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The Raw Citizen
by Yemi Amu


RawCite Designs Inc. is the creative expression of Odhiambo Okeyo a.k.a. the RawCitizen. According to RawCitizen, the name and concept came to him as a totally finished concept, logo and all in an experience the artist describes as “the most clear thing I’ve ever experienced, it was like a true vision.”

RawCitizen recently partnered with The Garment Room in Soho for a week long graphic art exhibit titled Destroy Androids Rated X. I caught up with him at the exhibit to find out more about this New York City native born to Kenyan parents.


Yemi Amu: What is the evolution of the name RawCite?

Odhiambo Okeyo: RawCite was something that came to me when I was 21. I was always a creative kid, doing my own comics and characters since age 9. I was always into the arts. After high school, and some college, this vision came to me. It was a full definition, logo everything. It was like really the clearest thing I had ever experienced, it sort of began to define my life somewhat.

YA: What does it mean to be a RawCitizen?

OO: The concept of the RawCitizen is really to say you are a citizen of this “Raw” City. A city in which the boundaries that govern the world we know now, particularly in the Western understanding of what a city should be, do not exist. The RawCitizen is a free thinker. RawCite is a community of free thinkers focused on progress and finding alternative ways of how the citizen and the state relate - closer perhaps to the ways of indigenous cultures. It is also a very open kind of thing - free, creative and progressive.

YA: Tell us a little bit about the Destroy Androids Rated X collection. What message are you conveying to the audience?

OO: Destroy Androids, was the name of my last group of tees I did for RawCite the street wear line, and it sort of evolved into something else. Destroy Androids Rated X is kind of where I have reached creatively with the kind of messages I was putting in my clothing line. I kind of work in series and I reached a point where I felt that the concept in this series was something that needed to be displayed in a different medium to be given the proper presentation.

YA: Tell us about your street wear line?

OO: RawCite the street wear line is about five years old. It’s what I have always done besides some freelance and collaboration as a graphic designer and street wear designer. For me the culture of hip hop is one of my first loves, and spending a lot of my developing years in NYC, I was into PNB, 2 black guys, Headhunters, Echo… etc. These were some of the pioneering street wear labels of the 90’s. Also I loved how Stussy and freshjive, brought that surf and skate culture to the masses. I was inspired to do my version with my own message.

YA:What can we expect from RawCite in the future?

OO: Well as far as Rawcite the street wear brand, I’m really pushing collaboration with like-minded brands and/or individuals doing small one offs or pairing a t-shirt with an accessory. I’m going to stay away from doing another collection for a little bit. The RawCitizen is working on a toy. I have a sick design that needs a home. I also have a book I’m working on with one of my creative partners Shakir. I want to start doing more work for different clients. I just want to continue to learn, and perfect my style as well as keep growing the RawCite Brand with a variance of different products within the company - books, toys, skateboards whatever.

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