“I’m not a man of many words, that’s why I’m an artist and my work speaks for itself.” Mike Frederiqo is back with a vengeance. The 22 year old graphic designer that dared to convert celebrities like Karl Lagerfeld, Terry Richardson or Kanye West into Sponge Bob, reinterprets the logos of large fashion houses using the brands founders in a series entitled ‘Logos by Mike Frederiqo’.
HORSE-First of all, we would love to know what inspires you about our magazine Magazine Horse ?
MIKE– I think that the design of the magazine is clean, crisp and original. I really love the photos and the creativity inspires me.
HORSE-From your beginnings in graffiti and tattooing to your collection “Logos by Mike Frederiqo”(recently presented in Soho, New York), you have gone through various periods. How would you describe the period you are in now?
MIKE-I still graffiti and from time to time tattoo friends. At this moment in time I’m simply being creative. It is essential to me to be doing various different things at the same time.
HORSE-What has made you be inspired by celebrities or famous fashion designers in your collections?
MIKE-I see their logos almost every day and ‘I like to use people like objects and create’, and for that reason I choose them. I put my own spin on them until I achieve a new logo but that’s still familiar for everybody.
HORSE-Can you tell us something about the project you are most proud of?
MIKE– I feel proudest about my most recent project. It’s a collaboration with luxury vintage stores LXR&Co, in which I draw and paint the logo on bags and cases by Louis Vuitton in my own way as well as representing Coco Chanel on one of the brands bags. For me there is no other canvas like a Louis Vuitton.
HORSE-Your designs are graphic, elegant and ironic. What three things would you say inspire you?
MIKE-People, fashion and music are the three references in my life.
HORSE-Mike, you continue to live in your home town in Holland. Have you ever considered moving to another big city? If so, where and why?
MIKE– I would love to move to New York. The energy and the people are different there, special in every sense of the word. ‘If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere’.
HORSE-Last season, mythical fashion brand logos turned into something with a humorous tone. The designers themselves decided to reinvent the logos and send messages of irony, turning the serious and rigid image of these great brands on its head. In that moment we saw this reflected in phrases and illustrations that labels like Chanel, Céline, Rodarte, Gucci and Prada, among others, continue to offer in their current collections. After this was established, you have arrived and redesigned the great fashion house logos, what is your aim with this?
MIKE-The logos of luxury brands are known world-wide. They are used on T-shirts, bags, hats and all types of products. It is a universal language which I decided to give a touch of humour but in a different and original way. That is what I aim to say, to create something cool and positive and what better way than to use the very creators or designers. It’s simply something that for me, makes sense.
HORSE-We have seen your collection in the cult concept store, Colette, París. Where else can we find your new series of T-shirts?
MIKE-Yes! Colette is very special for me because they were the first concept store to sell my T-shirts. Apart from Colette you can find them in other concept stores in Japan, Taiwan and Denmark as well as on my website.
HORSE-If you could choose any moment in history, what time would you travel back to and why?
MIKE-I like the moment I am in now, particularly because we live in a privileged situation, especially with the Internet. I don’t like to look back, I’m young and I enjoy planning my future, for the projects that are coming up and the excitement and creativity to develop them.