Glasses by : Schiaparelli
Illustrations : Rika Korponay
Stylee : Nick Dynamo
Beauty Edit : Happi
Hat by : Nanushka
Beauty : Blush - Hourglass Vanish Blush Stick in 'Revel' / Lipstick - Fenty Beauty Stunna Lip Paint in 'Uncensored' 
Tee Graphic by : Vaquera
SPITGAN Emporium
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Dress by : Proenza Schouler
Beauty : Blush - Chanel Beauty Palette Essentielle in '170 - Beige Intense' / Lipstick - Chanel Beauty Rouge Coco Flash in 'Heat' / Eyebrow - Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow in 'Granite'
Dress by : Gucci
Beauty : Eyeliner - Chanel Beauty Calligraphie De Chanel in 'Hyperblack' / Bronzer - Saie Sun Melt Cream Bronzer in 'Medium Bronze'
Shell Bikini Bottom by : Mara Hoffman
SPITGAN : Hey Rika what’s good! The illustration fashion story turned out dope! Wanted to ask you some questions so SPITGAN readers get to know a bit about the artist behind the work.
We met a while ago as a young artist, now you are doing tattoos! Tell us about your tattoo style and it’s inspirations.
Rika Korp : My tattoos are based on American traditional, old school tattoos. They’re mostly bold, bright, solid pieces and I’m definitely inspired by how much fun you can have with that.
SPITGAN : What inspired you to become an artist? What experiences or references compelled you to visuals? Did cartoons play a part?
Rika : This goes way back – I’ve always loved to draw and colour as a kid, guess it just never left haha. I always wanted to do more, get better at it, and eventually I started to think that I could actually use it for work. I’ve been pretty lucky in my childhood to have been exposed to a lot of visual media – cartoons, we had comic books at home, I would copy pictures from books that we had... My family encouraged it too so I had a good start.
SPITGAN : Is Hip Hop a touch point? We notice you also hit up walls here and there.
Rika : I love street culture. I met some graffiti artists years ago who got me into it, and I’m mostly a visual artist but as with most other things, there are parallels to music and art, and some find each other in the same places. There’s a lot of hip hop that I was introduced to and came to know through graffiti, same way I’ve come to learn about other artists through music.
SPITGAN : I feel looking at your work there are common elements to it regardless of medium. Tell us about this world. To me I see splashes of fun, attitude, mischief…
Rika : Haha it’s some sort of reflection of who I am, how I’m responding to life. Growing up, being an adult, you’re told to get serious, and sometimes it’s a little too serious… it’s maybe my personal rebellion to all of that.
SPITGAN : We have followed your tattoo journey from newbie to commissions on your IG account. How has your seifu pushed you and helped you grow your style? How was it doing your first tattoo on yourself?
Rika : So my mentor Jacob Tang, he’s always let me explore everything on my own, but he would pull me a little bit back when I get too ahead of myself, especially with tattooing there is so much patience and mindfulness involved. Of all the things he taught me, it’s having the right attitude and approach to the work that really made all the difference. The first tattoo that I’ve ever done on anyone was on myself, but it was mostly to experience and learn the step by step process of how a tattoo is done. Tattooing someone else for the first time was completely different, I was so nervous haha.
SPITGAN : How does Hong Kong inspire and affect your work?
Rika : Right now, I actually like living here. Hong Kong is a very organized city that works the way it does, because it does. It can be challenging as an artist because our work develops and thrives more in less controlled environments... Adjusting to this without compromising what we do teaches me a lot about balance and staying focused. You develop a certain kind of sharpness over time that I don't think I would've been able to appreciate anywhere else. And it definitely inspires me to constantly find ways to improve!
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