Firstly you started Bad Meet Evil in 2010, what was it that made you take your drawings, which at this stage was nothing more than a hobby to something that you wanted to display and distribute on the public scale?
The name Bad Meet Evil, is one that will come to be a household name in the future. Where did it originate from and what is the philosophy behind it and the label as a whole?
Anyone who has followed Bad Meet Evil over the past few years will know of the battle you have put up to the major labels in the industry and various street ware stores around the country. What is it that drives you to push on through when so many stores and labels have rejected you as a designer and as a label?
I wouldn’t say that they’ve ‘rejected me as a designer or a label’. Id say that what I do, and how I do it, is something completely new to what most stores and labels are used to. People are always hesitant to break away from what they know, and street wear/ fashion is no different. I like to show people ‘behind the scenes’, because it’s something that I really struggled to find out about when I was first entering the market. The fact that ‘JRF’ is very closely associated with the label also means that white BME is a ‘brand’, it also has a living, breathing, contactable entity behind it. The majority of other labels like to keep this side of things hush hush. But I believe giving people an insight into the inner workings of what I do allows them to appreciate it on a whole new level.
In the early days of Bad Meet Evil you did some design work for 360, this would have been an amazing platform to launch BME into the public eye. How did the relationship between BME and 360 form?
Until the end of 2011 all of the designs had been your work but in early December of 2011 you collaborated with Melbourne based artist, Malicious. What prompted you to collaborate on this work? Was it a challenge to let go of the creative process or did you still have some control over the work?
The introduction of color into each of your designs is done in a subtle manner to compliment the black and white design. With this work we can see that color is more present and that the image is on a greyscale base compared to many of your other works which are based on black and white. Was there a reason for changing this formula that had clearly been successful in the past, or is this the style of work that Nick normally produces?
What is the process that normally occurs when another artist designs a piece for BME? Who approaches who or are you generally mates with them before commencing work with them?
It varies from artsist to artist. I saw some of Malicious’ work at a gallery and hit him up from there. As for Rik and Ben, I’d always been fans of their work, and just reached out, hoping they’d dig the idea. Sarah and I have been pals for a while, so that one was a little more chill.
Recently you posted a status on Facebook explaining the pressure that you put on yourself and the expectations you have of yourself. When designing a work how much of an impact dose the public have each design, do they influence the content, style etc.
The Mr Squiggles work is one of my favorite designs as it brings back memories form when I was a kid watching it. Its designs like this and the Evil Mickey Mouse, and Ninja Turtles that I so many of your fans love. I feel as though putting these cartoon characters we grew up with as innocent children in a not so innocent situation reflects so the changes we go through from children to adults. What is it that makes you drives you to take these childhood characters and reproduce them?
The Nasty Naz artwork is simply amazing. Naz is one of Hip Hop’s godfathers and has done so much for what we take for granted today. There is no doubt that Sarah McCloskey has done it justice to this image. There are many other figures in the Hip Hop scene that you could have easily chosen weather they be Australian or American. What made you choose Naz over others and can we expect any more BME prints with other Hip Hop greats?
It seems as though that every time i check back to the BME Facebook page that you have always got something new on the go weather they be a new set of limited edition pocket tees, space caps or an amazing design for you next tee. So I have to ask whats in the pipelines for the next bit for BME?
Cogs are turning. Minds are churning. This new shit that I’m working on is going to put anything else I’ve ever done to shame. I’ve got a whole heap of new projects going on at the moment, some of which I’m really hoping will change the industry. I’m just hoping to get everything out on the market before this candle that I’m burning explodes. Fuck it, hey.