HOW ARIEL AND SHIMON OVADIA WORK
Ariel and Shimon Ovadia founded Ovadia & Sons five years ago. Even though they grew up working with their father in their family-owned children’s wear company, the menswear business was completely new to them. But in a relatively short time they’ve managed to become a “must wear” brand for fashionable men. Moreover, they recently opened their first pop-up shop at 63 Greene Street in New York’s SoHo district (which will be open until January 31) and their new Ovadia+ activewear line was on display at MOVE at the MRket and Project NY shows in January. I recently spent a morning with the pair in their new SoHo offices to see how these very busy guys work together.
1. TWIN TELEPATHY Lest you think the theory of twin telepathy does not apply to fashion, on the day of our interview, both Ovadia brothers were in all black from head to toe. I also noticed on the coat hooks were Shimon’s leopard camo, Ariel’s classic camo and the same red plaid scarves from their fall collection. I ask them if dressing so similarly was planned and in unison they reply ‘no.’
2. THE ART OF FASHION Art inspires both Ovadias, as one can see from the phone sculpture, “Future Relic 05” by artist Daniel Arsham and the collectible “Steamboat Willie” Mickey Mouse statue in the office. However, this Steven Harrington print on the wall is particularly special because they are doing an exclusive capsule collection for Barneys for spring ’17 with the artist, who has been cited as the leader of the contemporary Californian psychedelic-pop aesthetic.
3. LET THERE BE LIGHT Both Ovadia brothers are big fans of contemporary lighting brand Pablo, which can be found in their homes, as well as their office. Ariel points out that they love numerous things about the company’s Pixo desk lamp (seen here), including “the color, the simple design, and the utilitarian function.”
4. SNAP TO IT The Ovadias are big vintage clothing collectors and love to use them in the design process. For fall ‘17, military is an extremely important theme, which is why this Swedish military anorak from the 1970s is on the table. Besides the bold color and pattern, they point out numerous details from the coat which inspire them, especially the abundant cargo pockets with double snaps.
5. CHOOSING SIDES You can say in a sense that Ariel and Shimon have always shared an office as they are fraternal twins. “We’ve sat side by side, facing each other and every other configuration you could imagine” says Ariel. They each have their own desks in their current office, but prefer to work together at this table.
