All shoes from CAMPERLAB.
If there’s anything we don’t need this spring, it’s another collection of boring, all-black accessories. Enter CAMPERLAB, Camper’s fearless sub-brand responsible for bringing playful, surreal-inspired footwear into the mainstream. For Spring/Summer 22, Creative Director Achilles Ion Gabriel launched CAMPERLAB’s first line of all-unisex footwear and accessories, a colorful collection of bold footwear for sartorial adventurers. Standout pieces include bold hot pink and black cowboy print boots fit for pop-punk royalty, and CAMPERLAB’s classic Traktori shoe reimagined in a bright new red colourway. To mark the occasion, we asked the award-winning Finnish designer to answer Andy Warhol’s favorite questions and talk about his love of disco showers, daydreaming and oversized coats.
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ANDY WARHOL: Are you dreaming?
ACHILLE ION GABRIEL: I dream a lot, both sleeping and daydreaming. It’s my favorite thing in the world.
WARHOL: Showers or baths?
GABRIEL: I love taking disco showers, turning the music on high, singing and dancing under hot water.
WARHOL: Is there anything you regret not doing?
GABRIEL: Yes. I regret not having had more lovers.
WARHOL: What was your first job?
GABRIEL: I cleaned toilets in a wood processing plant.
WARHOL: When are you nervous?
GABRIEL: Dealing with closed-minded and/or right-wing people.
WARHOL: Why can’t it be magical all the time?
GABRIEL: We need roller coasters in life to feel the ups and downs. If it was always the same, I would jump off a roof.
WARHOL: What did you have for breakfast?
GABRIEL: Two cups of coffee and five cigarettes.
WARHOL: What are you reading at the moment?
GABRIEL: The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.
WARHOL: Where do you dance?
GABRIEL: In the shower, of course.
WARHOL: What’s your dream date?
GABRIEL: Joanna Lumley, Glenn Close, Christine Baranski or Rossy de Palma.
WARHOL: What do you think of love?
GABRIEL: I love love, it’s magical ups and downs. I’m always ready for more.
WARHOL: What’s the craziest thing a fan has sent you?
GABRIEL: Underwear.
WARHOL: What is a beauty secret you can share with us?
GABRIEL: Ugly is beautiful. Beauty is a bit too mainstream for me.
WARHOL: What is your favorite movie?
GABRIEL: Orlando.
WARHOL: Are you interested in furniture?
GABRIEL: I’m obsessed with it. Particularly uncomfortable furniture.
WARHOL: What kind of clothes do you like?
GABRIEL: I like to wear something that’s the opposite of sexy, like loose, colorful clothes. My favorite piece of clothing is a huge coat.
WARHOL: Do you have a television?
GABRIEL: I don’t own one.
WARHOL: How were you discovered?
GABRIEL: Was I at some point? I did not notice.
WARHOL: Would you ever marry one of your fans?
GABRIEL: I hope my boyfriend is a fan of me, in which case I would say yes.
WARHOL: What are your beauty secrets?
GABRIEL: Sex.
WARHOL: What do you like in New York?
GABRIEL: People. They couldn’t be more opposite to where I grew up in the middle of nowhere. Everyone is so polite and non-intrusive.
WARHOL: Do you think Americans have good taste?
GABRIEL: If you have to ask, you know the answer.
WARHOL: Do you keep a diary?
GABRIEL: I don’t know. I’d be afraid someone would get their hands on it.
WARHOL: What are you most proud of?
GABRIEL: I think I’m a very fair person.
WARHOL: Do you have eight hours a night?
GABRIEL: Not even close to that.
WARHOL: How many hotels have you been kicked out of?
GABRIEL: As far as I remember, only one.
