New artists on the block drop fresh material from left to right. But when it comes to the merch game, Fern’s is coming in hot. Thanks to young fashion designer Johan Kyle Ong, Fern’s upcoming “LOVELESS” EP is tangible through pull-over hoodies.
We’ve been vibing with Fern through his latest drops, from “Sweet” featuring SCOUT cover girl Kiana Valenciano to his latest one “Murakami.” These tracks put his “cool pop” sound out there for everyone to gander. But as he takes part in Ong’s OJK x Artists series, his current sound and vision bleed into fabrics stitched by OJK.
We caught up with the designer to talk more about his latest collaboration:
How did you guys know each other exactly?
We first met through Manila Next back in 2018, but we never had the chance to speak to each other. A week later, he contacted me on Instagram and we met up right after. I highly admire his work and what he’s managed to accomplish at such a young age. He is insanely talented.
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Now in regards to the collaboration, his manager was the one who first approached me about it. They said Fern wanted pieces for his upcoming EP and I was instantly on board. Fern has always been a great friend of mine, so I didn’t need to give it a second thought.
What was the main inspiration of this merch collab apart from the EP?
It was the EP as a whole, and just personally knowing Fern and the vibe he wanted.
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Were there any scrapped ideas from your design plan? If so, what design you wish would’ve made the cut?
Hmm, there weren’t necessarily scrapped ideas. Perhaps, there were other things I wanted to do, but couldn’t due to the short time frame. It doesn’t bother me though. I’m happy with what we have now, given all the circumstances.
Would you collab with another musician in the future?
Definitely! I’m open to discovering all kinds of artists to work with. It’s all very exciting.
Photos from OJK