CO-BRANDING I initially became familiar with branding at an early age thanks to my sister who extrapolated my father Zeus Azul’s unique stlye of dress into The Mad Fisherman of Pico look; a global clothing trend which was eventually spun off into a popular TV Series in Portugal. It wasn’t until I met Ollie though, and I learned of his successful collaborations with brands like: Swatch, with whom he created his signature tribute Limited Edition Artist Collection Swatch Watch, the Alien Baby in honor of his imaginary friend Pookaberry. Heatherette with whom he created the Rock N Roll Pinball dress; a one of a kind couture piece that was featured in NYC’s fashion Week in the tents at Bryant Park which roughly translates to: in art the only barriers are those that exist in your mind Marc Ecko with whom he created a limited edition collection of Hollis Crew 25th Anniversary shirts which were debuted at Marc Ecko’s Cut and Sew Showroom on 23rd Street in New York City to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of RUN DMC that I realized the degree to which co-branding could extend. When I asked Ollie why he had decided to merge his art with apparel, accessories, and music, Ollie said quite simply कला में ही अवरोध उन है कि आपके दिमाग में मौजूद हैं Which roughly translates to: “In Art as in reality, the only barriers that exist are those that exist in your mind”