As we developed our new campaign — See The World In A New Light — the work of our friend Urban Koi was a constant inspiration. Based in Brooklyn and often found in the photographically well-tread blocks around our SoHo offices, she re-frames familiar motifs into enthralling, breathtaking new visions (see: that plane in Iceland). Recently, she added our new Savannah bag to her ONA collection and today we're fortunate to share a little more about one of our favorite creatives, in her own words.
Name: Urban Koi
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Describe your aesthetic in five words or less: Wistful, enigmatic, beguiled in fog.
Go-to gear: Canon 5D Mark III and Nikomat FT.
Favourite place to travel to: London. I dance to its heartbeat and rich history.
Biggest influences: Rog & Bee Walker, Leonardo da Vinci, and Mae C. Jemison—engineer, physician, scientist, and first female African-American NASA astronaut to travel in space.
Things you can’t live without: My best friend, cat, and green tea.
What motivates you: This insatiable thirst to learn, create, and tell a story.
Time of day you are most creative: Between midnight and daybreak.
Biggest challenge: Being a perfectionist.
One piece of advice that stuck with you: “Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.” — Babe Ruth
Urban Koi carries the Savannah crossbody camera bag in black leather
Mistake you’ve learned from: Trusting too easily.
Project you are most proud of: Having my writing and photography published in print in Water Journal.
Most used phrase: “Life is too short for matching socks."
Earliest memory: Offering my father a massive strawberry from my birthday cake when I turned 2.
Hidden talent: Time-traveling in my dreams.
Dream project: Documenting all 7 continents and becoming an astronaut to photograph space.
A-ha moment: Realising that the only thing stopping you, is you.
Goal for 2017: Breathing air in new countries and publishing more stories.
The Savannah crossbody camera bag in black leather
LIGHTNING ROUND
Sweet or savoury: Savoury.
Cats or dogs: Cats.
Celebrity crush: Bryan Cranston, Clint Eastwood, Hugh Laurie, and Benedict Cumberbatch. I admire their brilliant craft.
Favourite books: 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami, The Stranger by Albert Camus.
Favourite albums: If You Leave by Daughter, Ghost Stories by Coldplay.
Greatest fear: Leaving this world with my bucket list unfulfilled.
FOLLOW URBAN KOI