton Garden, and a sales office in Istanbul, why did you choose these locations for your business?

A. Phil. I am a Londoner born and bred but I have travelled extensively and lived and worked in the Middle East and around the globe. For me, London is one of the great fashion, luxury and retail centres of the world. With an outward looking international focus we are building a global brand. Via digital channels we can reach almost everyone on earth but it certainly helps to have a (small) footprint across the major hubs. Istanbul is the first of (I hope) many international sales offices we plan to open in the coming months and years. High on our target list are Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong and New York.

Q. HOC. Your precious stones and jewellery designs range in price from around £100 to over £100,000 – do you have a favourite piece from your collections that would come in under £100, and do you have a favourite piece that would come in over £100,000?

A. Phil. We offer a wide and ever-expanding range of products from cufflinks and accessories for hundreds of pounds to bespoke engagement rings and other jewellery pieces for up to hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The key to the value of our products lies in the quality, uniqueness and the ethical nature of their supply and manufacture. The same care and diligence go into the creation of a £100 pair of cufflinks as it does for a £100,000 bespoke diamond and emerald engagement ring.

Q. HOC. Do you personally wear jewellery and if so what style?

A. Phil. I love jewellery but my personal taste is for it to be understated. I have a small collection of Tudor watches, I wear two 18K yellow gold rings, along with gold and silver cufflinks. I also enjoy designing small pieces of ladies’ jewellery for my wife. The one thing I have learned in this industry is that there is no right or wrong jewellery, just the pieces that you love!

Q. HOC. Your Instagram @londondande showcases some of your jewels beautifully, do you find social media helps to promote your brand?

A. Phil. Yes, social media, especially Instagram, is becoming a powerful marketing tool within our industry. We have just recruited a highly skilled in-house digital marketeer and a major part of her role will be to develop this channel further.

Q. HOC. What did you study at University, which one did you attend, and has it helped with the business you are successfully running today?

A. Phil. I read Geography at University College London. I chose Geography because I am fascinated by the world around me and I love travel. I think on balance university was a worthwhile exercise, it certainly broadened my mind and opened my horizons to new ideas and possibilities, which helped to lay the foundations for my later business career.

Q. HOC. Did anyone offer you any useful business advice before you launched London DE?

A. Phil. I gratefully received as much advise as I could both prior to launching my business and ever since. As part of our start-up funding programme the GLE (Greater London Enterprise) scheme provided me with a business loan and practical advice, as well as weekly mentorship from an entrepreneur with many decades of experience, which was invaluable.

Q. HOC. Did anyone offer you any bad advice that you followed, and later wished you hadn’t?

A. Phil. As with everything in life, advice comes in many shapes and forms. The vast majority of the advice I have received has been useful but inevitably some has not. Judgement and experience will eventually tutor the entrepreneur towards the best course of action.

Q. HOC. If you were to offer one piece of advice to someone thinking of getting into fine jewellery and precious stones, what would it be?

A. Phil. Understand your market and know your business model inside out. After cash flow, ignorance of ones’ operating environment is the fastest start-up business killer!

Thank you for taking the time to answer all our #BossBoy questions for House of Coco Magazine.

Visit London Diamond & Emerald Exchange for more information. Instagram @londondande

Accessories July 28, 2019

#BossBoy: Designer Collections with Cael Pipin

Occasionally #TeamCoco have the opportunity to interview designers that we are huge fans of, and this is one of those rare occasions that we can get to know more about one of our design heroes.

Cael Pipin owns and runs the designer bag company Hemcael, and his latest collections are one of a kind, unique designs that bring to life the meaning of Italian quality.

Hemcael launched in 2010, where Cael Pipin has been designing and producing beautiful bags for the luxury buyer who craves excellent Italian quality with standout designs. We are desperate to find out more about this wonderful bag designer.

Q. HOC. Did you previously work in the leather or fashion industry before launching Hemcael?

A. Cael. Yes, I have produced unique pieces on demand for an exclusive clientele for many years. They asked for original and customised pieces completely made in Italy, and I’ve always loved creating what’s the most feminine thing ever: bags. I had never worked in the fashion industry before launching my own brand, but the varied women’s universe has always fascinated me. And that’s the reason why I decided to embody what I think is the Hemcael quintessential woman, be it wife, partner, friend, mother or daughter.

