OS Accessories is a Philippine-based brand helmed by AJ Omandac and Paul Jatayna. The last time I saw the boys of OS was 2011, during the brand’s launch at 7th High, a popular club in the Philippines. Their creations were donned by the adventurous fashion lovers of the metro and since then, OS has reached an international audience.
Their work has been worn by the likes of Rhianna, 2NE1, and G-Dragon, and have been made available in Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia, and the United States (KarmaLoop’s Miss KL).
Surely, this marks OS as a true success and there has been no hint of slowing down. The boys of OS share, through an email interview, their humble beginnings and their plans for the future.
When did you start and what prompted you to do so?
OS was launched last April 2011. Almost a year before that we were vacationing in Baguio City. While walking in session road we saw tribal necklaces using snake and shark bones. We wrapped our metal chains around it and thought it was really cool.
What drew you to bones? What exactly about them made you feel like working with the material/reproducing them synthetically?
Why not (bones)? (*Laughs) Bones are beautiful and macabre at the same time. We were supposed to use real bones (in the beginning) but we have to go through so much paperwork and law states that we can only use from farmed sources. That’s when we decided to reproduce them in polyurethane. We were aided by artist-friend Leeroy New who trained us to make molds, etc.
What are you like when you’re not working? Please describe your life outside of Os.
A life outside OS is almost nonexistent [sic]. But (sic) we are normal people – we like to hang out and dance (at the Future in Cubao), watch late night movies at the cinema… We love hole in the wall restaurants, and we’re online everyday. I guess when you’re so passionate (and are very) into what you are doing, there really is no boundary between work and life. When we’re dining out we still manage to talk about our brand (strategy, sales, people) and when we work it’s really just hanging out, our fingers busy sculpting a new bone design while watching 2 Broke Girls or something. Haha!
What is your creative process like?
We usually start a collection with a theme. The 2nd collection revolved around BDSM (pain,pleasure,submission,control) while the 3rd collection was inspired by the SeaPunk movement mixed with toxic waste and pollution. (As far as) our current collection, we are still working on it but it is set to launch by end of May.
After constructing a theme we then collect as much bones as we can from laboratories, markets, restaurants and sometimes we sculpt from photos, too. From there we create samples either from sketch to final product or the other way around.
What are your work dynamics like? Who handles what?
I (AJ) handle Operations (finance, production and management) and design. Paul handles the Creative Direction and Sales & Marketing, and our new hire Joan handles warehousing and logistics. Our production on the other hand is all subcontracted, and it varies from 3-6 people per production cycle.
Was it really the brand’s intention to cater to an international audience?
Yes, it was part of our mission and vision, and we formulated from the start the our target market would be (a global audience). It just took a little while and a lot of hard work to finally tap our niche markets effectively.
How did OS end up outside Philippine shores?
We got featured on the website Trendland.com a few months after we have launched the brand. Because of that, we got our first stockists from Taiwan and Malaysia.
What is the most challenging part of this business and how do you manage?
(At first) we thought the hardest part would be creating the perfect product, or at least (to consistently present) a good quality design, but it seems that in business, it is dealing with people that is the most challenging. Managing your employees, taking care of your customers, maintaining a good relationship with your suppliers and partners and so on.
Where could we find your work?
We are available at our online store – www.os-accessories.com.
For U.S. customers we are currently on stock at Karmaloop’s MissKL.com, and soon at ErosMortis.com
What are your future plans for OS?
We’re releasing Vol. 4 soon, and right after that we’ll start developing our home line and probably an upmarket jewelry line as well.
Twitter – @osaccessories
Facebook – facebook.com/OSaccessories
