AWOL

AWOL is the brand created by Jake Easy-Keating, who is looking at questioning the ideals of sportswear and looking very conceptually into this brief.

What sports do you focus on the most and why?

I'm not concentrating on a sport for this brand as the concept i came up with applies more to lifestyle and the way we live.

What market do you think needs more focus on in the future?

I feel the outdoor sector could do with a revamp, although new materials and technologies are being brought into it each year, i find that the shapes of the clothing havent really moved on since in a while, I understand that this is due to practicality but there could definitely be some move thought that goes into it,

Name one of your design cues and expand?

The only design cue ive come up with is 'questioning' purely for the fact I want to take a different approach with the design and brief in general, i want people to have an opinion about it whether bad or good, spark a debate as such.

Between aesthetics and functionality whats more important?

Aesthetics all the way, at the end of the day i think the final factor anyone considers when buying clothing is 'does it look good' people will always be willing to sacrifice a bit of functionality as long as they look good, apart from the obvious winter explorations, hiking mountains etc, but for the extreme sports and ordinary sports (skiing, surfing etc.) you can just layer up or down depending on the weather,

What influences the way you design?

As cringe as it may sound, i think day to day life has a strong impact as my mood at the time influences the materials i research, designs i do or ideas i come up with. i Think though the first few weeks of any brief is my most important as thats when im at my most productive week as its when I just throw ideas out and then refine from there.

Where do you get inspiration from?

My inspiration comes from art, fashion, music , mates around as well and trends that are about at the current period, I like to take a look at previous years in clothing and see what could have been made better or improved