Q. HOC. At what point did you realise that you were destined to be luxury bag designer?

A. Cael. Looking around, I realised that we are losing the habit of loving very high quality accessories, and, above all, we are losing the habit of giving value to the concept that’s behind the creations we wear, the research of the best materials out there, the artisan’s delicate and experienced touch and all tests to get the best shapes and structures.

The key of the collection is: ‘conquer from within’. Conquer, in Italian, is a verb also used to express the concept of ‘winning someone’s heart’. And with my bags I wanted to do it from within: the interior of my bags, their heart, is as special as their outer. It’s crafted from bovine nubuck or calfskin leather, and no other material is involved for the linings, pockets, or extras, such as the removable pouches. Today luxury means exclusiveness, uniqueness: not just because something appears ‘rich’, it’s a luxury symbol.

The Hemcael bag isn’t just for ‘appearing’, but for recognising yourself in an accessory from which you can get the feeling of craftsmanship, class, research, experimentations. Luxury is not to be shown, because it is made up of details.

Q. HOC. Your collections are eponymous with sculptured pieces that are elegant in design yet easy to wear, have you always been known for strong statement bags?

A. Cael. Yes, I have always created bags that are bold, that not only exude a sense of style, but they also convey strong emotions, they kind of have their own personality. Clothes and accessories are a form of self-expression, and the way we create our outfits impacts how we feel about ourselves, and vice- versa. That’s why I have always tried to create statement accessories, exceptionally crafted for the bold, modern, dynamic woman who’s looking for a direct reflection of her personality. My collection includes high-impact colours, such as rust, the captivating heart of the line, sculptured figures that exclusively result from the natural structure of high quality leather, and extremely detailed and intriguing interiors, which I think are even more important than what’s in the outside. The linings of my bags, completely leather crafted, are what makes them stand out and turn things around, taking the creation from plain to noteworthy.

Q. HOC. Do you have a current favourite bag from your collection?

A. Cael. Yes, my current favorite is Melime, the bag that embodies the soul of the brand in the best way. It represents the sensuous essence of the Hemcael woman, and its outstanding shape makes it unique when women wear it. I imagined a bag that could captivate all women, with its simple yet enigmatic silhouette, that could release the pure Hemcael nature from any detail. The closure is very secure, almost impenetrable, so that your everyday essentials, or even your darkest secrets, can be kept safe inside.

Q. HOC. We are personally swooning over the Aranel, a handbag/adjustable shoulder bag that oozes style and charisma, what goes into designing a bag like this?

A. Cael. Well, first of all, you grasped what the Hemcael concept means, as Aranel was a starting point for the collection. Its timeless and elegant figure is behind every other style. What I’m most proud of in its design is the structure: its shape just follows the sinuosity that the folded leather naturally assumes, and no other material was used to produce it. I wanted to create a classic, flawless, neat silhouette, simple in its sleek touch and yet sophisticated. The combination of calfskin and nubuck leather, alternating for the outer and the lining of the different styles, conveys in the best way my idea of a classy design that relies on high quality materials and elegant style.

Q. HOC. Can we ask when you are at your most creative design-wise? And, where do your design-ideas come from?

A. Cael. When I paint my works, I establish a connection between art and design. My bags are the result of an artistic process that always starts with painting. Art is that place where I take refuge when my being is in conflict with the world that surrounds me, my little bubble, where I can fully be myself. Seeing a woman wearing one of my creations brings strong feelings to me, and this leads me to design new pieces.

Q. HOC. You have recently opened a maison-gallery in the heart of Milan, can you tell us some more about this?

A. Cael. The concept of Hemcael stems from my greatest passion: art. The maison-gallery in Milan is not only a showroom, but also a gallery exhibiting my art creations, my paintings. Fashion and art are intertwined, they have always been connected. There’s no fashion piece without an artistic background. I love expressing my art both on canvas and on fashion sketches, and I do it not only for work, but mainly for myself, as that’s the finest way I express my best self. I wanted to created a wide, clean, minimalist space, where the focus is on the bags, showcased in the first room and shop windows, and on the paintings, for which an entire aisle is dedicated. I found this early 20th century former nuns convent in the heart of Milan and immediately thought it was the perfect place for Hemcael’s headquarters and maison-gallery.

Q. HOC. Do you have any immediate plans to open any more maison- galleries around the world?

A. Cael. Yes, I’m proud to announce a new opening in Bangalore, India, in a partnership with the multi-brand luxury store Galleria di Lux, [earlier this month] on July 27th. The first floor will be dedicated to Hemcael, blending contemporary art and fashion with a concept that’s new for this renowned high-end store with Italian and international brands. We’re planning other new openings, including New Delhi in October.

