“We will slowly poison your mind with something visually toxic.”: Interview with SVKVNV & FRDY, the founders of CHRONIC

In this issue, we welcome CHRONIC from Taiwan. As culture freaks, as well as information freaks, dear founders SVKVNV and FRDY give us their vision of the brand and unique brand message. The visual effect plays an important role inside the brand.

Nana: What is the story behind the CHRONIC?

SVKVNV & FRDY: We officially established the brand in 2020. And Our concept was to create unconscious attraction through apparels for men / women with prototype visuality.

Nana: Why did you initially create the brand and name it “CHRONIC”?

FRDY: I like how it looks, how it sounds, and how it carries a hidden message. I believe a brand name has to INSTANTLY seduce, if it’s not intuitive it is not a good name. And the hidden message is that we will slowly poison your mind with something visually toxic.

Nana: What is your impression of the current fashion in Taiwan and what do you think has influenced it? Has any Taiwan fashion trend has influenced your brand?

FRDY: Let’s just say there are many brands in Taiwan that we respect, because we all seek to innovate on daily basis, and it’s a hardcore business. You have to be on the battleground to truly understand & appreciate what is going on within the battle…. What is your question again?

Nana: What are some of the inspirations behind the brand?

SVKVNV: Our inspiration has always been the moment when two individuals meet for first time. What makes them looking at each other just one second longer? That second is the eternality that we seek to create.

Nana: How do you come up and decide on the themes for your collections?

FRDY: We are both culture freaks, as well as information freaks… it’s in our DNA, in our blood. We are constantly dealing with excessive information so we can present you with the most modern designs.

Nana: Is there a particular artist, movie, place, trend, book etc. that you would recommend our readers to check for inspiration?

SVKVNV: Our Instagram. We often post our latest favorite movie, place, trend, artist and music on our IG feeds. So if you ever need inspiration…

Nana: In what way do you use social media to promote your brand?

FRDY: We have the best communication with our followers via social media in Taiwan, and that’s a statement. I believe the best online promotion is not a paid ad, but a person who loves your product so much that he / she posts it on social media.

Nana: Can you tell us about some of the most challenging experiences you have had during the process of building your brand?

SVKVNV: Our BIGGEST challenge is to profit with extremely high manufacturing cost. Most people don’t realize we use very expensive fabrics and we modify back and forth so much that our production cost is insanely off the roof.