Among the many, many brands found on Instagram, PRIX is one that stands out for its unique aesthetic. Aside from the rising label's celebrity fans like K-pop groups BLACKPINK and TWICE in addition to Hailey Bieber and Kylie Jenner, upon a few scrolls you'll notice the rising label's founder, Esther Ng, is into video games (take her recent Tekken 3 collaboration for example) as well as cars.
Hailing from New Zealand, Ng has kept community-building and authenticity close to heart, with her personal interests and passion heavily influencing her creations, contributing to her loyal following of over 240K on her personal handle and 183K on PRIX's account. Her latest drop in particular, dubbed "Aesop's Fables," is a collaboration with Chicago-based artist Liz, who came up with visuals illustrating "The Fawn and His Mother," "The Wolf and The Lamb" and more — some of Ng's favorite fables.
"I've started to feel a bit too pigeonholed into the aesthetic that PRIX is known for, and this was sort of my way of showing the range we can have as a brand," Ng tells HBX about her vision and direction for PRIX as it marks five years since its inception. "I'm more headed towards not caring about what people expect from PRIX design-wise, but more about having it be an interpretation of how I'm feeling or what I'm inspired by; an entity that is fluid and living its own life in parallel to me."
Ahead of PRIX's first-ever drop on HBX, we caught up with the brand's 26-year-old founder to chat about her design philosophy for PRIX, as well as her latest collection "Aesop's Fables." You can now shop the label's latest collection on HBX.
Tell us the story behind your new "Aesop's Fables" collection.
I've always found Aesop's Fables to be very haunting, mystical and so special at the same time. The way we used to teach children about Deceit, Vanity, Cowardice and Tyranny in the form of animals suffering mostly self-inflicted fates tells you how much times have changed. I always thought that there was a darkness and undying beauty in all of the fables, and wanted to let myself express them with beautiful illustrations by the very talented Liz, who brought my visions to life.
I focused on my favorites: The Wolf and The Lamb, The Raven and The Swan, and The Fawn and His Mother. Even as adults, I think it's important to familiarize yourself with as many as you can. There's a reason they have been preserved since the 1400s.
It seems like the "Aesop's Fables" collection takes more of a dreamy and feminine approach, in contrast to your usual futuristic, industrial, and car and gaming-inspired looks. How has PRIX evolved over the years, especially in the past three years of the pandemic?
I've started to feel a bit too pigeonholed into the aesthetic that PRIX is known for, and this was sort of my way of showing the range we can have as a brand. I'm more headed towards not caring about what people expect from PRIX design-wise, but more about having it be an interpretation of how I'm feeling or what I'm inspired by; an entity that is fluid and living its own life in parallel to me.
In saying that, lately, I've been embracing my femininity a bit more and really enjoying rediscovering this part of myself. I'm very grateful to our fans who have supported us to the point of affording me this freedom.
You get a lot of inspiration from gaming and cars, as seen in your overall aesthetic and especially your recent Tekken collaboration. Is there anything else that you’ve been obsessed with/have been inspired by lately?
PRIX is an outlet or kind of therapy to express how I'm feeling. Of course gaming and auto have been with me since I was a child and will influence me for the rest of my life but they aren't my whole personality. Creatively, I like to output whatever's happening in my life naturally.
It has been roughly five years since you launched PRIX. Is the brand where/what you envisioned it to be when you first started? What’s different? And where do you see PRIX in the next five years?
2022 was the first time I took PRIX seriously and was working on it full-time. Before that, I was lending too much of my energy elsewhere and to other brands, which I think showed. I've started to really only focus on projects that feel fulfilling and I can't wait to announce them all!