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OH OK BUT
@ohokbut www.ohokbut.com OH OK BUT, is a thinking platform for the curious the creative and whatever the hell inbetween. Visioned by Jenna Galley in 2016 after her growing frustration towards the mass media and society’s herd instinct. Exploring consumer behaviour and maven culture, OH OK BUT is dedicated to challenging the mainstream and rather than feeding information like the norm, we invite readers to join an exploration of various ideas, concepts and creations.
OH OK BUT Identity
Identity: What does it mean to you? 1. Who and what a person is. 2. Individual characteristics in which you associate a person with 3. What you perceive yourself or others to be. 4. Who you are and how others see you. 5. How others want people to see them. 6. Race, in this day in age anyway. 7. Self Worth. 8. Who I am. 9. Individuality. 10. Who you or others are. 11. Factual attributes of entity. 12. Self Creation 13. An idea of the person you want to be 14. Personal Expression 15. Sameness and difference in relation to others.
Page 10-15 Trend Drivers
Contents
Page 32-43 Crisis of Aesthetics
Page 42-57 Genderful
Page 16-31 Anonymous
Page 58-75 Unfiltered
Page 76-83 Ideas
Identity
We live in uncertain times, in an uncertain world. These are not the days to build walls, they are the days to bring them down. 11
- Zena Elmarouki
01. Anonymous Society is now more overworked and overwhelmed than ever before. The digital age is forcing individuals to lose sight of who they really are. 02. Crisis of Aesthetics Aesthetics and celebrity status is saturating and invading youth culture, numbing individuals from what is really happening in the world. 03. Genderful Growing up in a world brainwashed by constraints and stereotypes is causing individuals to seek freedom and explore identity like never before. 04. Unfiltered Opting to live an unfiltered life, individuals are beginning to embrace being in the moment, no matter how raw and fallible they may be seen. Being vulnerable is no longer a negative attribute.
Twelve years after Facebook was launched, ten years since Twitter and it is only now that we are beginning to understand that we are living in a reputation economy, one in which one poorly judged status or tweet could jeopardise our career forever. But we also know that our online lives are where we can concoct, curate and shape our lifestyles accordingly, where we can be whoever we want to be - with a pristine all white bedroom with copper detailing, a collection of well looked after cacti and perfectly presented smoothie bowls for breakfast every morning.
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Identity
2015
was the year of authenticity. The hipster movement, whether you loved it or loathed it , led to every brand, celebrity and influencer wanting to convince consumers how authentic they were. Up until the latter half of 2015, revealing behind the scenes of a brand was everything and everywhere and it is because of this that authenticity has begun to lose its way and now the most influential brands of 2016 are ditching the term altogether.
feeling more stressed than ever before. They are confused by the media and their conflicting opinions, they are overworked and overwhelmed, they are disconnected and unapproachable and they are tired of living to constraints. Taking inspiration from influencers such as Essena O’neill, individuals are adopting a new #unfiltered attitude as they begin a backlash, responding to the negativity and fakeness of the internet, mass media and gender stereotypes.
This year being honest has a whole new meaning as brands are encouraged to be bold and challenge consumers no matter how controversial or contradictory this may appear. ‘Anti Authenticity’ is a movement centred around celebrating ‘realism’ as consumers seek the upfront and honest truth, preferring to accept imperfections and mistakes rather than attempting to cover them up.
2016 is focused on taking back control of our personal identities and rebuilding our sense of self. As consumers shift into living a life that feels very real, they will demand the same from brands they shop, invest in and are associated with. This year it is time to forget about political correctness, push boundaries, experiment with personal identity and understand that it is ok to make mistakes. The struggle for consumer emancipation has been a confusing ride but finally in 2016 and beyond, individuals and brands are not afraid to be vulnerable and are ready to set their imperfections free.
This backlash culture, does not stop at brands. Growing up around a series of false promises, exaggerated truths and untransparent transparency is leaving individuals
Anonymous
OH OK BUT
Opposite: Fless Collective
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There is a huge
gap between us. We are friends and we are strangers.
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Identity
The next day, ard small talk. I have a basis for awkw I am not a freak. After all.
