We caught up with the founder of fashion label Superfly In The Stars, Emmanuel Kazadi ahead of the release of his SS 16 collection online.
Introduce yourself.
My name is Emmanuel Kazadi, but I simply go by E, and I just launched part one of Superfly In The Stars Spring/Summer 16 collection.
What is Superfly?
Superfly In The Stars or just Superfly is a clothing brand that embodies the hip-hop, skate and street art culture of New York City.
When did you start designing?
My brother and I came up with Superfly In The Stars a while ago back when I was like 15, from then on I began looking for someone to design the stuff. I was always good at painting and drawing, but I had never done logos and whatnot.
Until three years ago when a hip-hop artist named Izzeye approached me and asked me to make a logo for him after he had seen a graffiti tag I had done. After I got the hang of it and I realised that I could make my own logos, designs… and anything else really as far as working on Superfly In The Stars.
Describe the process of designing this collection?
There is no special process as far as coming up with the designs. Each are birthed from different situations, at different times. It’s hard for me to answer that question because each have their own unique processes.
I can design at anytime.
I have my computer with me everywhere I go, literally, so I can design at anytime or take care of other stuff. I’ve found myself designing in the bathroom with my laptop over the sink for this collection. I won’t say which design but it happened.
What’s it like being an entrepreneur?
Being an entrepreneur helps you grow as a human. It makes you a million times sharper and your attention to detail is multiplied by another million.
You just have to be resilient.
It also teaches you how to take hits because things go wrong most of the time. You just have to be resilient and fix whatever went wrong. It’s all worth the while when you’re working on stuff you are really passionate about.
Who designed the graphics for the collection? What are they about?
I designed all the graphics for this collection. The Superfly Original logo really is a depiction of the visual that comes to my mind when I think of the word Superfly… Or vice versa. The synergy of the word Superfly along with the design really works for me.
What are you up to next?
What’s next for the brand is to launch part two of the SS16 collection. This will happen along the course of the summer. I try not to think too far ahead, my main focus is to continue making original quality products that stay true to the brand’s identity.
Check out more at superflyinthestar.com