John Skelton for Oki-ni Interview

Ever wonder about the Skelton in your closet? If not, you should. John Skelton, creative director and buyer for Oki-ni, is the main man in charge of hand-picking each and every designer to be featured on the fashion conglomerate that is Oki-ni. In three short years he has completely transformed Oki-ni and has taken it in a new direction. It’s concept has completely changed from what it was before John became a stakeholder. He has been overseeing Oki-ni’s branding for these past years and has been responsible for shedding light on even the most obscure designers; Alongside with the main players in the fashion industry, his keen eye for fashion has allowed many a young designer’s work exposure among the elite. That in itself sounds like a job only some could handle, which is strange that it is a passion for John. I quickly caught up with John in his extremely busy schedule to talk all things menswear.

Trey Taylor: Can you please fill this out?
Name: John Skelton
Age: 28
Occupation: Creative Director
Currently Resides: London
Favourite Song: Impossible to choose one. Have a listen to Era / Randall Meyers

TT: For those who’ve missed the train, can you give us a quick description of what Oki-ni is and what you do there?
JS: Of course. Oki-ni is basically an expression and a vision. The expression comes from all of the extremely talented individuals that we are fortunate enough to have involved right across our business, and the vision is to be the best concept store in the world.  I say concept because we are not just a retail platform but a portal that contains so much in depth information and research content that we pride ourselves on giving consumers. Not just the finished product, but the whole story of where it’s come from and where it’s going.  Everything we do is for the love of it and is done with a completely non-compromise attitude.  If we wouldn’t wear it or listen to it then we don’t buy it.

TT: Three short years you have been there. I hear all over about Oki-ni. When you came on was exposure of Oki-ni one of your main goals?
JS:  I suppose in a roundabout way it was, although it was never a main focus for me.  I’m a big believer in that if you create something special enough people will find it and word will spread.  There is always room for excellence and always a niche to be carved, it just usually takes a younger mind to carve it and an older mind to give them the chance too. That’s exactly what’s happened here.  An intelligent company giving an enthused youngster a chance to make something happen. Simple when you think about it.

TT: Do you know all those people who design lines for big box department stores and would never be caught dead in it themselves? How much of this stuff do you actually wear?
JS: Oki-ni is basically what my wardrobe would look like if I had unlimited funds.  Since I was around 15 I have been obsessed with the likes of Raf and Dries but have always had a very sporty/street style. Since then I have been wearing mainline product in this way which has always felt very natural to me.  That has now become the Oki-ni style.

TT: Why do you think Oki-ni appeals to such an array of people?
JS:  Probably because we buy such a diverse array of product.  We are very happy for people to come and take whatever they want from the site. If you like 3 brands on there and we have a good selection of them then great.  If you like 100 brands on there and want to buy right across them then that’s great too. Even if you just want to come and have a look at our latest archive feature and learn something then we’re completely happy with that. I just want everyone to be happy really.

TT: How did you come upon the position at Oki-ni? What were you doing pre-Oki-ni?
JS: The gentlemen who owns Oki-ni has been in the wholesale business in the UK for around 13 years now and I have been buying for around 10 so I met them many years ago, even before they started Oki-ni.  At the time I was buying for 2 fantastic stores in the north east, Triads which is still in business now and a wonderful store called Strand in Newcastle. I then moved to London around 8 years ago.  I bought for Selfridges contemporary mens for 2 years and then Harrods Designer mens for 2 years.  That’s when the oki-ni opportunity came up.  It was a no brainer for me really. I really enjoyed my time at Selfridges and Harrods and I learnt a lot (about managing personalities not product) but independent mentality is where I started and definitely where I want to finish up. Product is the most important thing in my world and if you get that right the business will come.

TT: Oki-ni features a lot of limited edition and vintage collections from the big fashion houses. Your Maison Martin Margiela archive was quite something. I know that Oki-ni evolved from an online shop based solely upon featuring collabs, but what is it now? And how do you come upon all of these one of a kind pieces?
JS: The archive feature was born as a result of us wanting to showcase previous work of the brands that we sell or that we love.  The collections shown in the archive feature are actually personal collections of friends of ours who have been collecting their chosen brands’ work right from the start. The Margiela archive is a very good friends and I don’t think there is a person more knowledgeable or interested in the brand than he is. I think this shows in his collection and this kind of sums up what we are doing at Oki-ni as this is more of a personal relationship with the actual product rather than relying on the brands themselves for content. This is our history in product.
 
TT: I know you must work closely with a lot of designers to bring these clothes to the public. Do you often get contacted by young designers or are you more of a hunter?
JS: Bit of both, really. We do spend a lot of time searching out product and are also fortunate enough to travel a lot so we do come across a lot of interesting products and people.  At the same time we do get approached a lot and that’s great too.  If the products right then it’s right. Simple as that.

TT: Where is Oki-ni headed? What do you hope to accomplish in the upcoming years?
JS: We just want to keep doing what we’re doing and hope that we stumble across more and more people who find what we do interesting.  It would be nice if we got to spread our philosophy across a few other areas but as long as we stay true to ourselves I believe that we can keep growing by being interesting and new.  The aim is still the same, to be the independent store to the entire globe.

TT: Do you, personally, feel as though you have a voice in what people wear by providing clothes? Do you feel like online fashion retailers such as Oki-ni contribute to the public fashion domain and what is “in”?
JS: No. Not at all. I’ve never really thought about it to be honest. I just look at it as providing an option for the people out there who know what’s what.  This is obviously a minority of people so it never really filters into mainstream public channels.

TT: Do you believe we must always dress well? If not, what instance would it be acceptable to dress down?
JS: I don’t believe in dressing well, dressing up or dressing down. The only thing I believe in is dressing how you feel and in a way that expresses your personality.  If you are comfortable in what you are wearing you will look good no matter what you have on. To give you an idea of what I mean and our expression, have a look at our style feature that we have just created. It gives you much more of an insight into how we envisage the clothes being worn and how you can express yourself through clothing and product. g Tweet