COLLECTION_ZER0: What is 0_CCULT ORIGINALS?

Today’s blog post, let’s talk about 0_CCULT’s first official batch of t-shirt releases, we call them, 0_CCULT ORIGINALS. To be honest, when it comes to 0_CCULT ORIGINALS, I am trying to avoid calling it a collection even though it is listed as a featured collection on the homepage of this website. I have valid reasoning behind this and I will explain them briefly. The most obvious one is because 0_CCULT ORIGINALS does not have enough items for anyone to call it a collection. Sometimes, some brands drop a collection with few but important items and call it a “capsule collection” but I don’t even want to call ORIGINALS a capsule collection. ORIGINALS serves a different purpose. If you read the first blog post or know me personally, you know I mentioned an upcoming first collection. Well, I will write about the upcoming collection in future posts, but I want to clarify that today’s topic is not that. I realized that  I need to talk about 0_CCULT ORIGINALS first so you can get my understanding of a collection and what is ORIGINALS. 

Basically, 0_CCULT ORIGINALS is the groundwork of 0_CCULT. Some brands call these “Essentials” as well. It consists of only 2 designs and 2 color options of black and white tee in one of the designs. I wanted ORIGINALS to have the basic, plain, and minimalistic aesthetic. Because when you think of it, This is 0_CCULT’s first officially released work. I avoid graphics and other design options because I want it to be timeless. ORIGINALS is ALL about the brand and what this brand stands for. It is a starting point for us. 

0_CCULT ORIGINALS may not be a full collection but it still offers you some choices and its uniqueness. My personal favorite, the 0_CCULT SIGIL design is printed with reflective ink. The 0_CCULT sigil is carefully designed to show the mysterious, occult aspect of the brand. It’s the perfect choice for the night, just wait until someone points flash to your t-shirt. It really draws attention(personal experiences speaking here, trust me!). The front of the t-shirt is also reflective even though it’s tiny because I believe the details matter. The basic logo t-shirt is more basic like you can guess from its name. But that doesn’t mean it’s just an ordinary design. In fact, I had to simplify the logo for that shirt design. Later, I noticed It looks better than my old logo. If you haven’t noticed, Some edits still have the old logo with the yellow eye but in the new one, I decided to use only black and white and simplify the eye. In the end, I am very pleased with how the t-shirts came out. Another critical decision was to produce all the t-shirts oversize. As you know, It’s the trend now, and I am personally a big fan of oversized clothing. Oversize is big on streetwear and I think It is a blessing that I must have adapted to.

In my collections, I have a certain creating process I follow. I find a theme and try to shape the designs in the collection around that theme while merging that theme with my inspirations. That way, I add 0_CCULT’s flavor into the mix which gives interesting and unique results. For example, the upcoming collection will contain lots of appealing graphics and visual designs with a meaning/idea behind them. Clearly, I would want our work to reach my target audience. Let’s be honest here. 0_CCULT is a newborn. Which is the main reason why I didn’t just drop my collection right away. I put my first essential t-shirt designs to draw attention. To give people a tool to support us. To show people we are here. From a managerial perspective, It is a new business for me. I encountered lots of challenges while working on ORIGINALS, From production to delivery, It was a new thing for me. I encountered some problems, corrected them, and even found more efficient ways to overcome these challenges. Once you get into an industry, you notice it’s more detailed than you can think. There is not only one way to make a business work, but there are multiple ways and at the end of the day, It is your choice to decide which path you will take. 0_CCULT ORIGINALS served its purpose for me, and it will keep serving its purpose for the brand. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram. See you in the next post!