Q. HOC. Did anyone offer you any business advice before you embarked on becoming a luxury bag designer?

A. Cael. Not at all. I just trusted my instincts.

Q. HOC. What piece of advice would you give a budding designer, someone starting out in the industry?

A. Cael. Try to be yourself, do not copy anyone else, and be very meticulous in every single detail. Be hungry for something new, fresh. Experience new routes and try to find new and not predictable solutions.

Thank you for taking the time to answer all our #BossBoy questions for House of Coco Magazine online.

Visit Hemcael for more information.

Hemcael – creating a collection that is enigmatic in its simplicity.

Boss Boys July 26, 2019

#BossBoy: Catwalk Style with Marvin Nonis

Marvin Nonis is a fashion designer that launched his business, Marvin Nonis UK in 2016, his designs are both beautiful and feminine, and each individual design is easy to wear, eye-catching to look at, and contemporary in design.

The designer himself only ever puts clean flowing designs at the forefront of his mind when embarking on each new season. Marvin Nonis UK collections are accessible to all from his ready-to-wear line, filled with everyday staples, and stunning cocktail dresses which would make anyone feel beautiful, to the head-turning evening dresses that scream sophistication, and his individual special collection; Marvin Nonis has thought of everything.

We were desperate to find out more about this relatively under-the-radar designer, who’s catwalk shows are proving to be huge talking points around the world.

HOC. At what point did you realise that you were destined to be a women’s fashion designer?

Marvin. My initial interaction with fabrics began when I was a very young age. It was later as a teenager I decided I wanted to be a designer.

HOC. Did you previously work in the clothing and fashion industry or was this a 360 degree turn into a brand new sector?

Marvin. I have always been a fashion designer.

HOC. Your dress designs are eponymous with ethereal free flowing delicate materials, do you personally choose the materials that you work with, or do you have a team who source the material for you?

Marvin. I choose all the materials, I do everything.

HOC. Do you have a favourite dress or design from your current collection?

Marvin. Every piece is my favourite design and I love each one, all my new designs, I also love them.

HOC. Your suits are known for being flattering, crisp and stylish, yet always with an element of surprise, for example you added lace to your recent designs, is this one of your signature styles?

Marvin. Yes it is.

HOC. Can we ask when you are at your most creative design-wise; are you a morning, afternoon or evening designer? And, where do your design-ideas come from?

Marvin. There is no time limit, I am creative all day long. My inspirations are from listening classical music.

HOC. Marvin Nonis UK has been at various fashion shows and catwalk shows over recent months, which was your favourite, and where have you yet to host a fashion show that is on your ‘must do’ list?

Marvin. They are all my favourite. We are doing an exclusive fashion show in New York. We have 2 in London all in September, 1 in Scotland and next year Paris.

HOC. What is your immediate plan for Marvin Nonis UK in the next 1-2 years, do you intend on expanding?

Marvin. We are planning to open several shows, most located in the UK.

HOC. Did anyone offer you any business advice before you embarked on becoming a fashion designer, and do you still adhere to that advice now that you are running a successful business?

Marvin. I attended very specialised seminars in the US and Germany.

HOC. What piece of advice would you give someone looking to get into the fashion industry?

Marvin. They would have to learn the subject of the work exactly and then you will have the ability to start.

Thank you for taking the time to answer all our #BossBoy questions for House of Coco Magazine online.

Visit Marvin Nonis UK for more information.

Arts July 24, 2019

#BossBoy – An insight into the world of multi-award-winning painter and contemporary portrait artist Marcus Callum

With a fascinating and progressive approach to painting, celebrated visual artist Marcus Callum speaks to House of Coco’s Emma Harrison about his artistic style combining the techniques of the Old Masters with a contemporary approach, his biggest artistic influences and why he wants his work to evoke an emotional response.

Can you tell our readers a bit more about your work as a visual artist – what does this entail and what are your areas of speciality?

I’m a realist figurative painter specialising in portraiture. Having studied traditional academic drawing and painting with contemporary art theory at three very different art schools in Sydney and New York, my paintings fuse Old Masters oil painting techniques with a contemporary aesthetic.

My fascination with meditation, hypnosis and the subconscious has become a recurring theme in my work. I think understanding how to control our subconscious mind and learning how to program it positively, will allow us to control individual and collective destiny more effectively and responsibly. I try to put this into my art.

