VENOM

OIC's first jewelry collection was named VENOM to express the theme of "venom." While the word venom may sound like a bad thing, we wanted to define and convey the venom of an adult's enlightenment and willingness to appreciate the repetition of everyday life.

VENOM reflects the motifs of the brand's symbol, the snake, and the theme of daily life, and expresses the repetition of daily life through the use of symmetrical patterns.

The collection's pieces reflect the brand's philosophy of "Adimiration of Daily Lives," and with the exception of the collection's centerpiece, most of the jewelry is designed to be worn on a daily basis. At the same time, we have prepared point accessories such as brooches and key rings that can be used as a focal point in everyday outfits, making it possible to add one piece to an otherwise boring look.

VENOM COLLECTION LINES

From the beginning of the VENOM collection, we had a name for the collection pieces. It is the venomous component of a viper. OIC chose four toxins, Neurotoxins, Hemotoxins, Cytotoxins, and Hemorrhagins, as the collection line names. The four motifs of the VENOM collection are categorized according to the meaning of each toxin.

• Neurotoxins

Neurotoxins are toxic substances that primarily affect the nervous system and can cause symptoms such as muscle paralysis, respiratory depression, paralysis, and convulsions by interfering with the action of neurotransmitters. In the VENOM collection, Neurotoxins interfere with our nerves, which are filled with negative emotions/thoughts about everyday life that naturally come up, and by injecting 'Venom', we can say, "No, I can do it, let's live a meaningful life today". You can do it" by injecting "Venom" into our nerves.

The Neurotoxins line is inspired by the image of a venomous snake just before it injects its venom. The snake's nostrils, eyes, and open jaws are shaped as shown in [Reference Photo 1], and the pattern is symmetrical up and down to represent the repetition of daily life. I thought that the 'venomous' snake's appearance just before it injects its venom is like our appearance when we ignite our will. I thought the 'venomous snake' on the verge of injecting venom was like us igniting our willpower. We live our boring lives in an automatic mode that seems to go on forever, but when we turn on YouTube before going to sleep, we are energized and stimulated by an algorithmic video, and we vow to do something different tomorrow, and then we try to clear our confused minds and focus to make it happen. The OIC recognizes these as the "fighting spirit" that adults use to overcome everyday challenges, and defines the mechanisms that awaken this fighting spirit as neurotoxins.

• Hemotoxins

Hemotoxins are toxic substances that interfere with blood clotting and cause bleeding. In the VENOM collection, we define hemotoxins as the meaning, will, and enlightenment that we bring to our seemingly eternal routines. When we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, there is a vague sense of anxiety that this moment will repeat itself forever. As time passes, we develop resignation and negative expectations that the cycle will continue similarly tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, a month from now, or even years from now. The moment you become immersed in negative expectations, you begin to believe that your life is a "negative loop" and that the only way to end the cycle is to change your circumstances, which you have done nothing wrong.

Unfortunately, the fastest, most direct and effective way to break the cycle is to change your own thoughts. By making small changes to your daily routine, such as looking at the sun, enjoying five minutes of sunny weather without doing anything else when the sky is clear, or saying hello to someone you care about, you can create new "waves" in the seemingly eternal lake. OIC sees the actions we take to change our repetitive routines as "waves," and the realizations that create the waves are called Hemotoxins.

The Hemotoxins line is designed around the OIC brand logo. The Ouroboros shape, which is often used to represent a vicious cycle, and the infinity sign, which represents eternity, are combined to depict an infinitely repeating daily routine, and gemstones such as malachite and turquoise are placed on top to represent the center of the 'wave'. The will and agency of my life is always sparkling like a jewel in the center of my heart, even though it is not visible in my busy life. With the Hemotoxins line, OIC wanted to convey the message of expressing the will and agency of life through jewelry, and to bring out those jewels again to live positively in everyday life.

• Cytotoxins

Cytotoxins (tissue-destroying enzymes) are particularly toxic to the heart, preventing muscle contraction, which can cause the heart to beat irregularly or even stop beating. In the VENOM collection, I defined cytotoxins as the meaning of my existence, the reason for my life that I hold close to my heart. Our daily lives, like the heart, beat infinitely at a constant speed. The pace increases when there is a stimulus, such as a physical change (e.g. running) or a change in the environment. OIC believes that even in our fast-paced lives, we need to slow down for a moment to take a breath and regroup, and Cytotoxins expresses the meaning and reasons we remind ourselves.

The Cytotoxins line was created by combining the heart shape, which represents the mind and heart, with the Neurotoxins motif. The combination of the two shapes represents the "heart" and "fighting spirit," and the engraving service offered on some parts of the Cytotoxins line symbolizes the reasons and meanings to remind yourself to keep going, even if life is sometimes overwhelming.

• Hemorrhagins

Hemorrhagins are toxins that attack plasma proteins, disrupting the blood clotting process and damaging the tissues inside blood vessels, which can lead to the breakdown of plasma and bleeding. In the VENOM collection, we define hemorrhagins as an attitude that interrupts the process of hardening (coagulation) of preconceived notions about how to live life, always approaching each moment as if it were something new. On the one hand, we proclaim that there is no right way to live life, and on the other hand, we act as if there is a right way to do things at each stage of life. While it's true that many of our elders have practiced what we preach and gotten good results, they just happened to do it in a way that worked for them, and there's no guarantee that it will work for you. With the Hemorrhagins line, OIC wanted to convey the message that even if society has the right answer, it's important to once again look at your own choices without any bias and do your own harm.

The Hemorrhagins line is inspired by the venomous tooth. Unlike the other lines in the VENOM collection, which are represented by one or two very similar shapes, the Hemorrhagins line is represented by a variety of shapes. The Hemorrhagins line is represented by a variety of shapes with poisonous teeth, signifying that we are all given the same task in life, but there are different solutions for each individual. With the Hemorrhagins line, OIC wanted to share the idea that we should not lean on society's prejudices to find the answer to our life that doesn't exist, and that it would be more fun and more for us to face our daily tasks without prejudice like a new baby and find our own year.