Acclaimed creative, artist and photographer Stuart Sandford interviewed me, in what has ended up being my most personal Q&A to date. You can read it in full here and under the cut. The image was shot by Matthew James Arthur Payne, for an editorial called Charbonnier which you can see in full here.
Listed as one of 25 on The New Fashion Power List 2012 and on Time Out London’s Culture 100, described by VICE magazine as “one of the premier creative minds in London” and spotted by Dolce & Gabbana as a pop culture tastemaker only begins to describe Nik’s accolades. Nik is a creative brand strategist, writer and fashion television personality who has co-pioneered a broad range of award-winning global entertainment and fashion campaigns. He is also the voice behind KARLISMYUNKLE.COM – visual cult media entity and blog read and recommended by Dolce & Gabbana, VICE magazine and GQ amongst others. He has his first TV show on Fashion One (Sky) launching in 2013. In June 2012 Nik launched creative brand consultancy Nephew London. He is currently working on his first multi-platform novel.
What is your earliest memory?
When I was two years old, my mother was taken to hospital. My father took my younger brother and I to visit her. He was six months old at the time. We weren’t allowed into the room that she was being kept in. My father told me, in no uncertain terms, to make sure that he didn’t crawl away. I guess it was the first time anyone had asked me to do something really important. So all I remember is a big white room, like a scene out of Girl Interrupted, where I was holding onto the ankle of this tiny little creature.
Which living person do you most admire?
Karl Lagerfeld. My blog KARLISMYUNKLE.COM is even named after him. Creatively he is a huge inspiration; fashion designer, style icon, artist, photographer, film maker… the list goes on. I was fortunate to have worked with him on a major collaboration with Diet Coke in 2011 and have met him a few times since.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Deplore is a really strong word, but I am pretty narcissistic.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Negativity.
What is your greatest fear?
Tom Ford once said that he felt that he had achieved everything he wanted to in life and wasn’t afraid of dying. I suppose it would be not seeing all of my thoughts and creative ambitions realized.
What is your favourite smell?
Fresh sweat and Vanilla and Tobacco eau de parfum by Tom Ford.
What is your most treasured possession?
My creativity.
Where would you like to live?
In a hotel. Permanently. Maybe The Ace in New York City or the Chateau Marmont.
What is your favourite book?
Can I say mine? It’s a work in progress and is going to be pretty groundbreaking. I’m not allowed to say much more than that.
What is your favourite movie?
The Fountain by Darren Aronofsky and L’Auberge espagnole by Cédric Klapisch.
Is it better to give or to receive?
It’s a symbiotic relationship. Giving is receiving.
What do you owe your parents?
Street smarts, an incredible education, passion for what I do and honesty.
Which living person do you most despise, and why?
I am not a fan of The Pope. I find his school of thought archaic and not very conducive to the progressive mentality that the rest of the world is fighting to promote.
Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?
Karl Lagerfeld, Tom Ford, Lana Del Rey, Pedro Almodovar, Xavier Dolan, James Franco and Amanda Lepore.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Acronyms in general.
What is the worst job you’ve done?
One of my first industry jobs was as an intern for a glamorous PR agency. It was mid-Summer and I was loaded up like a donkey with a back pack, two huge Selfridges yellow bags and to top it off a laptop case, each filled to the brim with flyers for an event. I remember stumbling around Central London, dripping in sweat, handing them out to “cool” hair salons, bars, clubs, creative agencies etc.
What has been your biggest disappointment?
Everything happens for a reason.
If you could edit your past, what would you change?
I would never have stopped playing the piano.
If you could go back in time, where would you go?
I am all about today, but the fashion and art scene of the 60s was definitely iconic – Warhol, Hepburn, The Supremes, Jane Birkin, YSL, Balenciaga, Edie Sedgwick, David Bailey.
How do you relax?
By working out. There’s something about the mundane pushing and pulling of heavy metal that is totally numbing and exhilarating at the same time.
How often do you have sex?
Enough/never enough.
What song would you like played at your funeral?
Elliott Smith’s first posthumous release From A Basement on a Hill and Antony and the Johnsons.
How would you like to be remembered?
As someone who made people laugh, smile and create.
Where would you most like to be right now?
New York, always New York.