Ozon met the designer duo WoodWood, comprising Karl Oskar Olsen and Brian Jensen, backstage after their show at Copenhagen Fashion week where they showed their sportive and comfortable style on the streets just outside the WoodWood shop. Confirming their laid back attitude WoodWood combines sportive and natural elements. Restless but not thoughtless WoodWood is a popular collaborator with many other companies. Also during fashion week WoodWood hosted the opening of the Brickism II project, a charity for ‘Save the children’ and the launch of the duo’s take on the Asics X-Caliber light-weight running shoe.
What means Copenhagen to you besides being your home base?
Karl: To us Copenhagen means easy access to all stuff and easy access to the whole scene. It is really easy to make things happen.
You also have a shop in Berlin, what is the difference to you between Copenhagen and Berlin?
Carl: Berlin is still the most free city. They have a better energy than we have here where there is more money here, but that also means more control. Whereas in Berlin is not so much money so there is more anarchy.
Does that mean you can develop better here in Copenhagen?
Carl: We need a bit of both.
Let’s talk about your latest project, the cooperation with Lego; the second time of Brickism. How did you choose the other artists’ for this collaboration?
Carl: They’re friends of ours. We wanted to work with people that we knew to take part in the project. You know Lego is a very big company and they wanted to really get the best. You can harm their brand, their concept so we chose friends so we knew that we make the project with Lego on our mind.
Talking about charity and fashion/art, because all the money you collect with the Brickism II project goes to ‘Save The Children’ foundation. How did you choose this organization?
Karl: Brian and me both have kids so it is easy to focus on things that are close to you and you care about. We can give our kids stuff and you have in mind that other people might not have this opportunity so we think about them a lot, too.
Expanding your various projects with sportswear companies, (Nike, New Balance, Reebok, Adidas) the new Asics project. Was there a demand that you should fulfil in this project?
Brian: No, I mean we had a long relationship with Asics before and actually we talked to them about doing a functional performance shoe. But they couldn’t process those ideas and so we did the classic runner. We also liked it and thought: why not!
We did it together with Freddy Wilkinson who works at the store here and he is really into this old school classics subtle colours. And it seems like a good colour fort his shoe.
Looking at the actual collection for SS 2010: What was your inspiration for this collection?
Brian: We started earlier on and thought about this travel theme; we usually have an open concept to take off and then land at different places. We get a lot of inspiration or our travels abroad and we’re going to different cities and countries and see it as a fitting for this collection.
The hats did really remind one of the typical fishing hats while the jackets look like made for a safari, you chose very natural colours.
Brian: That is a mix of very many different themes. Of course when you start travelling and think tourism, everything is possible. Tourism is often a very negative word, but we tried to turn it into something very positive.
Have you been to Athens yet?
Karl: Yes, I have and I love it, I love Greece. My mother lives in Lesbos six months per year, so I have been there quite a lot. It is a third home. But Athens particularly is great because it is such a great city with a good vibe.
