FMCS: Who is CTRL?

CTRL: CTRL is me, Freeman, the designer/art director; Esa, the brand/sales manager, and Timothy - the sales / communications manager.

FMCS: Do you like bananas?

CTRL: I love it when someone slips on a banana in a black & white Charlie Chaplin movie. I also like Ninibananas - one of my favourite female clothing labels.

FMCS: Why is colour so important? What is your favourite colour combination?

CTRL: Colours are important for sure, like the colour Red, it has been shown to increase blood pressure. And Pink makes your muscles relax. Orange is a terrific anti-depressant and an aphrodisiac. Viagra should not be blue, it’s essence is somewhere close to orange and violet. That’s also one of my favourite colour combos and it can easily be found in the rainbow.

FMCS: What or who are your inspirations? Why?

CTRL: My biggest inspiration at the moment is the butterfly and other ultra light objects. They are so fragile that it makes you wonder how those things still exist in the year 2008.

FMCS: It’s true!

CTRL: Also the female shape is an incredibly inspiring shape; all good designs should have the female shape in it. Think about it, a shape that gives you a hard-on. A black triangular shape can do that too.

FMCS: It’s a valid point. If designers imbued their products with the female shape more often there would be less of a need for Viagra. Surely a much more organic way of getting a hard-on.

FMCS: Do you have an exact scientific formula for a good design or pattern? If so, what is it? I heard it involves a lot of numbers.

CTRL: No, it’s not rocket science for me. I just do stuff, and then it’s done.

FMCS: Fair enough. I imagine it’s a secret anyway. So you guys are based in Finland - are your clothes warm as well as cool?

CTRL: Yes, they’re definitely made with a warm thought for all the people who have to survive through a long winter like us here in Finland. But we also think of the people who are lucky enough to live on warmer sides of the globe too. For this reason we have incorporated removable sleeves and hood into our latest leather jacket. We’re in deepest winter right now, like today there’s a snow storm here in Helsinki and it’s awesome.

FMCS: When I wear a CTRL garment, in what way can I expect my life to change?

CTRL: You’ll notice that suddenly all the 10’s [the fittest girls] who didn’t know you existed before want to speak with you. It’s truly process of sexual healing. Of course it also depends on your social skills whether or not you actually score that 10 or not. Apart from this everything else in your life will be the same as always. Same shit, different day. The most important thing to remember is that life is fun.

FMCS: Fair point. Is there any connection between CTRL and the Campaign for Training Reptiles to Laugh? If not, do you think there is any scope for a collaboration here?

CTRL: That’s a new one, a good one, but no connection with them yet. I used to have a green iguana living at my house and I’m pretty sure it never laughed, even though it must have seen plenty of funny shit happening around.

FMCS: Such humourless creatures..

CTRL: I don’t imagine they’ll ever be giggling, no…though they do know how to vogue pose.

FMCS: True. If CTRL was a band comprised of 5 famous musicians who would be in the band and what would be your first single release?

CTRL: Sean Lennon, Andrea Bocelli, Philip Philip Philippe, Arthur Russell and Stan Getz. Our first release would be the soundtrack to Henrik Vibskov’s A/W08 show, that way we’d juice out the most fame on Scandinavia’s fashion scene.

FMCS: Describe a recent dream.

CTRL: I was in Thailand, in Bangkok, and my friend had a pocket in his back and there was a sense of unselfish love. The air was thick and emotional and it stimulated our brains.

FMCS: I bet it did. Looking at your tee-shirts it is clear that you like to inject humour into your designs. This is good. What is more important; style or a sense of humour? And why are they so often mutually exclusive?

CTRL: I try to incorporate them both at the same time. I don’t know why that combination often fails in the fashion industry; after all it’s just two simple things, combined. I guess it’s the same in film-making for example; if the script sucks then the film is no good not matter how well-done the other parts are.

FMCS: Have you tried Marmite? If so, do you like it?

CTRL: I’m just a guy, I never tried it. I may have done LSD though, but I don’t recommend it to anyone, I think it should not exist. It’s just a BAD, BAD THING. Like all drugs, especially weed.

FMCS: Yes you’re right. Drugs are wrong. I never inject Marmite, only on toast. It’s less addictive that way.

FMCS: Sum up CTRL in one sentence please.

CTRL: Some say it’s a “cunt roll”. But that’s nasty.

FMCS: I don’t understand but it sounds good. So….?

CTRL: OK, I’ll try again. Here are the words that CTRL stands for: Caesar, Tits, Radioactive, Lunar

FMCS: I certainly understand why you chose the name now. I especially like the reference to breasts.

FMCS: Will CTRL go to Heaven , Hell or be reincarnated?

CTRL: Heaven for sure - thank God.

FMCS: If you could travel back in time, who would you most like to see wearing the CTRL brand?

CTRL: I don’t get the question, do you mean I must imagine I’ve come from the past and I’ve seen who was wearing CTRL?

FMCS: Not exactly but…

CTRL: Have you heard about the paradox of time travelling ? It describes how a time traveller’s action when travelling back in time alters his or her future thus creating a paradox. For example, the time traveller returns to a time before the birth of his mother and therefore before the time traveller. An action caused by the time traveller results in the death of his grandmother. Now, there’s a paradox.

FMCS: It’s a valid point. I went back in time last week and when I returned to the present my dog was dead. Perhaps the last question wasn’t very practical, how about this one.

FMCS: If you could take a magic carpet ride who would you like most to spit or shit on and why?

CTRL: No-one. I am a man of world peace.

FMCS: That is a diplomatic and admirable answer. If I was on that magic carpet I would seek out Paul Hewson (the one that calls himself ‘Bono’) and I would decorate his sunglasses while he is giving a concert or something. But that’s just me.

FMCS: Thanks so much for your time, it’s been fun talking to you. Good luck with everything. We dig CTRL!

FMCS: Do you have any questions?

CTRL: That’s everything. Is it OK?

FMCS: Great! Thanks.

Interview by Arlo Tickner for FMCS

VISIT THE CTRL CLOTHING WEBSITE