I graduated from the University of Salford in 2006 with a BA (Hons) in Design Communication. For my final major project, I developed a campaign concept for the retailer Oki‑ni.
When Oki-ni first opened its store in 2001, it didn’t operate like a traditional fashion shop. Instead, it was conceived as a concept gallery combined with an early e-commerce platform, where products were curated and presented more like an exhibition space than a conventional retail environment.
When Oki-ni first opened its store in 2001, it didn’t operate like a traditional fashion shop. Instead, it was conceived as a concept gallery combined with an early e-commerce platform, where products were curated and presented more like an exhibition space than a conventional retail environment.
About Oki-Ni
The first Oki-ni space opened on Savile Row in London as a concept store / gallery rather than a traditional retail shop. Products were curated and displayed like exhibitions. The focus was on limited-edition collaborations with brands such as Adidas, Levi's, and Paul Smith. The environment was deliberately minimal and art-driven, closer to a design showroom. Oki-Ni were pioneers of brand collaborations in a time when it was unfamiliar territory. A first importer of Japanese brands, they were innovative and forward thinking. A “gallery-style” store on Savile Row
“Touch and try” — but not always buy in-store
The Brand Challenge
Innovative and ahead of their time Oki-ni needed to drive brand awareness. Other brands in the fashion space were investing in big spend in surreal and creative brand campaigns, often led by photography and graphics. Oki-ni’s mystery was it’s allure but it was also it’s challenge. How could it raise its brand profile, without compromising its vision and edge.
Innovative and ahead of their time Oki-ni needed to drive brand awareness. Other brands in the fashion space were investing in big spend in surreal and creative brand campaigns, often led by photography and graphics. Oki-ni’s mystery was it’s allure but it was also it’s challenge. How could it raise its brand profile, without compromising its vision and edge.
Briefs
My idea for the orignal 2006 brief:
“No one really knows what Oki-ni is. Only that it exists somewhere on the internet, a company that modifies designer clothing, with a physical store that operates more like a gallery.” My idea for the orignal 2006 brief:
The Oki-ni Machine
My solve was to imagine an origin story. Routed in the intrigue that was synonymous with the brand and as crafted as the objects they produced. What if Oki-ni was actually a machine, built from spare parts by a lonely professor in an unknown location. A strange mechanical system designed to experiment with clothing and design. Storytelling routed in the tension between online vs physical experience, especially as e-retail was a rarity at the time.
When the professor connects the machine to the internet, he loses control. The Oki-ni machine begins ordering garments from around the world and modifying them autonomously, cutting, reconstructing, and reconfiguring each piece. The result is a series of unique and limited-edition versions of existing designer garments.
I chose to express the concept through crafted solutions, with the following deliverables:
- Illustrative poster campaign
- Bespoke diary telling the story of the machine (catalogue / lookbook) with presentation box
- Website holding page
- Event invite
- Retail window display
2026 Revisit
The aim is to refine and elevate the work through:
- Stronger file structures and workflows
- Improved Photoshop and artworking techniques
- Cleaner compositions and typography
- And the incorporation of new tools, including AI
The goal is not to change the idea, but to rebuild the project with twenty years of design experience.
Website
The website mirrors the narrative of the poster campaign. It begins with a holding page, suggesting the site is being built or undergoing maintenance, echoing the early stages of the machine’s construction.
As the story progresses, the visuals evolve in line with the posters, culminating in a final screen revealing the completed machine with the message “Now Online.” This acts as a nod to both the machine becoming operational and the website officially going live.
2026 revisted
For the 2026 revisit, the original posters are being reworked to introduce colour, depth, and greater visual detail while staying true to the original concept.
New visual assets are generated using Adobe Firefly, then collaged and composited in Adobe Photoshop. This process allows the illustrations to evolve from the original flat vectors into richer, more layered compositions, combining generated elements, textures, and digital collage.
The aim is to retain the narrative of the machine’s construction, while reinterpreting the visuals using contemporary tools and a more refined artworking approach.
Poster campaign
Originally a series of three vector illustrations, distressed and printed on aged paper, depicting the construction of the Oki-ni machine. The first poster shows rubble and scattered parts with the line “Building Site”, referencing a website under development. The second illustration introduces additional components and scaffolding, accompanied by the copy “Under Construction. The final poster reveals the completed machine, finished and operational, with the line “Now Online.”
