With every new season, we are repeatedly presented with the same silhouettes and styles from mainstream designers. I, for one, have grown exhausted with single-breasted blazers bearing only marginally creative alterations. Thankfully, young, independent designers are hungry to deconstruct existing design standards and redefine tradition. Among this nouvelle vague of fashion architects is All-T¥lk Archived, an independent label based in southwest London.
All-T¥lk is spearheaded by creative director Zak Cadow and project manager James Cutler. With a background in biomedical science, Cadow’s self-taught design abilities offer an alternative perspective in an often oversaturated fashion world, creating pieces that abandon structural conventions and toy with non-traditional textures like crocodile-embossed leather. The creative chemistry between Cadow and Cutler is palpable, with each of their visions copacetically collaborating to define All-T¥lk’s identity. In just a year and a half, All-T¥lk has already produced several collections, cementing its spot in London’s rising underground fashion scene.
This past weekend, I sat down with Cadow and Cutler to hear the stories behind some of their avant-garde creations. Through a wall of background music at their lively pop-up event, the pair explained their process and intentions behind building what may be the next big name in alternative, independent fashion.
The Cold Magazine (CM): Tell me a little bit about how the brand started and what drove you to start designing?
Zak Cadow (ZC): We started off in an unconventional way because I studied science in university, so creatively, I’m self-taught. I would say my work is about self-expression. We both met, and All-T¥lk started as a safe haven for people such as myself who don’t fit into conventional aesthetics. So I wouldn’t say we’re “streetwear” or “alt”, but an entirely new label that we’re aiming to create.
CM: One of the first pieces you two designed was the Strait Jacket. I love the garment’s construction, and I’d like to know what inspired you to create it.
ZC: The Strait Jacket is our favorite piece. At the time, I was just getting into fashion, and I wanted to express myself and get into designing. And one of the first things that gave that spark to me was the H&M x Margiela belt jacket. I thought of the phrase “great artists copy” or whatever, so for my first project, I wanted to put that jacket through my own perspective, essentially. The theme of the first collection was about feeling restrained, so I feel like it came together really well.
James Cutler (JC): And being our first collection, we learned so much in that process. There were so many ups and downs and so many things we learned, but it was nice to do it with a piece that we love so much.
CM: You use the word “archive” as a part of your brand, not in the vintage archive sense, but as a way of documenting your progress and story. Since starting All-T¥lk, how have you seen yourselves progress as creatives?
ZC: I feel like there are certain goals for All-T¥lk. On one hand, we hope that All-T¥lk can be seen as a moment in time. You know how you look back at different eras, the 80s or the 90s. We want All-T¥lk to be that cultural checkpoint, like a bookmark, so we can look back and see how people were expressing themselves at the time. So with the word archived, we want to make pieces that act as time stamps.
JC: Each piece sort of reflects where we were mentally at the time or where we were. So with each piece we develop, there is so much growth and so many people we’ve met, so those things become part of the piece.
CM: You’ve spoken a bit about inspiration. Can you tell us a bit more about what inspires and drives you to create?
ZC: I get inspired in the most random ways, honestly. Sometimes I’ll be at work or driving, and I get that moment of inspiration. Beyond that, I get a lot of inspiration from other art mediums, usually through music, poetry, or films. After having that emotional moment with the art piece, I then move into research or moodboards and look at the cultural references I’m trying to go for, and really start exploring. Because All-T¥lk is still such a small brand, there’s not a lot of external pressure to think about what other people want from us.
JC: We just get to do what we want to do, and it’s so cool. One of the most satisfying feelings for me is when we see someone wear the pieces we’ve given them, and seeing the way they feel or how they start carrying themselves when they’re wearing it is amazing. We’ve worked with a lot of artists, and when they put on the clothes, they really get into the zone, and it’s such a cool feeling.
CM: Compared to other larger-scale brands, how does All-T¥lk operate and think differently?
ZC: I would say something that All-T¥lk is that we don’t stick to one specific niche or aesthetic. We like to think of our brand as not something one-dimensional, but rather something very complex, just as humans naturally have a wide range of personalities. I like to implement that in the brand identity whilst perfecting each vibe element. The good news, though, is that the supporters and clients we’ve gained along the way understand that.
CM: You said there have been special moments of people wearing the brand. Is there a specific “wow” moment in the brand’s story that you can share with us?
ZC: I can’t think of anything huge, but recently, there were a few underground artists in the UK scene coming up, and James was listening to them for a few months, and they hit us up to style them in our pieces for a show and honestly it was such a happy moment for us.
JC: It was a bit of a surreal moment and it was just organic. Everything we’ve done, all of the work we’ve done, is organic. We don’t really reach out to people or ask for favors, we want everything to come from mutual friendships and connections, because I think it makes it so much more powerful and meaningful when its genuine.
CM: On that note, do you think that being a smaller brand and having less access to the same resources as larger projects has helped you build a stronger community and identity?
JC: Definitely. In a way, we do have limited resources, but I think what that’s done is make us think outside of the box. Everything we’ve created has been made in a more relaxed way, but it’s precise, and we’ve done it with so much intention.
ZC: There’s no time for retakes, no re-dos. If we’re doing a shoot, we have to actually lock in and bring it to life. And before the shoot happens, we have to be very, very detailed.
JC: I mean, we spend so much more time planning than we do actually creating and shooting because every mistake at the end of the day costs money, especially when you’re a small brand.
CM: So what does the future of All-TYlk look like? Goals? Dreams?
JC: Right now we’re really focused on longevity. We’re not looking for a quick 15 minutes, we hate the 15 minutes. We’re not looking at hype cycles, our focus is much more on defining the language of the brand, strengthening our relationships, and really building a brand identity.
ZC: In a business sense, I agree, but in a creative sense I wanna push structure even further and experiment more with different materials and silhouette without losing wearability. The goal is to really not follow trends, but instead create our own world.
