Cult label Blaak’s S/S 10 collection ‘Somewhere Between Voodoo and Hindu’ reinvents menswear through the eyes of the urban tribalist. Referencing a higher state of conciousness, Blaak’s collection is enigmatic and ancient, with shamanic undertones and the foreboding of lurking black magic. The new range features soft tailoring and rough edges layered with ceremonial jewellery, crudely constructed of earth tone beads and silver plated twigs that jut from their fastenings like polished bones. The powerful palette of white red and black embraces the tribal warrior, the dances of worship and its myriad rituals. Blaak designers Sachiko Okada and Aaron Sharif talked to Dazed about the instinctiveness of survival, the goodness of being and some of their biggest fans, Lara, Erin and Kate…

Dazed Digital: In your words, describe 'urban tribalism'?  
Blaak: An unshakeable notion to know how to survive.  A new way to be extravagant. It's like starting all over again- classic but savage

DD: What references - film, books, art etc - were you thinking of when designing this colletion?
Blaak: Something about Haiti, its fierce independence, its roots in Voodoo; classic tailoring but wrong; the African tribes Surma and Mursi's body painting; hand printed pinstripe and tie-dye motifs; Indian Sadhus; white, black and red; Hindu Swastikas; high contrast monochrome photography of 60’s Japan by Eikoh Hosoe and Daido Moriyama.

DD: What cult would you belong to if you had to choose one?
Blaak: It's the blind emotional dedication of worship that belonging to a religion creates that we’re fascinated by. The good intention it starts with, is the point. Religion is an area that is so fascinating from a research point of view and the devotion to God is binding; all starts with love and turns in the many ways that we have come to know and experience around us. I can be in any cult or religion that embraces our differences between one and another. The truth needs no boundaries only an unconditional knowing that all is god.

DD: How do you feel Blaak has evolved over the years?
Blaak: We are evolving organically with how we are evolving as people. We’re constantly changing and we do what we feel. When your decisions are made in this way sometimes you do thing that others find random and don’t comprehend… It’s our comprehension of our universe.  It’s always a great honour and big bonus when others encourage this forward. Maybe it’s not the fastest way to develop a brand either, but when your path is made in this way you enjoy the journey, and there is no loss but only gain. Whimsically steady.
 
DD: What do you think about the development of menswear in recent seasons?
Blaak: Menswear is becoming more and more creative, and the work is being appreciated. It’s fun as the rules are constantly being pushed forward. It’s a nice place to explore, and it’s exciting for us at the moment.

DD: Any plans to revive the womenswear label?
Blaak: For the same reason, we’re not in a rush to revive womenswear as a collection under Blaak, but girls seem to like wearing our menswear. Lara Stone and Erin Wasson bought the same knit from Maria Luisa and Kate wears the studded shirt. It would be interesting to design womenswear for somebody else, someone special. We would love to bring back Junior Gaultier for example, it fits the moment now perfectly.