Meet the Creative Director behind Mambo - Nathan Sheahan
Meet Nathan Sheahan, the Creative Director for Mambo Australia and Mambo Surf De Luxe - a new sub-label and return to the brand’s iconic beginnings.
We got the lowdown on Nath, his personal journey into the arts and fashion industry, and all things Mambo.
Nathan is 31 years old and a local to Newcastle, where he resides. When he isn’t working on all things Mambo, you can usually find Nath in his studio drawing, going for a surf, watching the footy, or sneaking out for a schooner at the pub.
His current role at Mambo is Creative Director - a role that invites him into all aspects of the creative process, steering both brands towards their own visions and goals.
When asked how he first got started in art, he seemed to share a similar, nostalgic story to many creatives, starting at an early age as a “doodler, constantly glued to the TV for inspiration from cartoons (anything on Cheez.TV)”
His first memory of the brand could not be more quintessentially Mambo; “it would probably be seeing a “farting dog” t-shirt in the flesh at my local beach carpark” which, like most kids his age, he attempted to emulate on his pencil case at school.
Posed with the impossible task of picking his favourite of Mambo’s heritage designs - Nath thinks it’s hard to go past the “Mambo Science” series by the renowned Syndey Artist, Reg Mombassa, or the famous Farting Dog, by Richard Allan.
With so many iconic, and ironic, pieces, it’s great to see Mambo Surf De Luxe bringing back both the Farting Dog, and a collection of Reg Mombassa originals.
Reimagining the old and collaborating with the new stands out as a key pillar of the Mambo Surf De Luxe vision.
If Nath were to pick a favourite from the new Mambo Surf De Luxe designs, he is stoked to bring back the “Advance Mambo” graphic and release the new “Dragon” capsule by Chloe Kovska” which is an appropriation of a Dave McKay classic.
For Nath, the direction of Mambo Surf De Luxe “is a return to the ethos and aesthetic that the brand was built on; Art, Surf, Music, Humour and Australiana thematics”.
Mambo Surf De Luxe offers Nathan and the team the opportunity to re-illuminate the artworks of the brand's most iconic artists - Reg Mombassa and Dave Mckay, but also to support and promote new and exciting younger artists.
Be sure to check out Mambo's latest collections at www.mambosurfdeluxe.com.au - for all things Mambo Surf De Luxe, and via BIG W - for all things mambo Australia.
In Nathan’s style, we leave by signing off “In dog we trust”. ‘
