2 Minutes With … Camilo de Galofre, Director of Art and Design at Mojo Supermarket

Born in Colombia and a graduate of the School of Visual Arts, Camilo De Galofre is a founding team member of Mojo Supermarket.

Prior to embarking on the ambitious journey of helping his friend Mo Said build the most notorious creative company in the world, Camilo worked at some of the top agencies in the industry, such as BBDO New York and Droga5. Today, Camilo leads, directs and oversees creative art direction and design across clients like Savage X Fenty, Adidas, Truth, StockX, Match, Hydrow, as well as new business. His early involvement in the agency has made him a key part in building the agency’s culture of today and in crafting the vision for where the agency is headed tomorrow.

We spent two minutes with Camilo to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations, and recent work he’s admired.

Camilo, tell us…

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

Barranquilla, Colombia. Now, I live in New York.

How you first realized you were creative.

At school. I went to an all-boys Catholic school back in my hometown in Colombia. It was a very strict and rigid environment. We had to wear uniforms and keep a clean-cut haircut at all times, otherwise we’d be sent back home—it happened to me a couple of times. I never fit in or even tried to, so my notebooks became drawing books and my classes became time to daydream. The school didn’t have any art classes, so I pretty much made my own.

A person you idolize creatively early on.

My mother. She paints, and every Friday growing up we would have painting afternoons at home. It was my favorite day of the week. She cultivated in my sister and me the creative spirit from an early age.

A moment from high school or college that changed your life.

Moving to the U.S. and starting high school the following day. Wild.   

A visual artist or band/musician you admire.

Ye. I just finished watching the Kanye documentary on Netflix and this made me gain so much more respect and admiration for who he is as an artist. His resilience and persistence are truly admirable. He’s not afraid of venturing into different categories like he did in fashion and most recently in tech with the STEMPLAYER.

A book, movie, TV show or podcast you recently found inspiring.

Euphoria. The cinematography, storyline, the acting …10/10. 

Your favorite fictional character.

Batman.

Someone or something worth following on social media.

@mojosupermarket, ha!

How Covid-19 changed your life, personally or professionally.

Personally, it made me appreciate the little things in life and to never take freedom as we have it here in the U.S for granted. 

I don’t think most people would agree, but professionally, it made me form deeper and more human connections with the people I work with. Contrary to what you’d expect, I believe this whole working-remotely thing has made us more human, more understanding and more aware of people and life in general. Hot take, I know.

One of your favorite creative projects you’ve ever worked on.

Seize the Awkward. A suicide prevention campaign that encouraged teenagers to feel comfortable talking about their mental health with friends. This brief came at a time when I was dealing with a lot of personal stuff, so in a way it became therapy for me. I learned so much from it, it made me understand that I’m human, that it’s OK not to be OK sometimes, and to open myself up to others.

A recent project you’re proud of. 

DojaCode. It was the perfect clash of purpose, pop culture and tech. Rarely do these things align as perfectly as they did for us. I’m still in awe that we made it happen the way we did. Thankful for our partners, Doja Cat and Girls Who Code.

Someone else’s work that inspired you years ago.

Alessandro Michele, creative director of Gucci.

Someone else’s work you admired lately.

Demna Gvasalia, creative director of Balenciaga. His work has made me question everything. His approach to fashion is unlike anything I’ve seen before. While most designers are focused on redefining beauty, he’s focused on questioning it.

Your main strength as a creative person.

Narrowing something down to its simplest form.

Your biggest weakness.

Getting distracted by literally anything. 

One thing that always makes you happy.

Food. 

One thing that always makes you sad.

Goodbyes. 

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in advertising.

Probably architecture or interior design, been really into the latter lately.