Eddi Yip for "ByeBye2018 Hello2019"
WHAT-IS: "ByeBye2018 Hello2019" is a serial feature where select artists share with us their past year in 2018, and what to expect from them in 2019!"
TOYSREVIL: How was 2018 for you? Share with us your most triumphant moment(s) in 2018. What did you find the most disappointed of 2018?
EDDI YIP: 2018 was an “interesting” year. The consumer market in China has experienced some turbulence in the past 18 months. Our headwear brand KEIOS UNDER THE VEIL spent alot of efforts in keeping with the retail environment, and at the same time, we had the opportunities to collaborate with some of our most loved anime titles like ONE PIECE, NARUTO, DRAGONBALL, ADVENTURE TIME, WE BARE BEARS, and we finished off our year with our new partnership with Universal Studios, where we released a JURASSIC WORLD Collection.
2018 was also JURASSIC PARK’s 25th anniversary, so we made a special product in celebration as well. The 25th anniversary one was special to me, because I actually watched the movie when it came out 25 years ago, where our current demographic didn’t.
EDDI YIP: The headwear business will continue to do blend street fashion with well-known titles, and while KEIOS continues to grow, I found time to fall back on my first love: designer toys.
adFunture was quiet for a few years, when I focused on developing KEIOS, while I’ve always wanted to come back, it was in 2018 where I finally decided to just do it. I got my hands warmed again when I was invited to participate in GARFIELD’s 40th Anniversary Exhibition, where I designed a new piece for the exhibit.
EDDI YIP: Followed by invitation to ART VINYL x NIKE BASKETBALL Exhibition in Hong Kong, where I designed an AJ4-inspired cyborg head sculpt. I love both the topics, GARFIELD and NIKE, so it was special to me. But of course, adFunture earned love all these years because of the elite artists that we had the great opportunities to work with; it wasn’t because of my designs. So, that’s the formula we will keep using; partnering with elite creators. I reached out to Hong Kong comic artist Bee Wong and Indonesian artist Abell Octovan. We released a few new characters with these two gentlemen in 2018, and I love them. KAYJUs, IN CASH WE TRUST, PANJU are three of my favourites. More to come in 2019 for sure. All in all, 2018 was a new start, it was a tough year overall, but it is what it is, we look ahead.
TOYSREVIL: What is your most favorite toy, or piece of art you've seen in 2018?
EDDI YIP: We live in a world filled with too many fragments of information nowadays. While I love alot of things, I don’t have a favourite.
TOYSREVIL: What are you most looking forward to in 2019? Any plans for your work, for the new year you can share with us?
EDDI YIP: 2019 is getting me excited, really. We have just started to roll out our new project with Japanese artist Teresa Chiba. A few nice colorways will come soon. We also worked with an old friend from our toy generation, Touma, first time working with him although we’ve known each other over 14 years. Touma designed a new version of our KAYDEN character for us, I love that. Another artist I’ve known for over 10 years, Law Sun-Yeung, is also working with me closely on a few releases. We have some exciting plans for SPACE WOODY.
Abell and I are constantly discussing new ideas, so I’m sure we’ll be seeing more new projects with him in 2019. We’ve also worked on a new character for an American accessories brand, so you will see that up around May 2019. We are currently working with 7 other artists.
I can’t say too much, is way too early. But, I will say this, you will see the varieties of design styles adFunture was used to. I do not want adFunture to be boring, for our collectors’ sake, and especially for my own sake. I need this to be fun.
TOYSREVIL: Share with us, WHO you are and what you do?
EDDI YIP: I’m Eddi. I have a 5yrs-old son, so I need to have many jobs. So, one of them, the one I’m more known for outside of China, is running the art toy company adFunture. We have been producing art toys with creative artists from around the world since 2002. We have KEIOS UNDER THE VEIL, a headwear brand, and its clothing division, VEIL. We also did some consulting work for varies sports brands, including PUMA and Reebok here in China. And starting 2019, I’m involve with the development of a retail chain store project, so that’s fun as well. Like I said, I have a few jobs. But my true love has to be continuing on bringing more good art into the toy world.
