OFFICE Spotlight™ has partnered with #Nike to delve deeper into the lives of our ever-growing community to showcase emerging talent across the creative sphere🔦🌟.
To kick off this exciting new series, we collaborated with Illustrator, Visual Notetaker and Facilitator for Social Action, Tamara-Jade Kaz | @tamarajadekaz. We are super inspired by her passion for social justice and her connections within grassroots activists’ groups in the city that strive for change👏.
We have been big fans of the #Nike ‘Air Max Bliss’ and ‘AM90 Futura’ for a while now since their launches back in the summertime. This pack oozes futuristic nostalgia thanks to its retro sporty design meshed with those all-day-comfort tech details we have come to love so much☁️. Now back again for winter, in this muted tonal iteration which offers endless styling potential😍.
We candidly met up with Tamara-Jade at her beautiful home, shot by Ede Dugdale, to find out more about her creative journey so far, the importance of community and her personal style. Keep scrolling to find out more…💕
Tell us a bit about yourself?
I’m Tamara-Jade Kaz and I’m an illustrator, visual notetaker and facilitator for social action based in East London. I am a sole trader, and my work includes a range of things. My illustrations usually centre a social justice issue because I am connected to grassroots activists’ groups in the city and have previously worked in gendered violence NGOs, so my clients tend to know me from there. Outside of illustration, I work as a facilitator supporting groups who want to make social change to work together to reach their goals. I have a job in Spain next month where I’ll be doing this for a group of activists from across Europe for a week. I also visual note take, which is live illustration and note taking during an event, which can be high pressure but is fun.
What inspires you to feel creative?
Anger is good. There’s a lot to be angry about in the world and drawing helps me regulate that emotion. My people are queers, people of colour, trans people, sex workers and disabled people, so my work often ends up being about them.
What about community in this industry is so important to you?
With the cost-of-living crisis stamping on all of us, finding community around the less ‘creative’ stuff is important to me. That means being in a trade union (mine is United Voices of the World), being in a tenants’ union (London Renters Union) and being a member of the Association of Illustrators.
“Right now, community is less about what I do, and more about shared struggle. It’s important that we help each other out.”
How does your personal style implement itself into your brand?
I like anything sickly femme. I love queer femininity. I like lilac, I like fluffy, I like mesh. A delicate dress with a stompy boot. I was an emo as a teen, so I also have a soft spot for anything earnestly sad – my tattoos are all quite spikey. I’m not sure how that fits into my brand — I guess my brand is just gay?
If you could put someone in the OFFICE Spotlight who would it be?
My friend Jasmina – they’re an amazing Berlin-based artist that really helped me out when I was starting out in my career. Their artist name is EL BOUM (@el.boum). Or my pal Jamie Fuxx (@iamjamiefuxx) – an all-singing all-dancing drag king whose confidence inspires me.
How would you style the ‘Business Casual’ pack?
The ‘Air Max Bliss’ is quite dad to me, which honestly is my girlfriend’s area of sartorial expertise. So, I’d probably wear them with some of their clothes.
“I wore them last with one of her oversized sweaters and some straight leg jeans.”
What is to come in the future for your craft?
I wanna get into mural painting. I’m working on a visual note taking job with someone who does it on the side and it sounds fun.
What are you having for dinner hun?
Linda McCartney veggie meatballs.
Shop the Nike ‘Business Casual Pack’
www.office.co.uk | @officeshoes
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