Josh King

Clever?

Josh King

Designer - Auckland

"Kiwiana kitsch inspires contemporary King Design clocks and clothing..."

Josh King’s designs reflect his all-embracing enthusiasm for New Zealand culture, spanning nearly everything from tacky trinkets to the country’s natural splendour.  “I try and create beautifully made pieces for New Zealanders both at home and abroad, at a time when we really are proud of where we are at as a nation.”

Indulging his taste for retro memorabilia, inspiration comes from the 1970’s when he was growing up.  “With the t-shirts, I’ve created a Kiwiana range to represent a New Zealand take on native imagery - sort of Kiwiana for Kiwis.”  The Tui in Kowhai is from an old 1965 penny in my Dad’s collection, and the Aotearoa mirrored image is in a font I drew from the old ‘New Zealand’s Heritage’ magazine.  The Aroha tee is in an Army typeface, but represents love, not war.  The Tree is a tree of life type image, and was inspired by some 1970’s tree cartoon images.”

“The Tiki Tok Clocks are inspired by the Air New Zealand plastic tikis that they gave kids on the plane in the 1970’s when you were getting close to home.  I made it black on black to be kitsch, like a ceramic 1950’s wall-piece.”
  Auckland


Collection

 > Artist's Full Collection 
  • Tiki Tok Clock- White
  • Tiki Tok Clock- Printed