Colorful, fresh and uncompromising – Emil Kozak’s distinctive style has catapulted him from skate kid to super hot designer in only a few years. Originally from a small town in Denmark, Emil today lives in the street style capital of Barcelona, works for international clients such as Vans and has his work exhibited all over the world.

Let’s take you back to the oldschool… for little Emil it all started out with an orange plastic skateboard he was given at age seven. He used to play with the board in his grandparents’ living room in Denmark for hours, gradually getting obsessed with skateboarding and spending years studying magazines, movies and skating his hometown. “I guess what really hooked me on skateboarding was the creativity,” he says. “Seeing people ripping with style, the colors, the music, the visual marks and how skaters customized their equipment blew my mind.”

Inspired by expressive skateboard visuals, Emil took on a design education and instantly was hooked on art. “I started by taking on all the work I could, everything that smelled just a little bit of design. I really worked hard and stayed focused.” This determination soon paid off when skate apparel manufacturer Vans contacted him out of the blue. “I had been a Vans fan since I was a kid, so being contacted by them really freaked me out a bit. I wanted to do a piece of art better than I had ever done before, so I put a lot of energy in that job. It was hard, but in a good way.”

With his work for Vans, Emil not only exploded onto the art scene but also sealed his passionate relationship with skateboarding. “I think skateboarding is a very creative game. It’s about making something out of nothing. A skateboarder sees a playground when other people only see an empty parking lot. It is like this imaginary world that you can go to when the other one sucks.”

As it happens, Emil swapped canvas for skateboard in some of his most respected artworks. For instance, his “Kindergarten Legend” series of skateboards created for LAB are signature pieces of Emil’s bold, positive and simple style. “They reflect ideas from when I was in kindergarten. I remember that we used to tell stories about other kids who had apple trees growing in their tummies, because they had swallowed the seeds from an apple. We actually believed it – I love the surreal imagination that kids have!”

His love of skateboarding (and his girlfriend) has also taken Emil from his native Denmark to Barcelona, where he currently lives and works. “My girlfriend is from Valencia and we wanted to live together in a place that was kind of ‘in between’ our two backgrounds,“ he explains. “We also decided on Barcelona for practical reasons: the airport, its central location and the fact that we had a lot of friends already living here. On top of that, the art scene is pretty exciting here… lots of stuff going on, good graffiti and great places to hang out with a skateboard.”

After an initial phase of lots of “staring at the ceiling because of the language barrier”, Emil managed to set up a design studio in Barcelona that focuses on art direction, graphic design, illustration and communication for well-known, influential culture and fashion brands like Element, Eastpak, Burton or Nike. “Usually clients contact me because they are looking for something visually strong, with a contemporary twist — Danish design made in Barcelona,” Emil says.

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His unique Danish/ Spanish design blend is inspired by skateboards, nature, surfing, photography, pop culture and pretty much everything in between. Motivated by people like Milton Glaser, Man Ray, David Lynch or Herb Lubalin, Emil Kozak has developed his own distinctive style of typographic, clean lines and vivid colors. With its contemporary architecture, lively atmosphere and stunning beaches, Barcelona has become the perfect location for Emil to live, breathe and evolve his art.

“I usually get up pretty early to check the bumps on the ocean and if it’s good I like to catch a few before the world wakes up. Throughout the day, there are usually a lot of e-mails being sent and corrections being made. When it all quiets down, I start on new pieces. I am more comfortable when there are less distractions… so you could say I’m a graphic designer by day and an artist at night!”

At the moment, Emil is in the midst of creating a surf brand exploring the phenomenon of localism from a different angle. Called “Locals Only”, the project focuses on the idea that humans are not the center of the universe, but that Mother Nature is the rightful owner of any area.

In addition, Emil has recently also been working together with shaver brand Braun cruZer. “I did a collaboration with them for one of their product lines. At first it might seem an unusual thing for me to team up with the guys from Braun but actually it was a cool combo. After all, just like my work theirs also revolves around style. And besides I’m into beards myself and like to express my personality with the way I look.”

So the future definitely looks bright for Emil Kozak and he wants to share this positive vibe through his art. ”I hope that my work can remind us that imagination can defy gravity and bend time. It is our own responsibility to enjoy every second of the day. Nobody else can do that for us. Have fun, eat candy, do what you love, love what you do… We might get thrown off this spinning ball of iron and mantle tomorrow!”

 
Looking for more detailed info on Emil ?
www.emilkozak.com

…or Braun Battle Of The Year ?
www.braun.com/cruZer.