Who are you ?
I'm Thi-Thi Nguyen, creative thinker & co-founder of Oskar (weareoskar.com).
Back in 2001, I just got hired at an independent ad agency in the heart of Brussels (Belgium). I was 23 years old and just finished my MBA in Audiovisual & Multimedia and my Journalism & Communication studies at the University (ULB).
It didn’t take me long to get my first job as a creative and copywriter. I just opened the Yellow Pages, section “advertising companies”. Tractor was one of the first companies to reply to my application emails. I got other job interviews as well but on the day of my appointment with Tractor, my guts instantly told me: “This is it! I love this working space, the 100 square meters terrace and this area full of designers shops and cool bars…”
I felt lucky to enter this exciting creative world and during the interview with my soon-to-be boss, he actually didn’t pay much attention to my resume or to my silly student portfolio but he was impressed by my straightforward personality. I wasn’t that usual sexy chick who was dressed up to attract attention or that girly sweetie girl you want to tease… I was the girl with very short hair, thick spectacles, wearing a red turtleneck sweater, low waist dark jeans pants and gold sneakers. But what did really surprise him were probably my strong handshake and my way of looking straight to the eyes when speaking to him.
I really felt lucky because I got a very good deal without having any experience in this field (advertising). Furthermore, I didn’t have to do any internship beforehand and my boss seemed to be a super crazy guy (former singer and musician, self made man, half Indonesian, half Dutch) which whom I’ll have a memorable working relationship from 2001 to 2009.
In 2009, my boyfriend (Arnaud de Harven, fashion and advertising photographer) and I, we decided to come to Vietnam to get a new life and work experience in Asia. When I left my job, my boss was probably upset but he totally understood my decision to see what was happening in Asia. Back then he was himself interested by Asia. His Indonesian roots and my Vietnamese roots were also the reason why we were so close in our way of seeing things.
When we arrived in Vietnam, I was again very lucky and got hired by Phibious as a creative thinker. Again, the nice open space, the good vibes I could feel from my first visit and interview, everything was nice. Of course, I was very stressed the first year. A new working process, a new market, a new creative position with a slightly different role, … Plus I had to work in English and Vietnamese which was a first for me who used to work mainly in French and Flemish. But I was happy to be able to work on big international clients such Coca-Cola and Vespa. This was a very big change for me; I was now mainly working on the non-traditional marketing (viral, outdoor, experiential, digital).
My boyfriend on the other hand, started a bit slowly in Vietnam since he was working as a freelance photographer. But after 1 year, he has been very busy with demands from different ad agencies and local fashion and interior magazines.
We actually used to work together as a creative team for fashion shoots (published in Victoire magazine) several months before our arrival in Vietnam. Another very fulfilling experience for me during my career, so fulfilling that I could realize after 3 years in Vietnam that it was time for me to leave the advertising stage and try something on my own. This is the reason why we left Vietnam at the end of 2012 and went back to Belgium in order to work again together, but this time, officially as a creative team specializing in photography, creative thinking, production and styling/art direction.
Definitely a new start, a new experience. And finally, when looking back to those years, we are happy with this life full of nice memories, sometimes stressful, admittedly, but still, this Vietnamese adventure was full of rich experiences and encounters that allowed us to start anew back in Belgium, under the name of OSKAR.
What are your influences ?
My influences ? I find them everywhere : In the street, traveling, going out, on the web, magazines, hanging out with my friends and other people, but also by observing young people born in the nineties who grew up since then. For me they will always be a source of inspiration since they were born in a digital age... They are the «digital natives» as we say in English. They know and master new digital medias, they are way more «out there» about fashion and the way they dress. I love observing and analyzing them. I learn a lot from it.
I would say that my world is probably more masculine than feminine, since I've always been a tomboy... I like comics, manga, animation movies, video games, guy's flicks (western and yakuza themed), masculine cars, experimental music, skateboarding, BMX, pool, ping pong, minimal and design tattoos, the Yves St-Laurent style (who was the first one to invent smokings for women)
I really don't like cheesy-cute and corny stuffs. But it doesn't mean I'm lacking feminine sensitivity, but let's just say that my idea of femininity is a bit different. for instance, I'd definitely prefer a subtle love story "a la" Dolls or Hana-Bi (Takeshi Kitano), than a chick flick like Titanic, Nothing Hill or Bridget Jones....
What is the role of Fashion ?
I don't really think fashion has really a role per se. It's more about selling dreams to people. (Which is not that bad, since everybody need to dream), but in the meantime I really don't think I know enough about that topic to have the pretentiousness to say anything about it.
I like fashion my own way and I'm having fun imagining new ideas for shootings I work on with my partner Arnaud, and that's about it. Actually I must say that I'm having more fun and I evolve way more being an art and style director for fashion shootings compared to when I was working in the advertising industry. Fashion is a more upscale world, more open, with less hang-ups, and way less mainstream than the advertising world. That's probably why it suits me better.
