What is 999? How do you define yourselves?
999 Is the emergency number in Ireland. Remember the word emergency. 999 Is the equivalent to us for a person in need, but for creatives we are called upon because the people need us. We curate for those in need of emergency creative attention. We are a collective of brilliance, creativity and sashay or as millennials would call it 'swagger'. We are on a mission to build a hub/helpline for creatives around Ireland (our country that we love so dearly) where anything you need, we have and if we don’t have it? You don’t need it! We are a safe haven for those that follow. 9way get right or get left.
When and how did it all start?
The 1st of June 2018 was our first official event but a month or two prior to that is the important bit because that's when we were assembled together by Jee the silent one. He recognised that he always had to go to London, Milan or Paris to find people like him and he didn’t understand why his own country didn’t have a nest of interesting people that were doing shit. So the few that he knew that he really fucked with, he contacted and from there our 999 baby was born. Everything here was very segregated. There were cool, creative kids but we couldn’t find them because they were the minority in whatever group that they were in. So after we established ourselves we literally just started creating content and throwing mad events till eventually 999 was being yelled around Dublin. It's only now as i am thinking about it, i’m looking back like we really did that shit. Hahah like we brought Skepta to opium wtf? with the help of our connects of course – shout out to pearl! So fast forward 2 years, now it's not so hard. We find the people we need in a matter of hours and the 999 family is growing more and more each day but the job isn’t finished.
Why do you exist?
For some reason Ireland doesn’t seem to care for the youth. It's a country that grows nothing else but workers. You go to school, go to college and then go to work without ever questioning anything. Sarah is an accountant, but maybe Sarah could be the next Mario Testino or Mowalola but she forgot about her passion to create. We are here for those that don’t follow the rules, those that do not suppress their passion for money, those that live in every single moment that life has to offer and want to be truly great! The youth, we exist for them.
How many people are part of the crew? Tell us a bit about each member and their talents.
We consist of 7 healthy brothers.
We got Lago, he’s the sharpshooter, the majority of the content on the page was shot by him.
Aaron with 2 a's not 1. He's Dj/sound curator.
We got baby boy Tadhg! Don’t let the looks fool you. He’s probably the most technical in the group. Lil bro smooth with it. He pretty much creates everything & anything. You can catch his work on his insta @bytadhg
Julius is the paps of the group. He doesn’t take nonsense and he keeps us focused and motivated. He also has two clothing lines (NE/MAISONDUMILLENAIRE).
Casper the ghost aka Tofi. He’s the vibes curator but you see him when you see him. Rumour has it that if you leave a perfectly chilled Guinness on your window sill at night, by the morning it will be gone.
Jee is the executor. Everything he brings to the table is precise and perfectly planned that when it comes to carrying out a complex task, all you have to do is follow the steps. He also owns two clothing lines (SECURE STUDIOS/N2P)
And then there is me, Lukey. Like the rest i have my own thing. I make music, poetry, i’m co-owner of @glidepapers company and I model & act. The guys love that part because whenever they need to model their pieces, I’m there. The main focus I set for myself being a part of the collective is to always have that family aspect within the group.
How do you see the urban scene in Ireland in terms of fashion, music and art? What do you miss about the scene there? And what are the unique and positive points that you will only find there?
Right now the city is making a lot of noise creatively and it's crazy still, from musicians like @monjola to designers like @robynlynchireland and the long list of talented individuals out there. Dublin’s looking brighter, it's just that the government don’t care. There isn’t any decent funding for platforms to showcase art/talent. It's like no one cares, but we do.
How do you think you contribute to the scene?
Firstly we curate the vibes, then highlight that we are a collective that cares for your art. We want you to go out there and shine, doing your thing even with all the odds against you. Our aim is to inspire, help and show Sarah that it's ok for her to follow her dreams. Hahaha everyones going to be wondering who Sarah is.
What are 999's plans for the future?
Shhhhhh, you’ll see.
TELAE TELAE TELAE
