FOUNDER / CREATIVE DIRECTOR

A product of migrant parents from Vietnam and Malaysia, John’s ethos has always been that we can achieve anything with hard work, a creative mindset and determination. It’s because of John’s passion for visual storytelling, community building and cultural narratives that he has been able to accumulate over 10+ years worth of experience in the fashion industry, producing high quality, effective campaigns and socially driven content with brands/clients globally. As a Creative and Art Director, he strives to champion diversity and inclusivity, telling impactful stories from different walks of life in the work he produces and tackling all obstacles and client objectives utilising our vast network of creative talent.

PHOTOGRAPHER / CREATIVE

Eshan Kali, the son of a Gurkha, born and raised in the foothills of Nepal grew up listening to the wisdom of his elders and implemented these lessons for his journey into nature. During his teenage years, he relocated to London with the openness to adapt to different environments and overcome the challenges that come with it. With these lived experiences and a genuine passion to explore, he drew inspiration from the deep connection to both places and people closest to him allowing him to capture images in the moment and tell wider stories of migration and nature.

PHOTOGRAPHER

Yu is a London-based photographer from Kobe, Japan specialising in documenting street fashion & culture since 2009. He is best known for his docu-style photography focusing on youth culture and the raw and real moments of people, shot on analog cameras. His photography also captures the spontaneity and uniqueness of people— always showing an alternative perspective on what’s going on.

ART DIRECTOR

Karina is a multidisciplinary creative specialising in Styling and Art Direction born and raised in the historic city of Kagoshima, Japan with the backdrop of an active volcano. With a background in costume design her work and creations are deeply influenced by where things come from, historic garments, ethnic cultures and cinema.

CREATIVE / STRATEGIST

Abdul is a British born African design creative and experienced social media strategist with strong client and campaign management experience both in-agency and in-house. The Central St Martins graduate’s experience in branding, marketing, photography and social media mixed in with his love for pop culture, old school hiphop and streetwear has led him to work for brands ranging from commercial sportswear giant; Nike, Walè Adeyemi's cult B-Side label, to BBC Radio 1.

FILMMAKER / CREATIVE

Maynard, born and raised in Cebu, Philippines, relocated to the UK as a teenager adapting very quickly to the challenges of a new environment, language and people around him. His fascination with narrative, culture and filmmaking helps him to create compelling, grounded, people-focused work as a filmmaker and creative content specialist here at ARKO.

PHOTOGRAPHER / CREATIVE

Anthony is a Liverpool-based, London-bred photographer, content creative and fine art graduate (at UAL) whose passion for image-making came from his love of architecture, nice clothing and good design combined. As a 2nd Generation British-born Chinese, he is striving to connect more with his heritage and culture in hopes that this will translate effectively and organically into future projects. His eye for new trends in design and interests in outdoor lifestyle and gorpcore style has led him to work with a multitude of brands from East to West.