Goodbye after 13 years
After becoming one of our earliest artists way back in 2007, Aries Moross has decided it’s time to move on in their continuing journey to operate purely as Studio Moross from now on. We will, of course, be sorry to see their name coming off our roster, but we completely understand that the time is right. Though there’s no doubt we’ll still be seeing a lot of Aries alongside the team of brilliant young creatives they lead.
To mark the occasion, Breed founder Olivia Triggs looks back on 13 years of collaborating with Aries, before grabbing a few words with Aries themselves.
Aries walked into the Soho boardroom (after they were recommended to me as a great artist to represent) and instantly I knew this was someone I wanted to work with.
They were confident, on it, and I was very quickly itching to have them as part of Breed’s roster.
I remember Aries sent the contract back with a handwritten pink post-it note stuck to it, saying “I’m all yours”.
That was some time during 2007 and it’s hard to believe so many years have passed since.
Hand on heart I’ve loved working with Aries. From day one, they were driven, sharp, focused and always pushing it to another level creatively.
I loved aiming to get the commissions they wanted and I, in turn, was keen to impress them by achieving everything they wanted. That was a huge motivation.
No surprise then that things grew rapidly and from just Aries working alone, soon Studio Moross was opening and Aries was running with a team of 11. Location-wise, they moved from their Fitzrovia office with a desk for one, to a studio in Camden, followed by their current space in Stockwell.
Projects with Aries became more super-selective, working on quite niche collaborations, and getting to the point where Aries can operate purely as Studio Moross.
We’ve had a number of conversations recently and while it’s so easy to want to hold on sentimentally to something, we’ve always had a very professional, direct relationship and huge respect for each other and decided to look on Aries moving on as a positive. We’re able to look back on how great it is that we’ve worked together for so long. And that all we’ve achieved really is something to celebrate.
Yes, I’m going to miss Aries enormously, but I’m taking the above thought with me and I know our paths will cross again on projects in the future.
This also seemed the perfect opportunity to look at some of my favourite projects that Breed has worked on with Aries. It’s hard to choose, as there have been so many, all of them fantastic in different ways. Some were more challenging than others, but even the most difficult eventually turned out to be among the highlights, too. So, here are a few of the commissions that have been worked on since 2007, plus some of the more ad hoc jobs like exhibitions and collaborations.
My Your Own Luck – Aries’s first book working with Prestel. Loved seeing that come together and when it came out in print.
Aries’s solo exhibition at the Cob Gallery.
The time they created an art piece for an exhibition that was all coloured in and took endless days for Aries to finish!
Various Kiehl’s commissions and an ongoing relationship with them. Especially a Selfridges London project, where Aries custom made boxes.
Working with Aries and Lee Lodge on one of the first projects that crossed over with Aries and Studio Moross – for One Direction. Introducing them both and then multiple projects for Aries off the back of that.
Just recently – Adobe, Skittles, Nike, Disney, Amazon Music and Apple.
Adobe especially as the project was all around Keith Haring – someone Aries hugely admired – a perfect match.
XQ Super School Live TV with Media Arts Lab and Goldie Productions.
Often just the projects around events, talks, supporting causes that Aries feels strongly about.
Loved the buzz of when it’s a project that matches Aries perfectly and an ideal pairing.
And the process of brainstorming ideas, then just from that introducing the client to Aries and seeing the project happen naturally. That’s the thing with Aries, you put them in a meeting and the client can’t help but want to proceed with Aries’s creative vision.
Over to Aries…
I know 13 years is a long time but if you could sum it up… how would you reflect on your time being represented by Breed?
I remember when I started looking for representation, I wasn’t really sure where to start. I asked a few established illustrators and Olivia’s name came up. I was about to graduate from university and I had already had some commercial commissions and was feeling a little out of my depth. I remember how exciting it was to get started.
I have vivid memories of sweaty days carrying a huge printed and leather portfolio around the streets of Manhattan. This was before Google Maps on phones, so I had to meticulously plan travel times and walking from appointment to appointment. Sometimes more than five in a day. I’d just show up at these huge agencies and have to show off for a few minutes and then it was over.
Some highlights for me were the huge Kiehl’s Holiday Packaging project in 2017. I loved the work and it was great to see it in stores all over the world. Especially when I was able to visit Japan for the launch. Also, the recent Keith Haring project with Adobe, Olivia knows how special that one was for me.
I have a huge respect for Olivia and how she represents her artists. I have never been one to be contained creatively and she always kept an open mind and allowed my practice to expand, and continued to support me as it grew. She has been monumental in my career, and taught me so much about how to navigate the commercial illustration world. Together we completed so many huge projects and collaborations, some that will never see the light of day, and others that people remember to this day.
We were a great team, Thank you for everything Olivia and Breed.