Talking Wild Mostros, Virgil Abloh and Creative Risks with STUDIO HAGEL Founder Mathieu Hagelaars

From their uber-spiky to the , have well and truly established themselves as an experimental design house where there really are no boundaries. Since the studio opened in 2015, they've collaborated with many players in the sneakersphere, including , and , to create true art pieces. Most recently, they've been on a safari and on a mission to take the monstrous hybrid even further into the wild. We caught up with STUDIO HAGEL Founder Mathieu Hagelaars during Paris Fashion Week, where he was leading a series of Mostro customisation workshops, to discuss how he started the studio, what advice he has for burgeoning artists, and the process behind the creation of the iconic giant spikes.

Let’s start at the very beginning – your sneaker journey. How did it all begin and what were you into growing up?

I remember the first time I really got into sneakers was when I was eight years old and I had a friend from Aruba, which is really close to America. And back then in Holland you didn't have those major shoe releases from all over the world, so when he brought back sneakers from America, it was like ‘what the hell is this? It’s amazing’. Obviously then the whole Chicago Bulls trend came up and he got me more into sneakers. And then the little city that we always went to for sneaker shops had its first Foot Locker open and I saw for the first time all these Nikes.

Nike Air Max was a big thing in Holland because we had the whole Gabber scene and the Nike Air Max 1. And seeing those Air bubbles getting bigger and bigger was magic for me. And since we didn't know when these going to be released, every time we came back we were so excited because it had gotten even bigger and I'd never seen that one before. And maybe it was even nicer back then, because every time it was a surprise.

Yeah, it was nicer. Things weren’t so accessible so it was about the hunt.

Yeah! I dunno what your favourite sneaker is, but the moment you saw your favourite sneaker, imagine having that every month. Every month, you went into Foot Locker or some skate shop or something, and then you saw the Air bubbles got even bigger and there’s a new Air Max or a new Jordan. It was amazing. But these things were mad expensive back then, so my very first sneaker was I think a Nike Air Pegasus in white with pink, and I actually bought ‘em again when they got re-released a few years ago.

And now, here you are, ten years into HAGEL. This is a big year! When you started, did you think that this is where you would be?

No, definitely not. When I first wanted to get into design, I applied everywhere but because I had a sales background, I didn't study design or anything, everybody was like, no, you're sales, you can't do design. So that's the reason why I started my own studio because nobody would hire me.

You never went to university for design?

No, I didn’t. I have to say that I was always good at drawing in high school. I came from a creative family and then I was one of the best at drawing in my class, but I just didn't dare to go to a design academy. I wasn't sure I could do it. I was insecure about the whole thing and I also didn't understand how to make a living out of design or what design really is. It still felt a bit like an abstract kind of thing. But I remember that I met someone who went to the design academy and he told me about the things they’re doing and it sounded like Charlie and Chocolate factory to me. I was like, ‘That's actually a thing you do for school? Amazing’. But even then, I decided that I wasn’t going to do it. So then I finished my study, got into footwear sales, but in the end, the creativity still came out.

Talk us through those first few years – how did the ball start rolling for HAGEL?

I didn't know what I was doing at the start. Trying to get those first projects was hard and I just had to grind. I didn't work with the brands that I ideally would work with, but I just had to keep on going. And then at one point, thanks to Instagram one of my designs went viral. Even Sneaker Freaker reposted the crazy things I've made in the past 10 years and that helped out a lot. And then within a year, I was able to design with the big players in the industry. So, I’d hoped that I would go into that kind of level, but now we're living it and it's been a rollercoaster. I would do it all over again, to be honest. I'm super proud of it, and if I could say, ‘okay, here you have a piece of paper and it's going to be the same thing for the coming 10 years’, then I would sign that paper straight away.

Are you seeing any differences in the way the next generation approach design?

