In this episode of Prologue, we sat down with Quiccs (Juanito Maiquez) and talked about his journey from being a five-year-old artist joining art contests, to a graphic design titan in Burnwater Design Studios, and how he realized his vision for his own line of designer toys.
Quiccs talked us through how his exposure to hip hop and child-like imagination translated into tangible pieces of art that could sell within minutes. We also discussed how he was able to find his art inspirations in an era without the comfort and ease of Google, how he went about college taking a non-art major, and why Evangelion, Gundam, and Japanese Mecha became the focus of his craft. You’ll also hear about how Michael Lau inspired him to pursue designing toys, and likewise how he got into graffiti art — with 123 Klan and Egg Fiasco’s works being part of his influences.
Lastly, also included in this episode is his Bulletpunk collection and its post-apocalyptic origin stories — the Ghost of Kurosawa, Mariko, Zeta, Sharko and Remi, Ukami and Hitsuji, and the “calling card” designer toy that started it all — TEQ63.
It is an insightful discussion that plunges you deep into the rabbit hole of the lucrative industry of designer toys and how his success with his Japanese-mecha inspired craft and concept landed him a collaboration and partnership with global lifestyle brand, adidas.
Prologue is a PURVEYR—Radio show and a partnership with Kindred Productions who manages the sound and recording. In addition, we would like to thank Yardstick for being our official venue for the interviews. You can subscribe and follow the show on Spotify or other podcast-listening platforms to keep yourself updated for new episodes.
