IN a world going crazy for blind boxes and keychains, one signature figure stood its ground: TEQ63.
Created by Filipino artist QUICCS, TEQ63 is a robotic figure with a skull helmet, often dressed in streetwear-inspired fits and sneakers. A blend of Japanese mecha and hip-hop aesthetics, the character comes in various sizes and limited-edition drops, often through collaborations.
QUICCS could have easily jumped on the trends nowadays, claimed his piece of the fast-growing designer toy industry, and called it a day. But he didn’t.
Instead, he chose to stick to his values, a decision that helped him take all the right steps toward becoming one-of-one in the scene.
In the sports world, QUICCS is best known for his multiple collaborations with adidas, from sneakers to apparel, most recently the KQ63 basketball shoes made in partnership with Korean Basketball League import Kevin Quiambao.
READ: adidas KQ x QUICCS shoe glows for next generation
He also became the first Filipino artist to collaborate with the three stripes, opening doors for more local creatives to follow.
But long before the milestones, QUICCS was bootlegging the three stripes onto early versions of TEQ63 back in 2012 simply because he wore them and genuinely loved the brand.
At the time, it helped that adidas didn’t notice.
“I was still too small for them to notice,” QUICCS shared during the media launch of his book One Zero: The First Decade, published with Summit Books last December.
More than a decade later, he feels like he has come full circle. What started as admiration turned into multiple official collaborations, all because he stayed true to what he believed in.
All he did was add a personal touch to something he already loved, and the rest followed.
You do you
It’s what he calls “sticking to your own guns,” a mindset that also shapes the community behind his brand.
“We just wish for people like adidas to tap us because we really like the brand. We don’t work with brands that are super mismatched with our values,” he said. “We don’t ride trends. That’s a cash grab. We stick to our guns, and we stick to what we’re strong at.”
The progress was slow but steady, and he would not have it any other way.
As he put it, “If you establish your own, it’s different. We don’t want to enjoy the scraps of the guy dining at the table. As much as possible, we dance to our own drumbeat.”
With collectors embracing his work, first internationally and then locally, QUICCS stands as proof that sticking to your values can pay off, even in an industry often dismissed as impossible to profit from.
“‘Walang pera sa art,’ they say,"
QUICCS counters: “There is, if you do things the right way.”
One Zero: The First Decade is published by Summit Books selling at PHP1699.
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