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e alike. We are becoming mor rwell, Opening a book by O his literary criticism. I try to read a page of h in the chair. After a few lines I slouc After a few pages, at I had for lunch. I start to think about wh My attention turned to Distraction. ter all. It is Saturday night af . I turn on the television X Factor. y e with 232 million of m An experience to shar closest friends.
The Internet is arguably one of the biggest advancements in modern history. It’s had a profound effect on our behaviour, how we communicate, interact and ultimately how we think. However, as individuals pin, post and preen their way to an ideal online identity, their online and offline personalities are becoming intertwined, sharding what is real and what is exaggerated. As we continue to live more and more of our lives online and our minds become less used to face-to-face interaction, it is vital that brands and retailers negotiate a path and alleviate the Digiphrenia that many individuals are experiencing during the shift from singular to sharded identities.
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31 Model / Jade Connor Jade is a visual communicator specialising in photography and film.
Crisis of Aesthetics
OH OK BUT
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Genderful
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Identity
There is a new desire for real realism. We have become tired of the falseness, the same old, the fakeness.
Opposite: Page from Riposte Magazine No.5
- WGSN
If the internet has taught us one thing, it is that identity as we know it is constantly changing. Whilst we may be overloaded with information and more sharded than ever before, we are also more experimental, more open-minded and no longer defined by traditional placeholders such as gender and sexuality. Infact, when it comes to gender there has never been a better time to be yourself. In 2016 we welcome the unfiltered generation, individuals who are embracing being in the moment, no matter how raw and fallible they may be seen. These individuals are done with cliches and instead are choosing to live an unfiltered life, one which proves perfection and gender stereotypes are nothing but a societal myth. This new movement is also emerging within the public eye and online too, amongst celebrities, bloggers and online influencers who are proving the paradox of authentic living and how cliched this ‘Pink is for girls, blue is for boys’ aesthetic has become. 2016 is the year we truly explore gender freedom as we embark upon a new all-inclusive approach to identity. We have already seen high street brands such as Zara adopt the future of genderless shopping and we predict this is only just the beginning. As individuals take on an ambisexual mentality it is inevitable that more big-name brands will follow suit. We welcome you to the ‘you define you’ era.
52 Above: Best bush in town by Stephanie Gonot
FEATURED
53 Above: Contrasting by Bonino
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55 Lolito by Nicolas Martin Garcia Lolito is the man who wants to be stylish with the wholly new parameters, and enjoys sartorial freedom without social restraint.
Lolito by Nicolas Martin Garcia
Nicolas Martin Garcia Graduate Designer from Milan, Rome. Featuring the Lolito collection created and exhibted in 2015
Unfiltered
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You are imperfect, you are wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging. Imperfections are not inadequacies; they are reminders that we’re all in this together.
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- Brene Brown
We live in a world surrounded by negativity. We are in debt, we are addicted, we are obese, we are uncertain and we are at war. But rather than accept that and waste our lives seeking out a non existing solution, we choose to do the opposite. We are wired to perfect our appearances, our lifestyles, our children and our jobs. We choose to be numb and perfect. We live in fear of letting ourselves be seen and we are too ashamed to love with whole hearts. But what if perfect was imperfect? What if we embraced vulnerability, willingly investing in something without no guarantee? What if we accepted flaws and understood that struggle is part of life? What if we practised gratitude and joy especially in moments of fear? For it is only then we will stop searching for a purpose. It is only then we will stop the numbness. It is only then we will believe we are enough. It is only then that we will truly start to live.
67 Model / Shauni Bainbridge Shauni is a London Fashion Graduate and a keen illustrator currently deciding her next career move.
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71 Above: Yung Cheng Lin
72 Above: Trend Stop A pop of colour
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My body isn’t perfect. e. I don’t walk with confidenc medays and I don’t I’m an emotional wreck so even know why. I’ve cried myself to sleep. I’ve made bad choices. I have many regrets. . I silently put myself down ys with forced da I only get through some smiles and fake laughs. I’m very imperfect. But I’m perfectly me.
