Quirky, fun and cool. That’s Tokiké, an “experimental art house streetwear brand” that aims to tap into boundless imagination and translate it into their collections. Karan Bafna, co-founder, Tokiké, tells us more about the slow fashion brand and its vision.

How old is Tokiké? What does it mean?

We launched Tokiké in November 2021 but it was really born a year-and-a-half back. Tokiké translates to “to create or to express”. In our world where unconventional is everyday, it means staying authentic to your art and expressing your inner creative streak through it. In fact, our emblem too is inspired by this idea. The design depicts “Mother Creator” carrying a child on her back, which can be interpreted to elements that constitute Tokiké — the DNA of creators and art, and our products that essentially become statements of expression. I’ve often been told my choices in life have been unconventional while, for me, I was just being creative with who I really am. So, the idea of Tokiké just formed an instant connection!

Tell us about your vision for the brand...

Tokiké is a movement in the making — of the creators, for the creators, by the creators. From now to continuously evolving over the next few years, we see this taking flight. From collaborating with creators across various industries to building a platform that unites the misfits, we’ve got a lot of fun, exciting and crazy stuff in the pipeline.

We plan on going global with the brand and creating an exchange between global and Indian talent on the street art and performance art front once our community grows and things get better amidst a pandemic. We intend on creating a collaborative platform for creators to come together and bring their creations to life, not just for commercial purposes but also to give back to society, give back to nature and contribute every bit we can to bring about a change for the good. We’ve just begun, a lot is on its way!

You have started with an art-inspired line. What did you love about Piet Mondrian’s painting ‘Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow’?

If it’s Tokiké, there’s got to be an art inspiration somewhere in the backstory. We’ve made this as our designoscopy. I think the seed was first planted when our creative head, Riyaz Merchant, during one of his trips to Italy, fell in love with the logos of railway stations, reminding him of the ‘De Stijl’ movement, of which Mondrian was a huge part.

A few months later when we started sketching out the designs for Tokiké, he brought these vivid images in his head to life as we wanted to do something bold and go beyond the usual neutrals and plain block colours. The travel memories and the flashes of the ‘De Stijl’ movement are where the process really started. He saw the sophistication in madness in Mondrian’s art and gave it a Tokiké spin as that’s what the line is really about: art, sophistication, madness.

What else does Tokiké want to dabble in, in future?

You will see Tokiké dabble in every space you see a creator creating and expressing in. Our movement which took off online will transcend into an offline sphere where we engage with creators and their art.

There’s madness cooking at Tokiké — from curating our own gigs to launching NFTs, dabbling in the crypto space to making 3D-printed accessories. We are ready to create milestones in a creator’s journey and space!

Tokiké translates to “to create or to express”. In our world where unconventional is everyday, it means staying authentic to your art and expressing your inner creative streak through it. I’ve often been told my choices in life have been unconventional while, for me, I was just being creative with who I really am. So, the idea of Tokiké just formed an instant connection — Karan Bafna, co-founder, Tokiké

Who are your inspirations and muses?

As a multicultural team, we are drawn towards understanding and learning of different cultures, and in the process we draw a lot of inspiration from the stories surrounding those worlds.

Riyaz, in his style, in his art brings these stories, creates his own space and plays with them. He doesn’t follow a muse but is highly motivated to do more by creative forces in different art streams as a creator himself. To name a few, Bryan Adams, Masashi Kishimoto, Todd McFarlane, Casey Neistat, Richard Hawley, Takashi Murakami, Damon Albarn, Jamie Hewlett, George Lucas and Samwise.