Creative label ‘Abode’ has recently launched their latest capsule, ‘Honey I’m Home’. Abode offers a distinctive angle for music and clothing to converge, drawing inspiration from Melbourne's underground electronic music scene. Chatting with founders Jared Newnham and Danny Nguyen, it becomes clear that Abode is constantly being rethought and renewed.

Throughout their work, Abode organically amalgamates influences from music and fashion. Originally, it was the duo’s appreciation for house music that led them to select the name ‘Abode’. Co-founder Danny Nguyen says he and Jared Newnham “fell in love with how it could make people feel" and knew they wanted to pay homage to this when coming up with a name for their DJ duo. From there, they employed the skill and enthusiasm of their friend Chris Rinquest, who specialised in graphic design, to sketch up an idea for merch.

Newnham makes it clear that they “weren’t looking to make a business out of it. It wasn’t about money at all or giving a product to anyone but ourselves.”. Instead, it was purely happenstance that led to the first twenty shirts selling out, which got the ball rolling.

“We just ended up doing cut and sews, and then new designs, new colours and then quantity went up, sales went up, and that’s when our brand really started to become a way bigger thing than what we thought it would be," divulges Nguyen.

The response to the label has been slightly overwhelming, allowing the founders to home in on a more purposeful vision while bringing about an awareness of other labels in their field.

Newnham illuminates that they are now “catering to a much bigger audience than [they] were initially. Towards the beginning, it was much easier. There are different challenges now the competition has started to come through … It’s so saturated at the moment, so you’ve got to find a point of differentiation.”

Through their social platforms, Abode runs a mix series while also premiering intermittent EP’s. One can appreciate their selective, open-minded process for deciphering who they want to work with.

Newnham offers insight into the nuances of their approach: “We wanted to make sure we’re trying to be inclusive of all kinds of people from all different walks of life. We didn’t want it to be super friend-based.”

Jared also highlights the challenges of sourcing producers to collaborate on premieres while considering the competitive climate.

“With producers, it’s tough; you have to know people and obviously a lot of the big producers have already signed to big established labels, and we’re trying to work our way around that and make sure we always do our best to be busy with that.”

Their latest clothing capsule, which launched in December 2023, paid homage to the musicians origins. “While [Jared, Chris and I] do have a very refined taste in music, we also do have a refined taste in what we wear. We just want to wear something that we're really proud of.”

The capsule includes two new t-shirts, in both a white and rich brown colourway, with the signature ‘Honey I’m Home’ graphic. The shirts are also made from 100% organic Japanese cotton and cut and sewn in Melbourne.

Notably, the label states the three pillars of the capsule are ‘Ethical, Organic and Premium’ and while there were certainly challenges to ensuring these values, the creators knew it was and always would be a priority.

Nguyen candidly still plays devil’s advocate when discussing these values: “I see why people don't want to take the high road because, to be honest, our profit margins aren't that high, but we kind of knew that from the beginning ... at the end of the day, we're not in it for money, we're in it because we love what we do.”

This year, the duo don’t have a “super strict plan.” “We’re going to announce our first vinyl pressing release. And we’ve got another EP and mistr dean is coming back. And hopefully, that’s also going to turn into our first look at running a small event. And I think our plan is to definitely try and move into hosting some larger-scale events.”

With that in mind, be sure to keep an eye out on social media for further announcements from Abode.