5W with Estudio Niksen

We asked the 5W questions (what, why, who, where, when) to Andres and Gabrielle from Estudio Niksen!

Photo by Thomas Hawes

What?

Estudio Niksen. It's simple, we are in the business of curating.

As a boutique, we present « rare-finds » of small creators from around the world [mostly Seoul, big fans of South Korean design in general]. We aim for quality, design and purpose above all - the idea is to offer a full wardrobe that even extends to every customer's living space [homeware collections and objects].

We also love to work closely with Canadian and South American-influenced artisans in order to shed some light and honour the excellence of local craftsmanship.

It’s funny how Estudio Niksen reflects a bit of our own lives, we love big, minimal-ish, quality clothes that are almost timeless. Yet, our house is where the punches of color, weird shapes and nostalgic amulets live.

Why?

It all began simply from the need to find high quality garments that are design-conscious, at reasonable prices [at least for me]. Now, our goal is to offer a wide range of products that last in time and separate themselves from the ordinary. We simply want to present people with our universe, going from our vision for fashion with purpose, to our living space vision and desire to express ourselves.

Added to that we also like to work around the Niksen concept meaning « the art of doing nothing ». a commonly applied method that allows you to wander and put your mind at ease - helping with stress, improving creativity, problem solving and general mental health. We felt like it was a very important topic to put in perspective, especially in such a « performance-driven » culture like ours.

No pattern is our pattern! Expect the unexpected-ish.

Who?

Me, Andres Barrios, having gathered a lot of experience from working with insanely creative people and great visionaries. I also have some experience in retail, merchandising, product development and so on.

Gabrielle, a true creative; she has a masters degree in Museology and works at a well-known museum in Montreal. She helps me with the creative direction and she is in charge of all of our homeware products and collaborations.

This is for everyone who is conscious about purpose, design and comfort above all haha. We don’t really have anybody in particular in mind or as a target because we don’t necessarily do this for others. We do this for ourselves to begin with, because it’s what we love doing, creating and sharing.

Where?

AU 308 BOY!

Our studio/atelier/showroom/chilling-spot/HQ/warehouse is at 2177 Masson, suite 308. Montreal, QC. H2H 1B1. Canada. We are currently working on some improvements and renovations to make the space ready for visitors who wanna come try things on, pick up their orders or simply have a coffee with us.

When?

We started the company in May 2021, it's been a hell of a ride! And so much more to come!!!

We are open from Tuesday to Saturday 11@5

Follow their venture here:

Website: https://estudioniksen.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/estudio.niksen/?hl=fr