Misha Hollenbach and Shauna Toohey — Perks, and Mini, respectively — of Perks And Mini discuss their ever-evolving firstborn of a brand, 24 years on. 

There is not a duo in the world that may rival Perks and Mini’s dedication to a good graphic. Perks And Mini (the brand) first sprouted in Melbourne, as a lovechild between real-life partners Misha Hollenbach and Shauna Toohey. To date, Misha and Shauna co-parent more than just the electric, psychedelic label. Beyond raising the P.A.M. brand and an actual child together, the IRL-power couple is also rearing a new generation of creatives, one collaboration at a time.

Its inkling for global partnerships is one way of championing this. Just last week, Harajuku hotspot Menchirashi, a Cat Street hole-in-the-wall udon outlet, hosted the brand (and its own) friends and family and dished out a special collaborative capsule. Two weeks prior, marked the unveiling of its collaboration with Ace Hotel, a hospitality chain. And two weeks before that, Hollenbach sipped on kombucha and played his mix at an intimate get-together at Singapore’s Dover Street Market, as he talked through his Southeast Asia itinerary for the week to come. For the duo, a key ingredient of this culture-backed progression is community, a quality that disregards one’s origins and destinations.

In all candour, the P.A.M. brand identity may be difficult to nail down in words and specifics. “Psy Active Mutation,” is one explanation offered by Hollenbach when Men’s Folio interviews the pair (after that kombucha-drenched afternoon). That brief three-lettered explanation may not say much, but in the lens of the label’s consistent ways of evolution and growth, “mutation” is more than appropriate. It is observable in its irreverent prints and tonal anthropomorphic graphics that call for one’s attention. And it is an experience that one can easily immerse in, via a simple scroll through P.A.M.’s social platforms or a quick browse through its online catalogues. The graphics are hard to dismiss, as they jump out across lines of tees, shorts, scarves, rugs, bottles and many more of its SKUs. And it has been how many a loyalist have come to appreciate the brand, through its constant over-delivery of excessive, loudmouthed, tongue-in-cheek explorations of culture; hyper-morphed and slapped onto a heavyweight tee, or not.

Below, Men’s Folio dives deep into the crux of community with the brand owners and culture champions, to break down the quintessence of ‘exploration’ on Misha Hollenbach and Shauna Toohey’s terms, and the ‘exploration’ that has marked their trajectory in the streetwear sphere.

Hi Shauna and Misha. What has the P.A.M. team been up to?
It’s been good times. We recently hosted Haruka Hirata from Big Love Tokyo, we made a small capsule and she did some live Ikebana in our Melbourne and Sydney stores. I also DJ’ed with her at Skydiver (a local Melbourne bar).

Can you describe the P.A.M. brand and its philosophies?
Psy Active Mutation.

Could you elaborate on how the name ‘Perks and Mini’ was derived?
When Misha and I met we were both doing graffiti, our tags were Perks and Mini. So on our first ‘collaborative’ piece, the wall was too small for our full names, so we abbreviated the tags to write P.A.M.. A very organic and spontaneous start!

Five years ago, P.A.M. took Paris Fashion Week with the ‘No Show Official’ show — what were some highlights from that experience?
It was truly a special moment. PAM was invited to do a show but that’s not really something that felt right for our type of practice. We started inviting other brands and creators to show with us. We soon amassed 8 brands, 5 stylists, 3 visual artists, 6 photographers and filmmakers, 8 DJs and performers and a van driver. We set up a sound system on the street, the van driver blocked the street, and our artist friends built an installation. There was a soundtrack and a street to use as the runway. Friends and friends of friends wore the clothes. All the looks had to incorporate more than one brand. It was a collective action and community moment. The energy was multiplied by all the energies of the people involved. It was a magic moment. FYI, we did a second edition in June ’23, a magazine of images and a short film of the show will be released in early June.

And learning points, if there were any?
Collective energy multiplies. Humans are at their optimal when they work together. There’s more joy in working together. There is joy to be found!

Do you ever get sentimental about how far P.A.M. has come? It’s your firstborn after all!
Haha, no. I don’t think about the past. I want to engage and move in the times I am living in. We are still on a mission to escape from “sh*t land” and create a world we want to live in. We still feel we are starting on some crazy voyage.

The theme of exploration can be observed in your SS24 collection ‘Gateway’. And it seems as though SS24 is your most experimental collection to date — with unexplored silhouettes and a seriously punchy line-up of graphics. Is the degree of experimentation a linear one for P.A.M.?
P.A.M. is always interested in portholes, and amorphic movement. It’s a curiosity that runs through the whole practice. We always strive to do better and explore what PAM can do. I’m happy you see/feel the growth.

What’s the importance of a good graphic?
For us PAM isn’t a brand it’s a voice. It’s a way to have conversations and share ideas. Graphics are such a powerful way to do that. The t-shirt is a powerful medium, it’s a moving billboard. Graphics hold meaning.

And what makes a good graphic?
If it communicates the message and people want to wear it, we are happy.

There’s also a lot of natural imagery seen in P.A.M.’s designs. Would you say there’s a reason for P.A.M.’s fascination with nature and the elemental?
We feel like we have seen a lot, and personally, nothing has moved us as much as nature. From a societal POV, it can be argued we have tried to distance ourselves from ’nature’, we recognise that we are a part of it, and even directly, part of the Animal Kingdom, not as beings but as creatures.

Nick Sethi and Mez Afram were key collaborators in the creation of SS24’s insane graphics. How did the P.A.M. team decide on working with them, and is there a thought process behind selecting your collaborators?
Both are friends. We have worked a lot with Nick and love his POV and his photos. He documented the first NSO (No Show Official) and shot season 2 of PAM’s Puma collaboration. It was super fun working and developing the clothing designs with him. Mez is a really talented tattoo artist and has a strong personal style so it made sense to work on a capsule with her to see how to use her artwork in clothing. We find ourselves working with various people very organically. Nothing beats an IRL connection.

On the note of collaborations, you mentioned that “P.A.M. is collaboration” in an interview from 2021. What kind of partnerships do you hope to foster?
Ones that bring meaning and purpose. Definitely not for the sake of making more products. Remember that humans are social creatures, and we succeed best through cooperation.

Have all your partnerships been organic?
90% are with friends and 10% are with companies that we see have similar values to P.A.M., and where we can do something meaningful together.

That was the approach toward P.A.M. in the beginning as well. 24 years on, how do you feel about P.A.M.’s evolution?
Yes, P.A.M. started as a collaboration between Perks and Mini. It’s never been a singular force. It’s always an evolution of conversation. We are constantly evolving, meaning we are constantly looking, adapting, experimenting and never looking backwards.

And what are some aspirations, hopes or dreams for the brand as it comes to its own?
We hope to inspire others to look, explore, share and connect. To be truly amazed by this wonderful world, and to channel this energy to communicate and inspire others…