The In Conversation series celebrates the stories and style of pioneers across the creative industries. We explore their craft, from beginnings to breakthroughs, and uncover how their Cutler and Gross frames mirror their unique aesthetic.
Creative by Document Studios | Photography by Jack Orton | Art direction by David Hellqvist | Interview by Maisie Taylor
Off the beaten path of London’s Soho, hidden amongst the weekday bustle, lies the colourful catalyst that is Harris Elliott, in his studio. Artist, Creative Director, Visual Storyteller, and Cultural Creator—these are just a few of the many hats he wears, almost on par with his signature woollen beret. Harris is the founder of the experimental studio Le Tings, carried out styling work with clients such as adidas, Gorillaz, Blur and Noel Gallagher, and played a pivotal role in notable exhibitions ‘Return of the Rudeboy’ and ‘The Missing Thread’ at Somerset House. To name a few standouts that came to mind when reflecting on his esteemed career.
Asked to describe his work in a sentence, Harris draws the line that connects it all: “I stir different cultural references together to create narratives for brands, artists, and institutions. The processes through which I work enable me to operate as a visual alchemist.”. A Visual Alchemist indeed. Stepping into his space, curiosity was instantly piqued, and his stories longed to be heard.
We met on a quiet, grey day, which quickly realised was a stark contrast to the world we were set to explore. Inside, floor-to-ceiling Afrorock vinyl covers, furniture made from repurposed plastic crates in blazing primary colours, and sprawling hand-drawn walls proclaiming powerful statements like ‘Education Equals Equality’, set the scene. All carried by an accompanying backing track of his personal vinyl collection, from the moody notes of Miles Davis’ Doo-Bop to a few pauses in the interview to flip from A-side to B of Roy Ayers and Luscious Jackson, emanating from the turntable.
Harris pictured in the studio he designed for That Gorilla Brand.
CG: We’re all quite interested to know, what is the best and worst thing about your job?
HE: Landing in new cities, visiting marketplaces and seeing how locals go about their day to day is the highlight of my job. All my senses absorbing new sounds, smells and colours creates an excited childlike feeling in me. London is the best but often the worst when landing back in Blighty when it’s grey and rainy.
CG: And when are you the most creative: early mornings or late evenings?
HE: Time of day doesn’t affect my creative flow, I’m one of those rare birds that beds late and rises early. What’s important to me is motion, most of my creative energy comes whether I’m walking or on a train and that can obviously be day or night.
“I stir different cultural references together to create narratives for brands, artists and institutions, the processes through which I work enable me to operate as a visual alchemist.”
Harris Elliott OBE, Artist and Visual Storyteller
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Harris pictured in the studio he designed for That Gorilla Brand.
CG: How important is curiosity, to you and to the world generally speaking?
HE: Curiosity is an essential ingredient regularly sprinkled in my life, especially when contemplating anything outside of my usual frame of thinking. If school kids were taught curiosity in addition to the three R’s I believe we would have more love, more empathy and more peace, as they would be nurtured with all the amazing cultural values of each other before they learn to make judgements about one another.
CG: Can you think of a bold and courageous person, dead or alive, known or unknown?
HE: Greta Thunberg is a person I find courageous, fearless and inspirational.
CG: What is your creative process like, and what helps you fuel it?
HE: Most ideas start with a conversation I have had with someone or sometimes myself. These thoughts become a series of notes that we start to create a bank of references within the studio. My ideas are often fuelled by the desire to encourage an emotion from whomever the idea is for, often that is a smile or framing something in a way that will have a resonance to cause people to ask questions, therefore developing concepts that have a life beyond their initial touch points.
CG: What are you working on now? Your studio space features really interesting pieces, including flocked water containers, floor-to-ceiling vinyl, and a painted motorbike you can’t miss.
HE: I was recently appointed as Creative Director for TGB aka That Gorilla Brand, this vibrant space in central London is the environment I designed for the brand as a reflection of Kisoro, Southern Uganda. The Kisoro community is where funds raised through clothing sales and fund raising activations goes to support the local community resource projects and the conservation of endangered silverback gorillas.
