First olow is 2 guys, I, Val (the one who didn’t eat enough soup) and my closed friend Thiuz. A meeting on the school benches at Montreuil school. It is in this working class district, that our friendship was born. Passionated by this engaged street art (as Banksy or Obey Giant…) very quickly we were as thick as thieves. Thiuz wrote the texts and played his guitar. He sang with his friend Juju around the outskirts about the world which is breaking down and about the sadness of the little created man called “Melvin”. We worked hard on many projects (graphics, audiovisual)we fancied to pass on a message. And we went to crazy concerts, crazy atmosphere, improvised travels, and above all those very long evening when beer after beer we tried to change that foolish world. This world where the individuality and selfishness are on top, where the definition of humanity is so often forgotten, where the poorness is growing, where the difference become obvious, where everything is Bed on “always more”, more money and never mind if the planet explodes, and never mind the kids future life. Manoeuvre of the Medias, wrong news, no news, aggressive advertisement, disgusting food…Culture to frighten in order to control better and to divide, factory stars…
There is so much say
We don’t want a rulered life, with a boss on our back. No underground, no work, no Mac Do, but the freedom even if it is a wandering life. We thought a lot and the one day in a cafe the idea to create messages, messages on this poorly world…Why not to do it, to put in, to take shape our ideas, to pass on our messages. Why not on printed t-shirts sellers but we don’t care! Why not to go on the very end of our fancy! After our degrees, we worked on little jobs to gather some money to realise our plans. On the way we met Raph (our webmaster), a kind of genius with the mouse who was more or less in difficulty to find something interesting. After explaining our projects he was very enthusiastic and joined us. Some friends of him joined the 3 to help, and building starts to go on. We believe in the project very firmly but we needed money we still didn’t have dough. We tried a competition for people who want to create their own firm “Desire to act”. We won this competition and the kitty. At the same time, after the refusal of several banks, the CIC at last relied us. They opened us a professional account, agreed to lend us some money and settled the secured payment on the site. We started the firm in April 2006 after two years of hard work and mountains of administrative papers. The site is really efficient in September 2006.
Today, in spite of multiple traps we are still there!
We multiply the contacts and partners with musician bands who get ideas as ours. They help us a lot by selling our t-shirt through Europe and even through the world. In one year we managed to sell in about 20 different countries. Young people want to laugh about this nowadays world, to raise, to claim that this new world is not really going on well.
The purpose for us is not to act like shoopkeeper to stuff us with money as geese. No interest for us! …or we stop at once. What we would like it would be to eat with this business, and we are really far of it for the moment we don’t have any wages. Of course the world is not going to change, but we wish to have an artistic and ironic look on this world. Of course in fact it is worth laughing…and if those messages could make a few people to take consciousness and to move a little bit.
We’ve got many projects in our brain. We have decided to go on the roads of France for a while, in order to find shops to sell our t-shirts. We also expect to collaborate with artists from many horizons and to organize projects in common. The following year we will do our maximum to participate as many festivals as possible with our stand olow.
We would like to work with “fair trade” as soon as possible and this, to be in harmony with our ideas. At the moment we prefer to make the little chineses work for us, because they need work don’t they? No we’re joking of course; let’s say that everything cost a lot and that we didn’t have enough money to start that way. What we really want at short time and which a little the leitmotiv of all this is to set actions in order to try to have things changing a little (and this when olow will be a little bit more known) To put into practise those ideas and to create a kind of active community for the ones who think as ours and they are thousands!
Let’s listen to our voice!
And to end…The thanks: every mate for his precious support, all our musician partners for their spirit state, and their help, the DDJS and “Desire to act” in particular, our accountant for his labour, the shop keepers for their trust, our parents and particularly mine “the globetrotters” to stand me all day long, at any time, for their patience, their understanding, for the English translation well! Well! And to be always so “zen”! and I will end with my little Anna for her creativity, her determination and her support of every moment!
No I Forgot “All of you” because without you nothing would be possible!
Pass on the word, become allies and together make huge things
You’re going to ask me “why olow” what does it mean? It’s just a spelling mistake for “Hollow” (hole)
This word just fitted us! First for its meaning, because we think that the nowadays world where we live, has reached the unfathomable (depths) and that will be difficult to go deeper the human nonsense has made its job very well. We are in a kind of cul de sac where it will be difficult to get out. But let’s keep on witty!
But also as we were totally broke, at the bottom, we had to climb. And this name “olow” sounds well and it’s easy to remind. It’s a cool name |
