Designer duo OFFGOD: TATE and OFFGOD DREW are turning streetwear and illustration into a cultural movement. We catch up with them to talk about inspiration, the creative process and what’s next.

Tate and Andrew Mok, the brothers behind Offgod, are redefining the intersection of art and fashion with hand-drawn aesthetics and street-savvy influences. On the rise with a devoted online following and big-name brand collaborations, they prove that when two creative minds collide, the possibilities are limitless.

Describe your style in your own words.

ANDREW: It’s everything that we grew up with combined. Whether that’s anime, art or streetwear, it’s an amalgamation of things that continue to inspire us.

TATE: It’s a creative combination of anime, cartoons, TV shows, toys, sculptures and art. A lot of art.

What’s your dream collaboration?

A: I’d say it’s Adidas global. I feel that would be fun to do, because we did a local collection and it did well, so we were hoping to expand and do a global collection soon.

T: It would be cool to collaborate with a furniture brand like Vitra. I’d love to work on interiors, which would allow me to use a different medium, such as sculpting. IKEA would be amazing as well.

What are your everyday essentials, things you can’t leave the house without?

A: I listen to a lot of music – I feel as though it’s become a part of me that I can’t live without, let alone leave the house without. I also tend to bring a sketchbook around and draw in it when I’m bored.

T: I’d also say headphones.

What was your most challenging project to date?

A: Art takes time and sometimes we don’t have the luxury of having a lot of time, so that’s something we must consider. However, with every project I feel like we get better at time management.

T: I don’t think any of our projects have been particularly challenging. Every project has its own unique challenges, but we tend to approach our work when it makes sense, so I’d say it’s been quite smooth so far.

If you could give one advice to young artists, what would it be?

A: You have to learn to be fearless sometimes and just do what you want. Because there’ll be a lot of people judging you and a lot of eyes on you, especially in Hong Kong. You must take the risk and be brave enough to do it.

T: I’d say find your voice and absorb as much as you can, but don’t absorb too much to the point where your voice doesn’t get heard. It’s also important to know when to input and how much to input, but that takes time. The last thing is to just make stuff; the more you make, the more you learn.

What was the inspiration behind your recent collaboration with HSBC One?

A: It was exciting because it’s a themed project, which we don’t normally do. But this time we think it was interesting for us to create art and clothing inspired by eSports, and it was more of a challenge in terms of the way we thought, since the way we normally make sculptures and art is very free, and we don’t usually have a theme to go from. This one was very interesting, and the whole project was fun. We did a lot of experimentation, not only with sculpture but also clothing.

Tell us about the inspiration for Machine Skull in the collaboration.

T: Machine skull came about because we were looking at vintage game controllers and their shapes and ergonomics, and how we could incorporate that into part of our sculptural language. We have elements of controller design, like retro-futuristic pieces that sort of inspired our new machine skull sculpture, but also like characters we’ve been looking at for a long while, like Kabuto, the Pokémon. There are a bunch of other references that we were looking at when we were creating this new sculpture.

Which are your favourite items from the collaboration?

A: I like the pair of pants, as well as the jacket, but one of my favourite things is the keychain and the sculptures, because we don’t always get the chance to make and mass-produce little soft toys and keychain figures. Once we get the chance to do that, we have fun with it. And I feel like that’s a piece of the collection that both Tate and I like.

T: The figure is my favourite. It’s also the first time we designed things inside the eye of the skull, so that’s quite an interesting touch. That’s going to translate further with our future projects because I feel like it’s a good opportunity to explore what to do, like how to expand the Scully universe. So I think it’s a breakthrough in what we design.

How do you see Gen-Z and streetwear influencing the future of fashion?

A: Current streetwear is very experimental and I feel like people are trying to implement new techniques and technologies into it, like 3D printing. I think that throughout the years it will continue to develop, so we’re very hopeful for the future of fashion. A lot of creative people are coming up, which I’m happy to see.

T: There are a lot more opportunities now, such as 3D printing being increasingly accessible, so there’s a greater possibility of being done – it’s just about having a strong enough voice and trusting yourself and making something that you’re satisfied with.

If you had to pick one sneaker to wear for the rest of your life, which would it be?

A: The Offgod: Tate Adidas collaboration. We designed the shoes to be as versatile as possible and to be worn in a million different ways, so that’s the shoe I’d probably choose.

T: Yes, the same. My daily driver, the Offgod: Tate collaboration with Adidas.