My paintings take anywhere from 4 hours to 6 months to complete so the process of painting is a meditation. It’s a self-hypnosis and brainwashing of my subconscious with images and thoughts that filter into each painting – I’m seeking a state of mind where I’m in intuitive flow.

I begin with a monochrome underpainting followed by multiple layers of oil colour. I love the Old Master techniques of glazing, scumbling and sfumato (softening of the transitions between colours). By combining these techniques, I’m able to control how the painting is viewed and to a lesser extent, how it feels to view. I think these methods allow a painter to imbue paintings with a powerful emotional charge so that a relatively simple image can say a great deal more than is apparent.

Although my paintings are apparently single static images, they’re actually a history of moments fused into one image, a history of paint layers added day after day, a history of my feelings in response to the subject, a history of the subject as it changes day to day – its past, its present and its future. It’s like compressing all the stills from a movie into one image – which now embodies all of the images in one and has adopted an energy of its own – separate to the original but also connected.

When did you discover that you had such a talent for art?

I knew I wanted to be an artist when I was 8. I remember drawing my left hand at school and realising it wasn’t just a hand but was actually my hand. I was given a set of oil paints for my 14th birthday and couldn’t believe how amazing they were – I was under their spell from that moment on.

Can you tell us a bit more about your training in Australia and America (where you won a scholarship)– how has this helped you with your career so far?

I studied traditional academic painting and drawing at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney. I heard a story about how the Old Masters gave their apprentices a bone with instructions to memorise it so that they could visualise it in 3D and draw it from any angle. This was how I approached my art studies. I focused on solid drawing skills to begin – this still forms the basis of my paintings today.

During my studies I was fortunate to be selected as a finalist in the Archibald Prize, Australia’s most well-known art prize for portraiture. I was a finalist in this prize for the following two years in a row. The Archibald Prize has such huge publicity and exposure that it was enough to kick start my career as a professional artist.

I won a scholarship to study at the New York Academy of Art in Manhattan in 2016. Co-founded by Andy Warhol and with a Board of Trustees including Eileen Guggenheim and Eric Fischl, the Academy offers in depth academic training combined with contemporary critical theory and discourse. The school chooses only fifty of the world’s best artists to study each year and many consider the Academy to be the best figurative art school in the world. I met incredible artists, many of whom are now forging out successful art careers in New York and worldwide. I studied under many inspirational contemporary figurative artists such as Vincent Desiderio and Michael Grimaldi. These studies not only helped me to learn technique, but also to see my work from a broader perspective and to position it in relation to the established canon of Western painting and it’s place in the contemporary art world.

What or who has influenced your style so far and how has it evolved so far?

In the early days, my main influences were Rembrandt for his extraordinary use of paint and the life and energy of his portraiture, Velasquez for the way he manipulated edges to create such amazing illusions and Holbein for his realistic drawing centric portraits. I’ve always loved Picasso for the sheer volume and variety of his work, as he moved from a strong academic training to become increasingly experimental. I’m also inspired by contemporary artists such as Gottfried Helnwein, Wim Delvoye, Damien Hirst, Kader Attia, Gabriel Orozco, Georges Bures and Cardiff Miller. The list of influences is endless really – I might be inspired by a photo on the internet, by another art work, an object in a museum, an experience or an idea. There doesn’t seem to be any limit and I’m happy to be led wherever my imagination or intuition takes me.

Your work aims to evoke an emotional response – how do you do this?

There are several parts to this, but I think the key lies in the use of multiple layers of paint. Unlike a photo, light bounces back to the viewer’s eye at different speeds but it happens far too quickly for them to notice what’s happening consciously. This creates a vibrational painting surface – our subconscious mind picks up on this and responds. I see every part of the painting as an abstract and I do my best to make each tiny section beautiful so that the viewer can extract something from the painting up close and from a distance. Another element to this is the treatment of edges (as one form connects to another or transitions into a background or foreground). By manipulating the edges in different ways, I can soften or harden edges to direct the viewer around the painting.

I also hope there’s emotional response to my interpretation of the subject. I want a likeness but I’m not trying to merely copy. There’s a level of letting go of accuracy and in its place, I’m simply trying to make a good painting that people respond to. I want to give a sense of the person I’m painting, I want you to know who they are, what they’re thinking – there has to be empathy between the artist, the viewer and the subject of the painting, especially with a portrait. I’m very interested in psychology and like to think I’m translating something of my subject’s thoughts in the work.

