Okhtein Uses Nostalgia for a Good Cause

To say art is subjective is kind of an understatement. Be it hung up in a fancy-schmancy museum or hung on a person and labelled 'fashion', battles have been fought over saying “I don’t get it” to the wrong person about the art they like. 

 

The aesthetically inclined folks behind creative local bag brand Okhtein are going out of their way so people young and old can learn to appreciate the finer points of art, fashion, and, hopefully, other people's opinions. Last year, the luxury brand assembled a showcase of women designers using local processes and labour, and banding together with local NGOs to empower talented ladies. This year, Okhtein is showcasing a different type of talent. 

“We wanted to support art education,” Mounaz Abdel Raouf, half of the sibling duo that makes up Okhtein, tells us, “This year we’re teaming up with the Egyptian Autistic Society, ArtsMart, and Educate Me, raising awareness for autism and underprivileged kids.” The initiative seeks to give kids a chance to express themselves while also helping others in the community.

The Future Nostalgia collection’s designs feature famous and familiar cartoon characters but with serious omissions. The kids were given just one part of the character and told to finish the drawing from their imaginations, to see how beloved animated characters from the 90s and before would have looked reimagined by modern kids. “These cartoons demonstrate our culture at the time. We're, most of us, 20 or 30 and we still remember these characters!” Abdelraouf says. They then took these re-interpretations, added their signature touch of funk and used them as the actual basis for a collection of kaleidoscopic and creative bags.

 

Abdelraouf fills us on the results, “They were totally insane! We even ended up with some drawings of Johnny Bravo in a skirt!” We’re not sure if the kid just thought Johnny was a girl or if the times are just changing so much that kids aren’t afraid to draw guys in skirts. We’re not sure that Johnny Bravo would have been cool with it...

 

Okhtein’s Future Nostalgia collection donates a portion of the proceeds to charity until this Sunday so get to their official website and pick up seriously one-of-a-kind pieces before it’s too late!

 

You can buy one of the pieces here.