His advertising agency is little more than three years old and already Robert Storey can say he’s rubbed elbows with the best names in the business. Brands such as Kenzo, Nicholas Kirkwood or Vogue have all spent time in this London-based art director’s studio, attracted to his ability to masterfully combine the art of sculpture with the design of fashion advertising.
Robert Storey
Storey studied Fine Arts and Sculpture at St. Martin’s College in London. After graduating in 2008, he moved to NYC where he worked as an assistant for various artists and where he first came in contact with art direction. His love of sculpture and architecture have marked his character and his style as a designer and his work is a faithful reflection of this passion, where coloured forms and geometric lines give way to a suggestive, forceful aesthetic.
He defines his work as ‘organised chaos’, where every independent element leads to elaborate campaigns in which the limits of the content and the container blend together giving definition to the ensemble.
SO CATCHY!: After graduating with a degree in Fine Art Sculpture, how did you decide to dedicate yourself to the world of fashion?
ROBERT STOREY: I started assisting a set designer after I graduated because I was interested in working commercially within a creative context, I really enjoyed it, so continued to work within set design and art direction. I have however continued to make sculpture work in a fine art context but have also incorporated a lot of my sculptural inspirations into my set design.
SC!: Your projects seem to be authentic colourful artworks with a great expressive power, how would you describe your work?
RS: I think this is because I approach set design as a sculptor, I have a continued interest in colour theory, which is why my work often explores so many different colours and also an interest in structural forms. I would describe my work as organised chaos.
SC!: Some people define your work as eclectic advertising, would you agree?
RS: I’m not sure I understand exactly what eclectic advertising means but I try not to define my work. I am hoping that people look at me as a multidisciplinary creative working within a predominantly fashion and fine art realm, who is able to design both space and the things inside the space.
SC!: In your work we can see a heavy influence from geometric elements, what inspires you to create?
RS: I like to put things in order, but I am quite chaotic in the way I process and accumulate information. I think that the geometric element of my work is a natural end result; I just find it hard not to make things align.
SC!: When working, do you prefer absolute creative freedom or do you look to trends or forecasts?
RS: Absolute creative freedom is always my favourite thing. I love working independently but I also like to create work specifically designed for brands which is both in their aesthetic and my style.
SC!: What are the highlights of your experience in New York?
RS: New York is where I first found set design, I was lucky enough to intern for a set designer and I learnt a lot before going back to London to start my own company.
SC!: How has it been working for large companies such as Vogue, Wallpaper or Kenzo?
RS: Every experience is different, but it is always amazing to work with such high profile magazines and brands with such a huge readership. It is great to see my work in magazines or on billboards for the world to see.
SC!: Do you have any specific firm that you’d like to work with?
RS: I would love to work with Comme De Garcon
SC!: In this time of great advances in regards to materials and technology, to what point do you think the world of advertising is evolving to?
RS: Of course more and more publications are going digital and with this, more moving images are being produced- fashion films in particular.
SC!: Could you tell us what you are working on now?
RS: That would be ruining the surprise!
Photos courtesy of Robert Storey
Translated by Michael Padilla
