Hypebeast Community Center: O. FILES
Oscar Jardorf never dreamed of creating his own brand, yet the purveyor of contemporary Scandinavian minimalism just presented at Paris Fashion Week for the second time.
Give us the O. FILES elevator pitch.
Scandinavian minimalist design combined with Japanese influences and constructed with Italian craftsmanship.
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The Five W’s:
Who is wearing O. FILES?
“Fashion nerds” like myself. People who have grown tired of the bigger houses are searching for newness. They take pride in being an individual, knowing there won’t ever be that moment where they show up to a place wearing the same thing as someone else.
Ultimately, it’s people who aren’t seeking a spectacle but appreciate the thought that goes into the finer details of a garment.
What is O. FILES’ main message?
Rooted in classical tailoring and silhouettes, O. FILES brings detailing that elevates its pieces in a unique way — from altering shapes to applying pleats. We may include something like piping at a garment’s interior, not because it is necessary, but because it reminds the owner that we care about every detail.
When did you launch O. FILES?
It officially began in early 2019, with Fall/Winter 2019 as our first collection.
Where are people wearing O. FILES?
Based on our analytics, 40% of our customer base is in the US — particularly New York and California. We also have a decent footing in Germany, Italy and other parts of Europe, though overall, we’ve grown a global audience.
Why was O. FILES created?
Creating a brand was never my intention — I had never had any grand aspirations about being a designer or running a brand. At one point in time, I recognized gaps in my wardrobe and worked with a local tailor here in Copenhagen to design some pieces to fill them. As I wore the clothes and received questions about them, I realized I wanted to expand my creations to include others.
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What was the spark that catalyzed the creation of O. FILES?
It wasn’t the initial spark, but what moved things to the next level for us was moving the production to Italy. Working with manufacturers with generations of experience has allowed us to create whatever we want — whether it be complex patternwork or one-of-a-kind shapes. There’s an extra cost attached to this, but it’s been crucial to us in developing our nuanced design language.
Another aspect of the business that significantly helped was bringing content over to YouTube. From showcasing works in progress to recapping events, we’ve been building a community that invites our following to interact more intimately with the brand.
What sort of impact does uploading YouTube videos have on your following?
I started uploading to YouTube to introduce the audience to what I was doing with the brand. I wanted people to better understand what it takes to run a brand while further involving them in its development. You can see a garment’s evolution from concept to sample and then its final form.
I’ve noticed that people feel more invested when we have these showcases of early designs. By the time these products are released six months later, a connection has already been made. Hopefully, this will also give some customers the confidence to try and make their own brands.
What was the biggest challenge in building O. FILES?
Whenever I look back at a collection, I always identify things that I would have done differently. Nothing has ever been perfect, and I’ve learned to accept that.
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What’s your favorite thing that you’ve created with O. FILES so far?
Our leather jacket comes to mind first. To me it strikes the perfect balance of 50% design, 50% craftsmanship, and it will last a lifetime.
Where do you look for inspiration?
Classical tailoring is always a great point of inspiration for us. We’ll take something like old Armani and evaluate its craftsmanship to inform a direction to put our twist on it. We also look at Scandinavian culture. For example, our origami shape references a beautiful Danish vase. We’re rarely looking at new stuff. Our designs are more about reinterpreting heritage.
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned since launching O. FILES?
You cannot do everything yourself. I’ve also learned that I need not to micromanage everything. However, that’s why we have a small team that understands the vision. A great addition to my workflow is that I’ve teamed up with Julius Wiemann — a very young, very talented designer — to work on the design process. This leaves me room to do more creative direction for the brand.
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Why should people care about O. FILES?
We’re working against the industry’s rapid pace by offering a more timeless approach to fashion rather than focusing on churning out collections each month.
How do you hope people feel when wearing O. FILES?
That they’re a part of a community, one that hosts people who share a common interest in fashion.
O. FILES returned to Paris in January for Fashion Week. What’s it like being a participant in that chaos?
It was our second time in Paris and seeing all of these interested, passionate people come together was fantastic. Being able to showcase the new collection and answer questions was amazing. Paris Fashion Week is almost like a community meet-up where people from all over the world unite. This time we chose a location outside the typical showroom area. As a result, those who showed up were particularly invested in visiting, bringing out a great energy from everyone.
What can we expect from O. FILES moving forward?
Accessories are an aspect of the brand we’re looking to expand on, especially bags. We may see O. FILES move to Milan Fashion Week as well.
O. FILES can be shopped now via its website, as well as select retailers such as HBX.
