ODDA Conversations

Our thoughts are very much reflective of our state of mind and their clarity attaches itself to such state. Some people are night owls, whereas others fare better in the mornings. Here, the Chinese dance artist, Kehua Li, takes us on a journey through her mind in the late hours and reflects on what implored her to study English while in Paris, how she took to the task back in China, and how her im...

It’s frequently stated that the journey is far more important than the destination. In Jamal Uhlmann’s life that has certainly been the case. Prior to finding his feet as the dancer he is now, the Berlin native guides us through his time as an ice skater to how an application to ballet school changed his trajectory, which subsequently led him to discover contemporary dance, allowing him to move in...

Jacob Jonas, the founder of the Los Angeles-based dance company, Jacob Jonas The Company, guides us through his ideas of form, movement and the dynamics between the dancer and their potential. He explores the dichotomy and tension between the dancer’s inner self and the outside world, focusing on personal growth and essence of dance, culminating in the simple, yet powerful phrase  — “Let’s le...

Barrier breakers, Miss Fame and Pat Boguslawski are not letting anyone define who they are and what they can do. Miss Fame, whose real name is Kurtis Dam-Mikkelsen, turned his time on the reality show “RuPaul’s Drag Race” into a stepping stone for an ex- pansive career that includes everything from modeling and music to television host and makeup artist, using his fame to advocate for the LGBTQIA+...

While Pride month has come to an end, its origins and the celebration of diverse bodies, despite their sexual identity, race, ethnicity, and gender, have remained the same. After all, the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street in New York’s Greenwich Village was one of the most diverse establishments in the area. Such diversity has carried across to modern-day New York and is reflected fully in the c...

DJ, designer, creative director, illustrator, influencer, and model Patrick Mason doesn’t like being put in a box or being defined by just one thing. So when ODDA asked him to talk about what Pride month meant to him, as a gay man, he bristled for a moment. But then he took an expansive view on the topic of pride and examined all the many things he is proud of, things he has accomplished, and the...

Ernest W. Baker, the co-founder’s Grandfather, and an early Detroit ad man, serves as a muse for the brand's identity. With a sense of nostalgia, an intention is made to reinterpret classic garments that feel as if they were taken from Ernest’s closet.  Established in 2016 by designers Reid Baker and Inês Amorim, of the United States and Portugal, the collections blend their cultural inf...

On Columbian artist Giorgio Ermes Celin Instagram bio he makes the claim that “Everything is a self-portrait.” Here, in his ODDA Memorabilia recording, Giorgio tells the listener all about the question every artist has lingering in their mind and how the process of answering that eternal question is the starting point to all creativity. And so yes, everything we do or say is a reflection of who we...

Jaime Álvarez, founder and creative director of Mans Concept Menswear, recounts why he decided to design menswear, the connection between his company and his German grandfather, and the impact that sunshine and happiness has had on his designs.

The raw, flowing, and unfinished aesthetic of Per Götesson’s designs act like a sartorial expression of his deepest feelings. Named the Swedish Fashion Talent of the Year in 2018, Götesson has found a way to create garments that are both restrained and yet thought-provoking as they reflect his Swedish upbringing, commitment to sustainability, and his sense of being an outsider. Götesson collaborat...

LYPH is a contemporary brand based in North West England under the Creative Direction of Founder Frederick Edmondson.

Jane Hilton is a London-based photographer and a filmmaker who was one of the Sony World Photography Awards finalists through her work “Drag Queen Cowboys,” which focuses on a series of black and white portraits of performers shot in daylight without any artificial lighting. Her work documents American Culture, especially the American West, through themes that are legal but not socially acceptable...

Cyrill Gutsch is the visionary founder of the company Parley for the Oceans, an organization dedicated to leveraging a community of creators, innovators, and decision-makers to help raise awareness about the fragile state of the world's oceans. Gutsch is leveraging his network of big thinkers to come up with, and implement, outside the box strategies that have a singular goal, saving the seas. Ian...

“Your Body Is A Battleground” proclaimed the famous poster by Barbara Kruger in 1989. Well, that could be the tagline for lawyer and trans rights activist, Chase Strangio. He has been fighting -- body and soul -- for close to two decades to change laws and policies literally made to institutionalize discrimination and violence against trans bodies. Those very bodies that normative society likes to...

Mark Hamilton Gruchy is a Hanoi-based photographer who specializes in moving images. He won the Creative Category of the Sony World Photography Awards 2021 through his work “The Moon Revisited,” which focuses on previously unprocessed NASA images of the Moon landing ingrained with contemporary references ranging from the Pop Art movement to selfie-sticks. After initially graduating with a BA in Fi...

Craig Easton, who is a Scottish photographer and the overall winner of the Sony World Photography Awards speaks about his portraiture work “Bank Top” done in collaboration with his friend, the writer, Aziz Hafiz. 

Award-winning designer Priya Ahluwalia is giving the fashion world a dynamic and vital new narrative. Her signature menswear line is both a reflection of her Nigerian and Indian heritage and presents a hopeful vision of the future, where upcycled designer clothing becomes a new cornerstone to the industry and fashion finally begins to reflect a more multicultural perspective. A future where sartor...

In light of troubling cultural changes across America, renowned artist and filmmaker Shirin Neshat took her camera and headed West. In the quiet desert plains of New Mexico, Neshat brings her curiosity, her empathy, and her poetic imagination. As an Iranian-born artist and immigrant, she seeks this convergence of the personal and the political; this is also a personal process of falling back in lo...

Gherardo Felloni, the creative director of Roger Vivier, has put a new spring in the step of one of the world’s most famous souliers. Felloni’s positive attitude and his light-hearted approach to shoemaking is however grounded in over 20 years of designing footwear for some of the biggest luxury brands. In conversation with Jessica Michault Original Music by Valerio Parrotta Edited by Dominic Cele...

Designer Andrea Grossi unpacks his collections “ Welcome to DeusLand ” where he questions the costumes and traditions of our society.  He reflects on how creating his own characters helps him define his own ideal sustainable world. In conversation with Jessica Michault Original Music by Valerio Parrotta Edited by Dominic Celemen

Kristin Bedford’s new photography book “Cruise Night” takes the reader into the intimate world of the Mexican American lowrider car culture in Los Angeles, California.

In light of troubling cultural changes across America, renowned artist and filmmaker Shirin Neshat took her camera and headed West. In the quiet desert plains of New Mexico, Neshat brings her curiosity, her empathy, and her poetic imagination. As an Iranian-born artist and immigrant, she seeks this convergence of the personal and the political; this is also a personal process of falling back in lo...

Yndi Ferreira Da Silva has abandoned the moniker of Dream Koala and is back, this time as herself. Previously known for ethereal and electronic pop, Yndi’s new project is an ode to her Brazilian heritage and the melodies of Bossa Nova. The French-Brazilian artist recently gave us a taste of her upcoming album in an acoustic EP, “Introdução ”, and it’s unlike anything you’ve heard before. Her soft,...

For the first time during his tenure as the creative director of Berluti designer Kris Van Assche collaborated with a living artist to bring his SS21 menswear collection to life. And it was the colorful, textural, and freeform art pieces by the highly respected American ceramic artist Brian Rochefort that caught Van Assche's eye. An avid ceramics collector, Van Assche was able to reinterpret Roche...

2020 was a very good year for the 20-year-old rapper, singer, and songwriter 24kGoldn. His earworm of a song “Mood” had, by the end of the year, spent eight weeks at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 between its original version, which featured Iann Dior, and the remix that worked in vocals from Justin Bieber and J. Balvin. 24kGoldn, who is taking a leave of absence from his full ride at the Universit...