We had the good fortune of connecting with Octavius Luke and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Octavius, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind my success and the success of my brand is the genuine support that I receive. People tend to overlook how much their personal support means to any creative. Any time a creative decides to share their work with the world, they are sharing something very personal to them and the more support it gets, the better the creative feels about their work.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think what sets me apart from other creatives is the fact that I’m always trying something new and I constantly try to incorporate all of the aesthetics that I’m inspired by, into all my pieces. I’m heavily inspired by vintage, anime, sports, art and street wear.

I got to where I am today by literally just doing what I took an interest to. I used to make my own custom hats for myself and people would buy them off my head so I started making dozens of those to sell. After selling hats for a couple months, I decided to make clothes and everything just fell into place after that.

The most important lesson that I learned is to always be yourself. People can sense when you’re genuine and the effort that you put in your craft.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m a pretty chill guy so I always enjoy going out thrifting, maybe head to high street for something to eat since there’s a lot of food places to choose from. Head down to campus and hoop or play a little volleyball at the RPAC.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to anybody that’s ever showed love, supported, bought something from me or booked me. Also shoutout to all the creatives. Without us, the world would be a boring place. Love y’all!

Website: illreference.com

Instagram: luke_skywalking / illreference

Twitter: luke_skywalking / illreference

Facebook: Octavius Luke

Image Credits
Julie Jackson

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