EDDI YIP
Creative Director for KEIOS UNDER THE VEIL
www.adfunture.com
Insta @adfunture_official
TOYSREVIL: How was 2018 for you? Share with us your most triumphant moment(s) in 2018. What did you find the most disappointed of 2018?
EDDI YIP: 2018 was an “interesting” year. The consumer market in China has experienced some turbulence in the past 18 months. Our headwear brand KEIOS UNDER THE VEIL spent alot of efforts in keeping with the retail environment, and at the same time, we had the opportunities to collaborate with some of our most loved anime titles like ONE PIECE, NARUTO, DRAGONBALL, ADVENTURE TIME, WE BARE BEARS, and we finished off our year with our new partnership with Universal Studios, where we released a JURASSIC WORLD Collection.
2018 was also JURASSIC PARK’s 25th anniversary, so we made a special product in celebration as well. The 25th anniversary one was special to me, because I actually watched the movie when it came out 25 years ago, where our current demographic didn’t.
EDDI YIP: The headwear business will continue to do blend street fashion with well-known titles, and while KEIOS continues to grow, I found time to fall back on my first love: designer toys.
adFunture was quiet for a few years, when I focused on developing KEIOS, while I’ve always wanted to come back, it was in 2018 where I finally decided to just do it. I got my hands warmed again when I was invited to participate in GARFIELD’s 40th Anniversary Exhibition, where I designed a new piece for the exhibit.
EDDI YIP: Followed by invitation to ART VINYL x NIKE BASKETBALL Exhibition in Hong Kong, where I designed an AJ4-inspired cyborg head sculpt. I love both the topics, GARFIELD and NIKE, so it was special to me. But of course, adFunture earned love all these years because of the elite artists that we had the great opportunities to work with; it wasn’t because of my designs. So, that’s the formula we will keep using; partnering with elite creators. I reached out to Hong Kong comic artist Bee Wong and Indonesian artist Abell Octovan. We released a few new characters with these two gentlemen in 2018, and I love them. KAYJUs, IN CASH WE TRUST, PANJU are three of my favourites. More to come in 2019 for sure. All in all, 2018 was a new start, it was a tough year overall, but it is what it is, we look ahead.
TOYSREVIL: What is your most favorite toy, or piece of art you've seen in 2018?
EDDI YIP: We live in a world filled with too many fragments of information nowadays. While I love alot of things, I don’t have a favourite.
TOYSREVIL: What are you most looking forward to in 2019? Any plans for your work, for the new year you can share with us?
EDDI YIP: 2019 is getting me excited, really. We have just started to roll out our new project with Japanese artist Teresa Chiba. A few nice colorways will come soon. We also worked with an old friend from our toy generation, Touma, first time working with him although we’ve known each other over 14 years. Touma designed a new version of our KAYDEN character for us, I love that. Another artist I’ve known for over 10 years, Law Sun-Yeung, is also working with me closely on a few releases. We have some exciting plans for SPACE WOODY.
Abell and I are constantly discussing new ideas, so I’m sure we’ll be seeing more new projects with him in 2019. We’ve also worked on a new character for an American accessories brand, so you will see that up around May 2019. We are currently working with 7 other artists.
I can’t say too much, is way too early. But, I will say this, you will see the varieties of design styles adFunture was used to. I do not want adFunture to be boring, for our collectors’ sake, and especially for my own sake. I need this to be fun.
TOYSREVIL: Share with us, WHO you are and what you do?
EDDI YIP: I’m Eddi. I have a 5yrs-old son, so I need to have many jobs. So, one of them, the one I’m more known for outside of China, is running the art toy company adFunture. We have been producing art toys with creative artists from around the world since 2002. We have KEIOS UNDER THE VEIL, a headwear brand, and its clothing division, VEIL. We also did some consulting work for varies sports brands, including PUMA and Reebok here in China. And starting 2019, I’m involve with the development of a retail chain store project, so that’s fun as well. Like I said, I have a few jobs. But my true love has to be continuing on bringing more good art into the toy world.
EDDI YIP
Creative Director for KEIOS UNDER THE VEIL
www.adfunture.com
Insta @adfunture_official