The yellow water containers, especially the flocked ones, are a reminder that water is a luxury for many people. By creating the space rich with Ugandan visual signifiers allows us to introduce people to the narratives and various stakeholders that the brand has partnered with. The bike is symbolic of one of the most readily used forms of transport in East Africa. The vinyl sleeves relate to the first graphic tees I designed for TGB that were inspired by different types of Afrorock albums from the 60s and 70s.
“Curiosity is an essential ingredient regularly sprinkled in my life, especially when contemplating anything outside of my usual frame of thinking.”
Harris Elliott OBE, Artist and Visual Storyteller
Harris pictured in the studio he designed for That Gorilla Brand.
CG: What’s one vinyl you would never get sick of listening to, and one you’re desperate to get your hands on?
HE: ‘Uprising’ the album by Bob Marley was a record that my mum played in our home when I was growing up, I play that same vinyl in the studio. That record has lasted longer than most things in my life, the artwork, messaging and sound are still relevant today. I recently saw a video of QTip of A Tribe Called Quest and Prince were once on stage together, I would love to have that as an album on vinyl.
CG: We’d love to know what you’re manifesting right now?
HE: A series of public interactive artworks/salons, that allow people to be playful in environments that are rich with a myriad of cultural references and sounds.
CG: and finally… 'Harris Elliott OBE’, how does this new accolade make you feel?
HE: Oh boy, it is the most surreal thing that has happened to me. It makes me really hopeful that my quiet diligence hadn’t gone unnoticed (still no idea who nominated me for the honour). I feel like I have an opportunity to be even more courageous, to stir more alchemy into global creative narratives by bringing different stakeholders together to explore exciting possibilities. I’m looking forward to what develops over the coming months from new conversations yet to happen.
Harris in Cutler and Gross X The Great Frog Idol Sunglass in Gun Metal.
Two weeks from the day Cutler and Gross visited Harris in his studio, he is set to attend Windsor Castle to receive the title ‘Harris Elliott OBE as Artist, Curator and Stylist, for services to the Arts and Cultural Diversity’. Dressed in sharp Casely-Hayford tailoring on the ceremony day, his impeccable style underscores a career highlighted by his creativity and impact. There are many artists who follow the mould, and few others like Harris who define it.
Discover his extensive career and creative vision at harriselliott.com and @harriselliottstudio.
In Conversation: Harris Elliott OBE
The In Conversation series celebrates the stories and style of pioneers across the creative industries. We explore their craft, from beginnings to breakthroughs, and uncover how their Cutler and Gross frames mirror their unique aesthetic.
Creative by Document Studios | Photography by Jack Orton | Art direction by David Hellqvist | Interview by Maisie Taylor
Off the beaten path of London’s Soho, hidden amongst the weekday bustle, lies the colourful catalyst that is Harris Elliott, in his studio. Artist, Creative Director, Visual Storyteller, and Cultural Creator—these are just a few of the many hats he wears, almost on par with his signature woollen beret. Harris is the founder of the experimental studio Le Tings, carried out styling work with clients such as adidas, Gorillaz, Blur and Noel Gallagher, and played a pivotal role in notable exhibitions ‘Return of the Rudeboy’ and ‘The Missing Thread’ at Somerset House. To name a few standouts that came to mind when reflecting on his esteemed career.
Asked to describe his work in a sentence, Harris draws the line that connects it all: “I stir different cultural references together to create narratives for brands, artists, and institutions. The processes through which I work enable me to operate as a visual alchemist.”. A Visual Alchemist indeed. Stepping into his space, curiosity was instantly piqued, and his stories longed to be heard.
We met on a quiet, grey day, which quickly realised was a stark contrast to the world we were set to explore. Inside, floor-to-ceiling Afrorock vinyl covers, furniture made from repurposed plastic crates in blazing primary colours, and sprawling hand-drawn walls proclaiming powerful statements like ‘Education Equals Equality’, set the scene. All carried by an accompanying backing track of his personal vinyl collection, from the moody notes of Miles Davis’ Doo-Bop to a few pauses in the interview to flip from A-side to B of Roy Ayers and Luscious Jackson, emanating from the turntable.
Harris pictured in the studio he designed for That Gorilla Brand.
CG: We’re all quite interested to know, what is the best and worst thing about your job?
