WELCOME. CAN YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF?

We are Scien & Klor founder of 123KLAN and BANDIT-1$M.
123KLAN is our graffiti posse and our creative studio, BANDIT-1$M is our brand. We are both French and graffiti writers now based in Montreal Canada.

WHEN DID YOU GET INTO THE WHOLE ART THING?

Scien: I sketch since my child hood and got into the graffiti thing back in 89.
Klor: I do graffiti since 1992

WHAT FIELDS IN DESIGN DO YOU DO AND WHAT DO YOU SPECIALISE IN?

We are specialized in branding; logos, characters designs but we also do new strategies and marketing. We mainly work for different street /sport wear companies, we design them all kind of logos, illustrations or character design to make them look tight.

We do everything handmade, especially our fonts and character design.

WHAT KIND OF CLIENTELE DO YOU MAINLY WORK WITH?

Street wear companies are our main clients, but we also do work for different clients as well, like communication agencies for example.

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?

Too many things… We did designs for Nike and Stussy, working on our brand BANDIT-1$M too + some others who need our freshness input. Who has given you the most flexibility and interesting projects to work with?

WHO HAS GIVEN YOU THE MOST FLEXIBILITY AND INTERESTING PROJECTS TO WORK WITH?

It is probably Adidas, where we had to design 2 pair of kicks + apparel the way we wanted for the END TO END line. (pics are on our website, check clients, then adidas). We met the adidas crew in a secret wharehouse in london where everything was design for graffiti, I mean everything was painted in white and we were free to paint everything we want the way we wanted. We weren’t alone to join that project, CAN2, ATOM, SMART, SKORE, SILOETTE and RIME were also invited to design the line. Then they also send us to NY to promote the line where we had to paint a scale1 NY car on Houston and Lafayette. We also had fun to see the vandal squad around wearing LA Gear and told us they were sneaker freaker.

Anyway, we had good time with good people doing some dope stuff. We’re down to do it again anytime.

HOW CAN YOU DEFINTE THE PROCESS YOU GO THROUGH WHEN COMPLETING A PROJECT?

When it is for ourselves, It always starts with an idea; we sketch it out and then clean up everything under illustrator. But sometimes it starts with a brief it depends of the client, most of the time we are very thankful as people are very confident and let us do what ever we want for them. Of course we try hard to satisfy everybody as much as we can.

WHAT KIND OF THINGS SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT YOU THAT WE DON’T?

Nothing especially, we try to don’t expect anything anymore, then you’re less disappointed.

HOW DO YOU UNWIND AFTER A LONG DAYS OF WORK?

There are many options but it can be simply a glass of wind and having a nice dinner or watching an episode of futurama with the kids.

WHO INSPIRES YOU FOR DESIGN?

We don’t have anybody in particular and it can be anything, on the web in the street, a graffiti piece, a song, a car, a packaging, a cartoon, and a place, everything that will catch our attention. The best is to check our favorites’ on our flickr here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kingscien/favorites/

TELL US ABOUT YOUR CLOTHING LABEL, BANDIT-1$M?

Is Bandit -1$M more of a hobby or do you treat it like a business by

producing the requirements of releasing new designs seasonally?

Bandit-1$M is our brand, but it is also our playground where we are able to produce what ever we want when we want. Working for big brands is really fun, but it is also frustrating, as you can’t share with people what you are doing now, as it will be next year collection. Then when it’s out you forget to share it because you’re not there anymore.

With BANDIT-1$M we just produce and share what we like now, we are small but sells getting better and better each month!

So we’ll see how it goes in the future, but for the moment we just try to keep doing the fun parts and makin’ lil’ money on the way.

IS THERE ANYTHING 123KLAN HAS NOT ACHIEVED THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO?

The only thing we want to achieve is to keep going on like this until our last breath.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE CLOTHING BRANDS?

Ok, let’s say we couldn’t live without these ones: Carhartt Europe, Vans, Mishka, Obey Clothing, Alife, Benny Gold, Rebel8, Penfield, Nike, Adidas, H&M, Uniqlo, American Apparel, New Era, forevever21, Stussy, 10deep.

BESIDES DESIGNING AND GRAFFITI, WHAT KIND OF THINGS DO YOU ENJOY?

We do enjoy listening music, eat, drink, shopping, travel, sleep, swim, skiing, watching movies, going to the beach (in Hawaii if possible) have dinner with friends, meet new creative people and to party.

AND WHAT IS THE BEST THING YOU LOVE ABOUT WHAT YOUR DOING?

Is certainly the fact that we do what we love for a living, such a cliché. But it’s true though. Nothing’s better that being your own boss.

BEFORE WE LEAVE, DO YOU HAVE ANY LAST INSPIRING WORDS YOU’D LIKE TO SAY?

STYLE IS THE MESSAGE!