Poem: Imperfect me by Katie Kelly
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Ten Ideas You Should Know About OH OK BUT
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Featuring: Anti Social Social Club Nova Magazine D.EFECT Warchild Calmzine SK-11 Don’t get a job, make a job Adidas Advice from Jenna Galley Grey London
OH OK BUT
01 Anti Social Social Club The intruiging sportswear brainchild of Stussy affiliate, Neek Lurk. Rather than feed consumers with pages and pages of back story, Anti Social Social Club does the exact opposite. With zero apologies, the website features unrelated titles, no brand information and nearly no product information creating a bizarrely enigmatic nature. www.antisocialsocialclub.bigcartel.com
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Nova Magazine ‘Politcally radical, beautifully designed, intellectual women’s magazine.’ Nova, founded by Harry Fieldhouse and was published from March 1965 to October 1975. Described as ‘the new kind of magazine for a new kind of woman’ Nova was always wanting to be controversial and go too far, anything to bash the status quo.
Identity
Ideas
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D.EFECT The Beauty in imperfection. D.EFECT is a clothing brand inspired by wonderful irregularities in things, people and fashion. Celebrating sheer personality through their truly unique and fashion foward clothing. www.defectonline.com
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“This is our breaking news”
Blinded by fear, we often forget, or worse ignore the crisis behind the headline. We forget that ‘refugees’ are real people, families and children. To mark the five year anniversary of the Syrian conflict, charity War Child released a haunting video highlighting how the Syrian Civil War has affected children. Hozier and Jack Whitehall appear alongside other famous faces reciting an emotional poem written by a Syrian child. Fifteen year old Omar fled from Syria with his family, and they are now living as refugees in Jordan. The video brings home the devastating realisation that the headlines are real life and millions of Omar’s are experiencing trauma every single day. www.warchild.org.uk
Twenty Sixteen
OH OK BUT
05 Calmzine CALMzine is a quarterly serving of literary manspiration and with its recent redesign it is more than ready to tackle those ridiculous preconceptions of mental health that society have concocted. Looking at the world from a REAL man’s perspective, the magazine offers a mix of features and interviews, embracing what it is to be a man living in a contemporary society. www.thecalmzone.net/calmzine
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#changedestiny Change Destiny is a campaign by skincare brand SK11. Empowering women who are facing adversity, they created a bold and moving short film in support of chinese women who refuse to bow to societal pressure to marry. The film hijacked a marriage market, a traditional Chinese matchmaking forum in which parents exchange details of their unmarried offspring. Sk-11 has taken a stand and we expect more brands will follow suit. www.sk-ii.com.sg
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Creative graduates now entering the industry face a very different world, with a different set of challenges. Author Gem Barton, tells the stories of these new-gen trailblazers, exploring their strategies, introduces their working methods and tells exactly how and why they chose to make their own way. They team up, some go it alone, exploit their interests and are true to themselves but above all they have gusto; they reinvent themselves, create positive change and learn to keep on learning. www.gembarton.com
Twenty Sixteen
OH OK BUT
08 Adidas: I’m here to create The 2016 global campaign from Adidas features a series of short films titled, ‘I’m here to create,’ starring a number of female athletes showing how their personal take on creativity to sport. Short, snappy visual communication is key to creating powerful campaigns aimed to connect with the digital natives of 2016. www.adidas.com/us/heretocreate
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Take time to do nothing Living in a digital world saturated by information and opinions often makes it hard to innovate and think outside of the box. That is why we are suggesting to take time out to do nothing. Step away from your mobile phones and your laptops and simply sit quietly and day dream. We guarantee it will lead to something inspiring.
Identity
Ideas
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Grey London Most descriptions of design jobs for galleries feature phrases like “we wanted to let the art do the talking,” and as such make the imagery the star of the show. So it takes a very brave, and rather innovative approach to go totally the other way. Grey London’s powerful campaign for Tate Britian did just that, using words to invite people to consider the stories behind the artworks, before going onto viewing them in person to find out more giving a whole new context to the way we view art.
Twenty Sixteen
The next cool thing will be being yourself.
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OH OK BUT