HE: Landing in new cities, visiting marketplaces and seeing how locals go about their day to day is the highlight of my job. All my senses absorbing new sounds, smells and colours creates an excited childlike feeling in me. London is the best but often the worst when landing back in Blighty when it’s grey and rainy.
CG: And when are you the most creative: early mornings or late evenings?
HE: Time of day doesn’t affect my creative flow, I’m one of those rare birds that beds late and rises early. What’s important to me is motion, most of my creative energy comes whether I’m walking or on a train and that can obviously be day or night.
Harris Elliott OBE, Artist and Visual Storyteller
Harris pictured in the studio he designed for That Gorilla Brand.
CG: How important is curiosity, to you and to the world generally speaking?
HE: Curiosity is an essential ingredient regularly sprinkled in my life, especially when contemplating anything outside of my usual frame of thinking. If school kids were taught curiosity in addition to the three R’s I believe we would have more love, more empathy and more peace, as they would be nurtured with all the amazing cultural values of each other before they learn to make judgements about one another.
CG: Can you think of a bold and courageous person, dead or alive, known or unknown?
HE: Greta Thunberg is a person I find courageous, fearless and inspirational.
CG: What is your creative process like, and what helps you fuel it?
HE: Most ideas start with a conversation I have had with someone or sometimes myself. These thoughts become a series of notes that we start to create a bank of references within the studio. My ideas are often fuelled by the desire to encourage an emotion from whomever the idea is for, often that is a smile or framing something in a way that will have a resonance to cause people to ask questions, therefore developing concepts that have a life beyond their initial touch points.
CG: What are you working on now? Your studio space features really interesting pieces, including flocked water containers, floor-to-ceiling vinyl, and a painted motorbike you can’t miss.
HE: I was recently appointed as Creative Director for TGB aka That Gorilla Brand, this vibrant space in central London is the environment I designed for the brand as a reflection of Kisoro, Southern Uganda. The Kisoro community is where funds raised through clothing sales and fund raising activations goes to support the local community resource projects and the conservation of endangered silverback gorillas.
The yellow water containers, especially the flocked ones, are a reminder that water is a luxury for many people. By creating the space rich with Ugandan visual signifiers allows us to introduce people to the narratives and various stakeholders that the brand has partnered with. The bike is symbolic of one of the most readily used forms of transport in East Africa. The vinyl sleeves relate to the first graphic tees I designed for TGB that were inspired by different types of Afrorock albums from the 60s and 70s.
Harris Elliott OBE, Artist and Visual Storyteller
Harris pictured in the studio he designed for That Gorilla Brand.
CG: What’s one vinyl you would never get sick of listening to, and one you’re desperate to get your hands on?
HE: ‘Uprising’ the album by Bob Marley was a record that my mum played in our home when I was growing up, I play that same vinyl in the studio. That record has lasted longer than most things in my life, the artwork, messaging and sound are still relevant today. I recently saw a video of QTip of A Tribe Called Quest and Prince were once on stage together, I would love to have that as an album on vinyl.
CG: We’d love to know what you’re manifesting right now?
HE: A series of public interactive artworks/salons, that allow people to be playful in environments that are rich with a myriad of cultural references and sounds.
CG: and finally… 'Harris Elliott OBE’, how does this new accolade make you feel?
HE: Oh boy, it is the most surreal thing that has happened to me. It makes me really hopeful that my quiet diligence hadn’t gone unnoticed (still no idea who nominated me for the honour). I feel like I have an opportunity to be even more courageous, to stir more alchemy into global creative narratives by bringing different stakeholders together to explore exciting possibilities. I’m looking forward to what develops over the coming months from new conversations yet to happen.
Harris in Cutler and Gross X The Great Frog Idol Sunglass in Gun Metal.
Two weeks from the day Cutler and Gross visited Harris in his studio, he is set to attend Windsor Castle to receive the title ‘Harris Elliott OBE as Artist, Curator and Stylist, for services to the Arts and Cultural Diversity’. Dressed in sharp Casely-Hayford tailoring on the ceremony day, his impeccable style underscores a career highlighted by his creativity and impact. There are many artists who follow the mould, and few others like Harris who define it.
Discover his extensive career and creative vision at harriselliott.com and @harriselliottstudio.