I still remember the first time i saw a Syke tee, i was walking through Melbourne CBD a few years ago, bopping a long doing my thing and a guy walked past me wearing a tee with a crazy psychotic-mind blowing graphic on the front, i immediately thought – “Damn, I gotta find out who that tee is by!” And after a little bit of digging i found out that the tee was designed by none other than Tri Vo, of Syke Streetwear.
Fast forward a year or two in to the future, i thought, “Damn, i really gotta track down the designer of that tee for a chat” and, as you will see, i did.
What’s the story behind Syke?
Syke started as a side project whilst Juanita and I were studying. I was doing graphic design and Juanita studied Fashion design, I found tees to be a good way to put my artworks on.
Where did you coin the name?
We threw some names together back when we were renting in Elwood, then we hooked up with Mick from RMIT that we set up a little studio in his apartment that things started to roll from there.
How did you get Syke to where it is now, and was it difficult getting there?
A lot of patience and hard work. We’ve put in the hard yards at the start with late nights in between jobs and on weekends. I couldn’t do it now but at the time we had nothing to loose.
Since you began how have you grown?
I am more chilled now and just go with the flow. I just do what I enjoy and everything will fall into place.
I have learnt to deal with stress and try to make sure that there is a balance of work and leisure.
How would you describe your designs?
Illustrative with a bit of an edge. I like to focus on the finer details.
What sets you apart from the pack?
The prints definitely have my handwriting, I think of Syke tees as a wearable canvas not just another tee.
What initially got you in to art and design?
I was riding my bike in Oakleigh in grade 5 and came across a graphics studio that had an awesome rainbow splash for their logo.I thought it was the raddest thing, I didn’t know what graphic design was but I knew I wanted to draw and create funky logos.I was good at maths and understood science but to me it was work, where as drawing and design was creative and not so black and white.
What were you doing before Syke, and how did that lead to what you’re doing now?
I started Syke when I was still studying, one of my part time jobs was to run errands for my dad who ran a shirt manufacturing business. I was exposed to the process of making garments from start to finish. This is where my design skills crossed with fashion.
What inspires your designs?
Street art and culture, travels, independent artists.
Other designers/labels you’re in to?
Gedemin Peel creates beautiful skate decks and hand drawings, I have two of his series which I am very proud of.
He also does a small tee label called Untitled Graphic.
Advice to aspiring designers?
Stick to your goals. Learn as much as you can working with a big company before heading out on your own.
What’s next with Syke?
International expansion, Europe and Asia…we are working on getting distributors.
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