Intrigued as to how it all came together, we sent some Qs to agency founder Conor Rua to find out what inspired him to put the project together.
Can you give us a detailed overview of the Command-F project?
Yes sure, the project is named, Command ‘F’ referencing the Apple Mac shortcut of CMD+F to find and highlight – this links to our agency’s philosophy of highlighting talented individuals based on their substance and integrity rather than the size of their social following.
Each of the collaborators is selected because of their relevance and substance within each subculture they lead. After the recent noise of brands not being culturally appropriate we wanted to celebrate London’s culture and spotlight some of the figures that are shaping the way we think, dress and what we listen to.
Most importantly this project is is about acknowledging and authentically connecting all the pieces of London’s subcultures to create a united final image.
What’s the story behind your agency ElevenEleven?
You will definitely think I’m superstitious after hearing this…
For maybe a good 8/9 months I would see the timeframe 11:11 every other day and would always highlight it to an ex-colleague which quickly turned into a game. Obviously after a period of time, it started to annoy her so she asked me if i had ever googled it to find out if it meant anything. Well I hadn’t and after doing so it came up that its a sign from the Universe trying to pull me onto my rightful path.
I had always wanted to start an agency and knew how important it was to authentically connect with culture but a cultural agency never existed before, at least not that I’d seen. I listened to my instincts and jumped for the chance to lead the future of communication.
Why did you decide to go solo? Why is it important to you to do your own thing?
I started this agency because I was fed up of watching the same old shit. We are here to takeover, shake and change the industry formats leading where no precedent exists.
Any tips for others looking to shake up their careers?
All I can say is listen to your gut instinct, whatever the decision is you can always live with it.
What challenges did you face when putting this project together?
Time and logistics was the biggest challenge. Trying to organise 11 people with hectic schedules and partner them up with graphic designers was difficult enough but then to get an artwork they were happy with incorporated a lot of back and forth. Obviously we expected this and overall we are really proud of how everything has turned out, they all look AMAZING!
Why tees? What is it about the format that interested you?
T-shirts are universal, they are for everyone and that’s what this project is supposed to tie into, our united culture.
Head over to the Command-F store to shop the limited-edition tees.