Well, there are basics of course out there. I think especially social media of course, as everyone can be a designer at the moment, which is an amazing thing. If you have an idea, it's so easy to share it with the world and I think that's something that keeps other designers on their toes because literally a kid on the other side of the world could have an amazing idea and they're basically competing with a big fashion house over here. So who has the idea first? And also that has the potential of growing into something that's even bigger than just that little kid. And we know examples of that already out there. I've worked with brands that started like that and even I started like that. And I think that's the main thing. Everybody can be famous. Everybody can start. It's possible right now. And the world is your stage in that kind of way. So that's the main thing that has changed over the past ten years.

What advice would you give to someone looking for a way to get into a creative industry?

The one thing I know is that you should do something that you really like. It sounds really cliche, but if you have fun in the things that you do, the best things come out of it. Stay close to what you think is cool. If you keep these two things in sight and you keep concentrating on these things, then you're consistent and consistency is the key. I have my rule that I'm going to post every Monday. I'm going to make something and going to share it. I don’t set high expectations for myself so even it’s an unfinished thing, I will post it. And that's maybe good advice in that it's never finished so just keep on sharing. And personally, I think sometimes the unfinished product is nicer than the finished product.

What's been some moments or projects over the past ten years with HAGEL that you feel like you connected to the most?

I have a special place in my heart for Off-White. I really remember the moment I got the first DM from and I didn't realise how big it was or how important that was for the studio. The whole process was so memorable – working on that project with Virgil in a new way even though it was really stressful. I maybe wasn't ready to do Off-White at that moment, as I’d never done a whole collection, but I was like, yeah, let's go for it. And I didn't know what I got myself into, but it was amazing. It was that whole ride and it worked out amazingly.

It was a standout project. What did take from your time working with Virgil?

Well, a lot. The funny thing is I expected that a creative director would be onsite at the studio always, but Virgil did so many things. In fact, all the creative directors I have worked with do so many things, and Virgil was the first to show me how it’s possible. I'm one of those people that if I have a design meeting, I'm going to sit down with you, and Virgil showed me a whole new way of working and approaching everything. For instance, maybe something could be done 80 per cent of the way, and then he could turn that last 20 per cent into something magical. And I've never seen that before. And also he taught me to just be open, and the vibe that he would create in the office, at the studio, and backstage at fashion shows was magical.

In a way, Virgil discovered me and then because of that, the industry started to know a bit more about what I was doing. And then from there, it was like a hurricane. You’re in, you don’t know what's happening, but you have to keep up with that and try to stay chill within.

What are some further highlights from the past ten years?

One would definitely be the change in my design style. When I started my studio, I had a traditional way of designing and it's using pencil and paper and just starting to sketch. And then my girlfriend did design academy and she said there's also other ways of sketching, like by making rough prototypes.

So that's how I came up with these spoofs in the beginning, as I got to a point that I'm like, ‘fuck it, I'm just going to try it and see how it works’. I had nothing to lose, and at that moment, it started as a joke and now it's like the centre of our studio. It's the main thing we do. So I think that moment was very important in my career.

Another highlight was working for Valentino. I remember like it was yesterday heading over to Rome, meeting Pier Paolo and he literally said to me, ‘I don't understand what you do, but I like it so let's work together’. I'm like, alright, let's go for it. And we made amazing sneakers. So that was super cool.

But also lately now working with big sports brands, working on the PUMA Mostro, for instance, doing this workshop that we have, and starting to fall in love with each other. I think that's also a thing that I'm super proud of. Ten years ago, I just knocked on some doors back in the Netherlands and say, ‘Hey, can we maybe do some design?’ And now we're doing a workshop here with PUMA!

Speaking of PUMA, your experimental work on the Mostro, which is a silhouette that is very nostalgic for me by the way, was really interesting. Talk to me about the work you did on the Mostro and your connection to it.

