Kieran Mithani, creator of Lhome, has established his own brand of t-shirt design, which he sees as a “hugely underestimated, classic form of design.” Combining “great layout and composition”, influenced by classic book covers, magazines and the print media, Kieran’s designs take simple, striking images which he can then transform into original pieces personal to each individual wearer.
Kieran sees brands such as Superdry attempting to express the wearer’s identity, “but after a while particular styles or content of designs become brands and people wear them or buy them because other people wear them.” So how does he transcend the branding machine? “I love classic iconic imagery... but more than that, playing with it, changing and turning it in another direction... [it] is fun I think.”
At the age of 19, Kraggy sees his designs as totally disparate from the brands that dominate the fashion market: “I live with a CSM fashion student... he is a fashion designer, I wouldn’t consider myself one.” Not that Kraggy would have an aversion to being considered as part of the niche, deeming it “cool” if others want to see him as an element of the industry; but it seems that Kraggy and Kieran perceive their work’s success personally rather than commercially. Kraggy says he never specifically intended to get “into” t-shirts, and that his work is “always changing... as I guess I am. It develops as I learn more.”
He gets most of his ideas from the day-to-day experiences of London life, “there’s so much commuting that you really get time to notice little things in people’s personalities and the city. Of course a lot of inspiration comes from being surrounded by other artists and designers, it’s an ideal environment to live in the culture and get opinions on your work.”
Kieran explains how his mood and attitude will inevitably affect the outcome of a design: “I don't really design with a lot of restraint... I'd much rather go over the top and then knock stuff back and simplify, you get more depth that way.”
He muses for a moment: “I wouldn't say there is are any particular rules though, being such a young brand and being the type of person who loves looking at all the cool stuff I can lay my eyes on.”
Kraggy agrees that dynamic and spontaneous ideas are the best platforms for producing authentic pieces: “I have started experimenting with block colours to fill the gaps. My work will change on my mood.”
He adds: “I'm still not in it for a profit, I only just sell at a price to cover the costs and break even. It feels great to know that people are wearing a bit of your design and so more and more people will see it.”
As Kraggy and Kieran’s enterprises continue to grow, the inevitability of their designs being branded seems unavoidable. Whilst branding and commercial success occur simultaneously, Kraggy and Kieran’s embracing of “youth” and “change” seems hopeful in retaining their artistic integrity.
As Kieran says, “I'm always having a go at different ways of doing things.”
