“Lyz hit New York City at the tender age of 13, sneaking out of windows and the backseats of cars, escaping from the mundanity of suburbia. On one of these nights she met and fell for the continental adventurer, Josh. He was darkly handsome and cold as ice. They shared an appetite for brawling and balling. The satanic pair invaded the city with a force to be reckoned with. The dark hearts transferred their energy into the movement which became known through the underground as OBESITY AND SPEED……”
That’s how Lyz Olko, 26, and Josh Conner, 28, the duo behind the dark and mysterious brand Obesity and Speed, tell the story on how they came to be. The design duo began creating their line four years ago, a dialogue spawned from their need to participate in the confrontation between death and living which exercises and is driven by their devotion to one another. Over the years they’ve been picking and choosing select retailers to represent their Bernhard Willhelm and Raf Simons-esque clothing line in which they handsew about half of every season. Their homemade collections consist of oversized tops and tunics, spiderweb-like layering pieces and t-shirts bedecked with anarchy symbols, skulls, crosses and handsketched molars. (Death by root canal!) Although the brand remains relatively small, it definitely has a sizeable cult following, worn by a diverse assembly of hipster heavyweights and high profile celebs such as M.I.A, Lindsay Lohan, Naomi Campbell, Chloe Sevigny, Annabella Sciorra, Jason Schwartzman and their most visible hometown disciples, the MisShapes!
Preview their spring 2007 collection online or stop by one of their retailers to purchase pieces from the fall collection, in stores now.
Available at I Heart, Barney’s Co-Op, Dernier Cri, and Eva.
I feel the need, Obesity and Speed!
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