Can you describe your style ?
I don't really have a style per se, but I like mixing them, finding a suitable combination and change it after awhile. It's kind of a cyclical thing for me, I guess.
Let's say that for now I feel good in a denim, boyfriend pants or carrot pants. Always a bit baggy, with the hem folded all the way up above my ankles, generally with a small collar shirt buttoned all the way up, big ski socks, sneakers or Converse, a hooded parka or an over-sized perfecto, a big scarf wrapped a few times around my neck and a big beanie
I probably look quite similar to a typical Tokyo chick, in between preppy, tomboy and androgynous.
Any addiction ?
Shopping, consuming, collecting... It's a real addiction, or a curse... When I see something I like, I need to have it right away, whatever the cost. In a way it's like someone who has a gambling problem, but for me it is with almost everything : clothes, books, toys, Apple products, collectibles, furniture, flea market stuff,... And my second biggest addiction would be the Internet, or at least the need of being connected all the time. I'm a big nerd...
What are you listening to at the moment ?
A bit of everything. It ranges from experimental to instrumental, movie scores or anything, really.
Nowadays I'm listening to my parent's old vinyls records that I kept since I'm a teenager. There's a bit of everything : Ennio Morricone, Francis Lai, Lalo Shiffrin, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Simon & Garfunkel, Christophe, …
Do all your tattoos have a meaning ?
I see them as body ornaments and I could not live without them. It's a bit like my glasses, I could not go out without them ! I try to get a tattoo in every country that I visit, like a non-erasable trace of my trip. For now, I have done it in Brussels, Tokyo, Vietnam and Singapore.
Above all it's the graphical and aesthetic aspect that prevails, but some of them represent my Chinese astrological sign (snake), my birth year, or quotes from people I like.
Any beauty trick ?
Fresh lemon juice, MSM (sulfur based) and fish oil pills in the morning, and green tea all day long.
What about your books ?
That's a tough one, there's so many of them I like...
A little History of the World, E.H. Gombrich
The Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin
The Casual Vacancy, J.K. Rowling
Six Thinking Hats, Edward de Bono
The Secret History of the World, Jonathan Black
Les Animaux célèbres, Michel Pastoureau
The Library of Shadows, Mikkel Birkegaard
Parfum de Glace, Yoko Ogawa
La Marche de Mina, Yoko Ogawa
Totto-Chan, Tetsuko Kuroyanagi
Les Larmes jaunes du crocodile, Katherine Pancol
La valse lente des tortues, Katherine Pancol
Le Ciel t'aidera, Sylvie Testud
The Otori clan, Lian Hearn
Harry Potter, JK ROwling
Handcarved coffins, Truman Capote.
What can we find in your bag ?
I would rather say "my pockets" since I rarely have a bag, except when I travel. Otherwise you can find : an Iphone, a business-card holder, bankcard holder, a Labrador money clip I really like, a wallet,... and probably some Post-It because I'm «Miss Post-It» and there's too many things I want to do at once :-)
Your Movies ?
Takeshi Kitano's movies, Hayao Miyazaki, the Coen brothers, Hitchcock - Sergio Leone - Wong Kar Wai - Tsui Hark - Fritz Lang - Orson Welles - Ingmar Bergman – Jaco van Dormael – David Lynch…
And some old movies from the 20's until the 60's, movies from the golden age of French and Italian cinema.
Some good places in Brussels ?
Shopping
Since I came back to Brussels, I jumped back into the same patterns : All the shops at Dansaert avenue (Sandro, Maje, Kooples, Essentiel, Diesel, Canvas White, …), MAPP, , Icon, Filles à papa, Hunting & Collecting, Prive Joke, American Vintage, but also Zara, Pull & Bear, Cos, Bellerose,... As I was saying before, I mix styles. If I like what I see, I'll buy it, regardless of the brand ;-)
Restaurants
Kika, Publico, Thien Long, Ellis Burger, Fin de Siècle, Pataya, Casa Mia, Delicatessen, Viva M'Boma, …
Going out
Mainly at friend's places, but otherwise at Recyclart, Bazaar, Fuse, Mirano, gigs and concerts, one-shot parties or summer festivals...
What are your favorite designers ?
Givenchy, Yves St Laurent, Balenciaga, Carven, Junya Watanabe, Natalia Brilli, Celine, Robert Clergerie, Henrik Vibskov, MAry Katrantzou, Anne Sofie Madsen, Jessica Leclere, Wackerhaus, Acne, Opening Ceremony, Coven
And favorite artists ?
Serge Lutens, Avedon, Annie Leibovitz, Irving Penn, Erwin Blumenfeld, Bela Borsodi, Diane Arbus, Roy Arden, Melvyn Sokolsky, Quentin Shih,
Links
Photography : Julie Calbert
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