I also have warm feelings with the Mostro from back when I was an intern just getting into the footwear industry. It was during this time that I got a bit more into fashion and I travelled around with sales guys all over Holland to visit these cool shops. It was right when the colab and the Jil Sander colabs were in all these stores and I was like, ‘these are art pieces’. I'd never ever seen something like that.

And that's also the moment I first saw the Mostro, I remember I bought them in a sand colour with red or something. It's kind of a weird colour combination. But that was my first time. And then I found out that they got rereleased and that nostalgic connection is the reason I wanted to create one. And I wanted to approach it from the angle of it being a monster, right, and the first thing that I had in mind was how can we make the Mostro even more monstrous? And then one of the key things that caught my eye is those heavy spikes. So the first idea was to make those heavy spikes really, really heavy and even more monstrous. And then we teamed up with the HP for the 3D design and print. And even that 3D print, just to give you an idea about how monstrous that was, they had to print a cage around it, because it’s finished in powder, and then if they didn't do the cage around it, you probably get stabbed by those spikes. So it was kind of dangerous, which is perfect for this shoe.

We're very proud of it and it worked out perfectly. And still some people are like okay so now what? You made that Mostro and you can't even stand on it. But for us it's always a starting point and never an end result, and I already have an idea on how to make them a wearable shoe. But in saying that, we're like this is an exaggerated version that is more of an art piece, so maybe it's at like 300 per cent of the idea and then we can dial it back until the idea and vision is still there but it’s wearable.

Was this version of the Mostro your favourite that HAGEL worked on?

Actually one of my favourite Mostros we did is the ballerina because it started out that we wanted to do something as a water shoe. You know those kids water shoes that are all plastic and a sandal kind of thing? And we were like, okay, what if we turn a Mostro into that. And while making it, we were playing around with everything trying to figure it out and then I cut open the whole Mostro and I wore it for the first time. And I was looking at my colleague and was like, ‘what if we just make a ballerina out of it?’ Ultimately we decided that was way better, so we pivoted that idea completely.

Maybe one day we will make a water shoe, but at that point, we had the freedom and it felt good to do a ballerina and it turned out amazing.

So what are you working on at the moment? What's coming out with PUMA and what are you working on with other brands?

We have more design explorations with PUMA. At the moment we're doing a workshop and it's like we're starting to fall in love as collaborative partners, so we're also working on some things for the future and we’ll just see how that’s going to turn out. We also work with ASICS still, and we're starting up whole new brands. So in the background, those are the main design things that we're doing.

And also this year is important for us as it's our 10th anniversary and we're going to celebrate it with a big event in Amsterdam at the end of August and I want to organise an exhibition. Because we host Makers Monday over on Instagram, I want to create a moment where everybody can come and see those pieces in real life and even see how some of these pieces are really shitty whereas some are maybe better in real life. We also want to do workshops for the community during that weekend and throw a party of course. And then if we're happy with how it goes in Amsterdam, then we are going to explore if we can also travel to other cities as well – maybe New York, Milan, Tokyo, those kinds of cities.

I want to get the brand a bit more out there, so we’re going to focus on making the brand a bit more abstract. We want to do a combination of pieces that aren’t available for sale and pieces and products that can be owned by people. We want people to feel like they can connect with the brand, whether that’s by owning a piece or attending a workshop.

That sounds awesome, we’ll keep an eye for that. And lastly, when do you feel you are at your most creative?

In a way, it’s when I’m bored. I miss being bored, to be honest. I believe being bored is one of the best ways to have some rest. This industry keeps on going, right? You never stand still, your mind, your mental health, it doesn't stop. So being bored, I really believe that's a good thing and that's an essential thing to have in our industry. Just to stop and rest a bit.

And people see it as a negative thing being bored, but I miss it for sure because sometimes those amazing ideas, those pivotal moments come when you’re bored, like under the shower or if you're on a bike somewhere. Those are the moments that you don't have that much on your mind so being bored is essential.

For more designer collaborations, a brief history of Riccardo Tisci’s Nike collaborations.