Artist Interview 5 - YOKE - Fife Contemporary

FCA&C caught up with Mr & Mrs YOKE (aka Mark McConnell and Zoe Brennan) recently to ask them a few questions about their brand. Here’s what they said:

What’s your background and what inspired you to become a designer?

YOKE was formed after we left university. We met at college and instantly hit it off. We had an unspoken rivalry as to who could draw better! When we both moved back to our hometown, Perth, it was the perfect opportunity to join creative forces!

We are on a mission to make the world more YOKEY! We are inspired by popular culture, things that make us laugh and the little things people take for granted. We want to brighten up the gloomiest of days and make people smile!

How would you describe your customers?

Our customers want an alternative to the mass produced options offered on the high street and want a product that they know will be unique. All our products are made by hand so a lot of love goes into each one and we think you can tell! They also look for something with character and personality that will put a smile on people’s faces- our illustrations all have their own stories behind them so there is more to them than just the final product.

What is your favourite piece from your collection?

It’s so difficult to choose because we love them all but Eggy soliders has stood out as one that people love, perhaps because they can remember dunking those wee soldiers when they were younger!

Personally we love our screen prints, as that’s where it all started for us!

What are the highlights of your career so far?

So much has happened in the short time since we launched, sometimes we can’t quite believe it! We’re now stocked globally from Tokyo to Edinburgh, Vienna to Melbourne and recently we were featured as one of the Top 5 companies to watch along side French Connection Home by Your Home magazine.

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

We want to keep expanding YOKE and already have lots of ideas for more fabulous products! We also want to grow our freelance portfolio and have just finished the branding for an interior design company in New York.

Thank you.