You have won a multitude of awards including the Shirley Hannan National Portrait Prize and have been a finalist on TV’s Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year – how important are these accolades to you?

Like many artists, my path has been a long and difficult one. I’ve had my share of doubt and financial hardship, so the prizes and TV appearances, apart from being a lot of fun, have helped reassure and motivate me to stay focused on my long-term vision.

Who typically buys your work and how do you cultivate a collector base?

My collectors are from all walks of life. The exposure prizes and group exhibitions provide have helped promote me as an artist and buyers have up to now contacted me directly. In Australia, I mostly worked on commissioned paintings but now that I’m back in England, I’m looking into gallery representation as a means to develop my practice further. I think my collectors appreciate my technique, attention to detail and emphasis on ‘beauty’. They react emotionally to the work and value this in a painting. Until a few years ago, I focused on studies rather than marketing but ultimately, artists need to get their work out there and social media offers a great way to do that. I’ve only recently become more active on these platforms, but I can certainly see their power.

How long does a painting take from the first sitting to final completion?

Anywhere between 4 hours and 6 months. I don’t put a time limit on my paintings – they’re finished when I can’t find anything else that will improve the painting.

I particularly love Samsara – can you tell me a little bit more about the concept of this?

I used to visit the MET in New York often – I was fascinated by their huge collection of Medieval armour and it seemed to me that the inhabitants of the armour were somehow still present, including the horses who had their own armour. I wanted to use this as a basis for a painting. I had the idea of the horse armour and human armour as a diptych but as I worked on it, I added the third central panel of a landscape. I wanted this landscape to represent the organic, the living – to symbolise the ‘perfect’ world in which we wage wars against each other, the armour lives on after the wearer dies, as does the aftermath of war in our collective memories, hearts and minds.

Your work is really intriguing a juxtaposition between the Old Masters and contemporary art – how easy (or indeed difficult) is it to blend these two distinct worlds?

I see myself as continuing on from where the painters of the 14th – 19th Centuries left off. Today artists can once again learn traditional academic painting skills at schools around the world and combine these techniques with ideas from a contemporary aesthetic. I am surrounded by the contemporary and intrigued by contemporary art, so it seems only natural, having always been obsessed with the power of Old Master realism, to combine these two elements into something of my own that continues the dialogue of painting. I want my art to reference multiple things at the same time, to work on many different levels but I’m also happy if they work on just one!

What artwork that you’ve created means the most to you and why?

The portrait of my son Sebastian has the most sentimental value. All of my works are important to me for different reasons – especially the failures. Ultimately, the painting I’ve just finished is always the most important – it’s my greatest teacher, the work that sits in the studio revealing everything I’ve learned, how far I’ve come and how far I still have to go.

Do you ever get artists block and how do you get yourself out of it?

It’s more a case of not being able to paint my ideas fast enough. It’s easy to become distracted by life, admin, emails etc but once I start painting, I’m in flow. I believe everything we watch, hear, say, read and repeat forms large parts of the subconscious mind. As such, we can program ourselves to meet our goals. I have notes and reminders all over my walls. I listen to motivational videos – once I get over the initial corniness, they really help keep me on track. I avoid listening to or watching things that don’t serve my vision. Ultimately, simply placing the paintbrush on the canvas with the first blob of paint is all I need to do – everything else follows. Of course, there’s a lot of time spent not painting – I need to visit galleries, to learn new things, to find inspiration but it’s not a block, more a part of the artistic process.

What advice would you have for our readers in order to grow their artist practices and get their work seen?

Do the work every day, keep working on it when all seems to be failing, never listen to negativity, ignore those who doubt and keep going at all costs. Do accept constructive criticism, develop a thick skin for this, you need it more than anything if you truly want to improve. Never stop learning about art, try to learn everything but take it one step at a time. You can make it – you can make a living as an artist if you keep going and take up all opportunities that come your way.

When you compare yourself to the best that ever lived, you’ll know there’s a lot more to learn and still more work to do. Be humble. Have a long-term vision for your work and stick to it. Enter prizes, lots of them. Use social media to promote your work. Think about themes that run through your work, what’s important to you in your life, what interests you – try to build these into a coherent group of artworks. Galleries respond more easily to a series of works that communicate with each other.

What’s next for you?

Apart from a few portrait commissions, I’m beginning a series of figurative paintings that will consider our anxieties around Artificial Intelligence and predictions of the Singularity. We live in amazing times and I hope to offer my small contribution to the commentary.

https://www.marcuscallum.com/