We were lucky to catch up with Ariel Kochbarski recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Ariel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
I’ve taken many risks over my 20 years of fashion apparel experience. I started my own consulting company in 2016. I restarted it post pandemic in June 2020 but pivoted to styling full time. I’m currently taking another risk by starting my own brand, ARIKO. ARIKO is a clothing line inspired by my life in both fashion and surfing. I want to fill a void for items that I want to wear that I do not see other brands making in this space. I have been in this field of deciding what people wear for a long time. I have the connections to make a real impact and I have such a fun time creating my brand that it doesn’t feel like work. I was disappointed by the current surf brands assortment and wanted to make things I wanted to wear. I think there are many others like me who also do not feel like the current surf brands are targeting them. It’s always a risk starting something new and putting your own creations out there in the world; it’s a vulnerable space to be in creatively and financially. You won’t gain the reward though if you never take the risk.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’m a Stylist, Designer, and Creative. I am the founder of “Of The Momnt”, a fashion consulting company that represents being on the cutting edge of trends, movements, and styles, hence the name! I use a combination of firsthand industry knowledge and her 19+ years of experience in the fashion business to enable my clients to communicate their style effectively. I create solutions for storytelling, campaign creation and styling from the commercial world to the editorial and personal worlds of my clients. My first love of fashion came from coming up in New York prior to launching my own business in 2016 in Los Angeles. In between styling gigs, you can find me in the ocean surfing. I’m designing and creating my own clothing line, ARIKO, inspired by my life in both fashion and surfing.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I’m motivated by freedom. It’s what is most important to me. Freedom to live my life how I want to and work with people I love, doing what I love, and creating balance in my life.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I used to have a hard time asking for help. It started from my parents being very independent and self-sufficient. Our family values that so I internalized that as you had to figure everything out for yourself. As I have grown older and had more life experiences; I realized that NOT asking for help is doing yourself a disservice. I believe most people want to be helpful and kind. Not everyone but most. There is no harm in asking. There is only harm in NOT asking.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://ofthemomnt.com/
- Instagram: ofthemomnt
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariel-kochbarski-09a9a515/
- Other: ARIKO http://www.ariko-la.com @arikosurf on IG – launching soon!
Image Credits
Josh Gross Kevin Roldan Vincent Perry Jr. Sarah Orbanic Anthony Blasko Beau Nelson