Terratag Exclusive Interview

Last week I hooked up with Paul, the founder of Terratag to discuss the brand, influence, inspiration and the future.

For the uninitiated what is Terratag?

With a direct influence from Oriental art, Terratag takes elements from Eastern and Western culture to create a remix of manga, pop, street art and graffiti, an effect that is as much about Shoreditch as it is Shinjuku.

When and why did you start Terratag?

Going right back to my early teens, I was into customising clothing. As a BMX kid, I cut stencils and spray-painted designs onto long-sleeved T-shirts, creating my own (on the cheap) race jerseys. I couldn't afford the official merchandise, so had to get busy with a can of spray. The first professional work would be a series of denim jackets I customised for a local boutique, when I was 16. The artwork was inspired by WWII aircraft nose art and was hand painted using Dylon fabric paints. Terratag was born in 2002. Inspired by the world shift from West to East in Pop culture....Manga, Anime, Robots and computer games have all gone into the mix to create a new dimension. I see Terratag fans as the 1st generation 21st Century kids....hooked up to a global grid of information, cartoons, You Tube and social networking. Musically, its Elektro Pop, Hip Hop and Hard Dance sounds...Terratag likes to rave. Terratag likes to paaarty!

In your designs there seems to be a fusion of Graffiti style, mixed with Manga sensibilities and inner city vibrancy. Where do you find your inspiration as far as the designs that you do and why such fusions?

If you take design in its broadest sense, my influences go right back to when I was a kid. Things that excited me then, inspire me now. That is plain to see in my work. I am a consistent advocate of modernity and popular culture - my graphics being big, bold and brash, the colours retina-burningly bright. I am a definitely a Japan nut and their culture definitely permeates the designs. The way I work, is to take Japanese themes and to mix it up with European and, in particular, London-based styles. I am not comfortable belonging to a niche, so by taking a little bit of this and a little bit of that, the end result is an exciting hybrid.

There is a robot in a lot of the designs I have seen, why have you embraced the robot image so much?

I have always had an affinity with technology, machines and science and, I guess, the most funky manifestation of that is the giant robot. In particular, the Gundam.

You have had contracts with huge brands and clients such as Sony Playstation, Harvey Nichols and Studio Gonzo - is it hard to keep your grassroots edge and underground brand status and following whilst working with such brands and why?

If you look at the way we have worked the CoLab Project, whether it is a Parisian street artist or multi-national game developer, I can only see positive when working with people or organisations you respect. As the projects have been on a design tip and are usually one-off collaborations, they help in the generally raising of awareness. But, I don’t see them as affecting any grassroots vibe, cos we still carry on doing what we do and maintain our course. As long as we don’t have to compromise to move forward, then I will be always happy with where Terratag is at.

What does the future hold for Terratag?

I would like to see Terratag continue to develop, artistically and as a business.

For more on Terratag check out: www.terratag.com