Together, the sequence visually narrates the build process of the machine, mirroring the launch of a website coming to life.
2026 revisted
For the 2026 revisit, the original posters are being reworked to introduce colour, depth, and greater visual detail while staying true to the original concept.
New visual assets are generated using Adobe Firefly, then collaged and composited in Adobe Photoshop. This process allows the illustrations to evolve from the original flat vectors into richer, more layered compositions, combining generated elements, textures, and digital collage.
The aim is to retain the narrative of the machine’s construction, while reinterpreting the visuals using contemporary tools and a more refined artworking approach.
Diary and Box
The original diary was handmade, featuring distressed leather covers and butterfly screw hinges. All pages were hand-drawn, capturing sketches of the professor and the evolving machine, giving the diary an intimate, crafted feel. The content told the story of the machine being built, from its initial design concepts through to its transformation into a lookbook of Oki‑ni products.
As the diary progressed, the style of the copy gradually shifted toward digital typography, reflecting the moment the machine began to take control and act autonomously.
The original diary was handmade, featuring distressed leather covers and butterfly screw hinges. All pages were hand-drawn, capturing sketches of the professor and the evolving machine, giving the diary an intimate, crafted feel. The content told the story of the machine being built, from its initial design concepts through to its transformation into a lookbook of Oki‑ni products.
As the diary progressed, the style of the copy gradually shifted toward digital typography, reflecting the moment the machine began to take control and act autonomously.
2026 Revisit
For the 2026 update, the diary has been reimagined with colour, depth, and enhanced visual detail, while remaining faithful to the original concept. The story of the machine’s construction is now told in greater detail, incorporating additional photographs of the machine during assembly and newspaper clippings documenting the mysterious, autonomous machine.
This updated diary merges the tactile charm of the original with a richer visual narrative, bridging the handmade aesthetic with contemporary design techniques to bring the story fully to life.
Paper back booklet
Free paper back version to be given to customers instore.
Window Display
The concept for the window display was to create a larger-scale version of the vector illustration. The design would be produced using laser-cut wooden layers, stacked to build a multi-layered model of the machine. This layered construction would add depth and dimension, translating the flat vector artwork into a sculptural display piece.
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2026 revisted
If budget were no constraint, I would build a full-scale version of the machine and present it as an installation piece. The machine would be framed by dense foliage to recreate a jungle-like environment, as if it had been discovered in an unknown location. Displayed like a museum exhibit, the setting would reinforce the narrative of a mysterious device found in the wild, blurring the line between industrial object and artefact.
The concept for the window display was to create a larger-scale version of the vector illustration. The design would be produced using laser-cut wooden layers, stacked to build a multi-layered model of the machine. This layered construction would add depth and dimension, translating the flat vector artwork into a sculptural display piece.
2026 revisted
If budget were no constraint, I would build a full-scale version of the machine and present it as an installation piece. The machine would be framed by dense foliage to recreate a jungle-like environment, as if it had been discovered in an unknown location. Displayed like a museum exhibit, the setting would reinforce the narrative of a mysterious device found in the wild, blurring the line between industrial object and artefact.
Invite
The invitations were designed to feel as though they had been generated by the machine itself. The layout is intentionally simple and functional, focusing purely on clear, informative text rather than decorative design.
To reinforce this mechanical aesthetic, the invites would be printed using a dot-matrix printer, allowing the machine to run continuous prints. This production method adds a raw, automated quality, creating a sense of distance from human touch.
The original envelope was distressed to echo the aged, industrial tone of the project. It also featured an illustration of an early Apple Macintosh, referencing the machine imagery used throughout the campaign. This illustration acted as a window on the envelope, through which the recipient’s address would appear.
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The invitations were designed to feel as though they had been generated by the machine itself. The layout is intentionally simple and functional, focusing purely on clear, informative text rather than decorative design.
To reinforce this mechanical aesthetic, the invites would be printed using a dot-matrix printer, allowing the machine to run continuous prints. This production method adds a raw, automated quality, creating a sense of distance from human touch.
The original envelope was distressed to echo the aged, industrial tone of the project. It also featured an illustration of an early Apple Macintosh, referencing the machine imagery used throughout the campaign. This illustration acted as a window on the envelope, through which the recipient’s address would appear.
2026 revisted
