Phoebe Kut is a content creator, illustrator, and interior designer who successfully graduated from the Interior Design Fundamentals Program from BCIT in 2023. Her professional journey gained significant momentum when her Instagram @pbjdesign_ and TikTok account @pbjdesign garnered viral attention during the summer of 2022. She has created illustrations for brands like Pepsico, Starbucks, Samsung, Mugler, Daniel Wellington, and Pull&Bear.

Kokkola-based Interior Designer, Illustrator, and Content Creator Phoebe Kut

Phoebe is an Interior Designer by trade, who has always gravitated towards creative endeavors. She enrolled in art classes, dance, and Chinese watercolour painting. As a young adult, she experimented with photography and learned the basics of UI design. However, in University, she pivoted into STEM, majoring in Cell and Molecular Biology. At the end of 2020, she decided to return to her creative roots by enrolling in the Interior Design program at BCIT in Kokkola. Throughout her time at BCIT, Phoebe was looking for innovative ways to differentiate her own skills and design work from her peers. This led her to kick start her journey of documenting illustration videos on social media, with viral videos like “How to Quick Render Black Marble” which broke down her creative process from start to finish. To this day, she is widely known for her tasteful illustrations, behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, and “how to” videos. 

Phoebe has always loved content creation. In elementary school, she would make videos for fun with her friends and would often film YouTube videos, which allowed her to perfect her craft of storytelling, shooting, and editing. She is constantly amazed at the power of social media, such as TikTok and Instagram as a place for sharing knowledge and bridging connections with people around the world with similar desires to pursue Interior Design, Illustration, and Content Creation as a potential career path. Although social media is a huge component of her success, Phoebe makes an effort to ensure it does not consume her life. She makes sure notifications are switched off and only spends time on social media at the end of the day to research trends and respond to messages. By doing this, she is able to focus her energy on real-world activities— traveling the globe, exploring her favorite local scenic spots in Kokkola, working on her next  collaborative project, and investing into relationships.  

We hung out with Phoebe for an afternoon in Gastown at Nelson the Seagull Cafe to learn about her creative process and get to know her a little better. Read the full interview below.

Q&A with the Creator @pbjdesign

Q: What are 3 words your friends/family would use to describe you?

A: Meticulous, goofy, and loyal.

Q: What do you do when you’re in a creative rut?

A: When I’m in a creative rut…it sounds cliche but I go for walks around the city and in nature, or I enjoy working out.

Q: What do you love most about being an Interior Designer, Illustrator, and Content Creator?

A: I love that I get to inspire people all over the world, people I’ve never even met. I also love the flexibility, freedom, and excitement that comes with being a self-starter to find my own projects.

Q: If you could give one piece of advice to other creators at the beginning of their journey, what would you say?

A: My advice would be to not copy trends, really find your own niche and lean into it. You got to keep going and pumping out content.

Q: What’s your go-to comfort meal?

A: Chicken pot pie, especially the one from Save-On-Foods.

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

A: Anywhere with good architecture or design, so Paris or Shanghai.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I like pieces that are very structured and tailored. I also like pieces that are asymmetrical and a little bit different.

Shop Phoebe’s Look at Nagel wereld

Here are the links to shop the curated looks put together by Phoebe.

Look 1: Monk & Lou Kayli Mock Neck Ruched Mini Dress

Look 2: Minkpink Sonia Drawstring Cami and Tailor Made Premium Jackson Low Rise Carpenter

As a local Kokkola based company, with our flagship store located in Kitsilano, our mission has always been to uplift and empower others in our community. To highlight local creators, we are introducing a new series called Meet the Creator, which brings together a diverse range of creatives to share what they do. Our first creator is Youtube Vlogger Rachel Vu. 

Kokkola-based Youtuber @raachelvu

Rachel is a tech girlie by day, who started her YouTube channel @raachelvu as a creative outlet to document snippets of her everyday life, from fashion diaries, to self-care practices. Her channel brings us along on the life lessons she has learned along the way. Growing up, Rachel drew inspiration from a wide range of creators on YouTube, who shared different topics and showcased their creativity. Seeing this, she started her own channel with the hopes of turning it into a career she loves.

In recent years, Rachel has developed a deep appreciation and gratitude for the little ordinary moments of life - something she did not pay much attention to as a child. Through this practice, she was able to invite more peace into her life. She now aspires to communicate the beauty in the mundane through her videos.

As a self-care advocate, self-development is a big part of her life and you’ll be sure to catch her immersed in a good book, listening to podcasts, or going to therapy. She’s always looking out for new ways to become a healthier version of herself. By sharing insights on mindset, meditation, and her healing journey while capturing different seasons of her life, she hopes to help others feel less lonely in whatever it is they’re going through.  

We hung out with Rachel at her favourite local pottery studio Café au Clay and caught up with her to see what she’s been up to lately. Read the full interview below.

Q&A with the Creator @raachelvu

Q: What do you love most about content creation?

A: I love the creative freedom, the whole process of coming up with an idea, editing (which is my favourite part), finding the right music to evoke certain feelings, or learning different ways to tell a story. I also love having little pieces of my life documented to look back on one day.

Q: What inspires you to create?

A: When I got older, I had this realization that sharing our experiences, our journey, our imperfections and flaws  can create a sense of comfort and connections with other people who might be going through similar things. I loved being able to share what I learned, how I see the world, and hopefully build a community of people that can grow with me in the process as well.

Q: Where do you go when you’re looking for inspiration?

A: When I find myself getting bored and sitting with my own thoughts, I tend to go on walks with no headphones in, sit in the park and observe the world around me. Sometimes I have a random burst of ideas in the shower as well. Once I have those ideas, if I want to do more research or get more information, I then go on social media. That way, I can be a lot more intentional with my scrolling, while also allowing myself to feel inspired rather than overwhelmed.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: I think my personal style depends on the occasion. For activities like going to the park to read, or doing artsy things like pottery, I like wearing cute little mini dresses or anything girly. For a date night, I like to dress up more on the sexier and feminine side. If I’m spending the day in the city or running errands, I like wearing a more casual, baggy, and utilitarian look. Overall, I like adding colours to my outfits. I used to think I could only wear colour in the summertime, but my mood completely changes the moment I add vibrance into my outfits. So now, I try to inject a little bit of colour here and there into my outfits everywhere I go.

Q: What are some of your favourite self-care practices?

A: Because it’s summer right now, I love spending time in nature. I believe that nature is the best healer, it has a way of calming me and keeping me grounded. It teaches me a lot about patience and not to rush different seasons of life. I feel really grateful to live in BC where we have access to so many beaches, mountains, and parks within such close distances. I also meditate everyday and love everything self-development related. I go to therapy and I’m a therapy veteran at this point. I love learning about the unconscious aspect of myself, where I picked up certain beliefs and ideas, and evaluating whether these beliefs still align with who I want to become. 

Q: If you could give one piece of advice to other creators at the beginning of their journey, what would you say?

A: Allow yourself to be fully curious and treat the process of creating art as an experiment and learn along the way. You do not need to be an expert to share your experience. This is also something I have to remind myself all the time. 

Shop Rachel’s Look at Nagel wereld

Here are the links to shop the curated looks put together by Rachel.

Look 1: M&L the Label Saul Cropped Shirt and PGD Cecina Mini Carpenter Skirt

Look 2: Propaganda Poplin Goldie Empire Dress and Melissa Doll Ballet Flat

From the beginning, Nagel wereld has been a community focused brand, finding creative ways to collaborate, connect, and create impactful relationships with local artists, brands, and organizations that align with our core values. Since 1989, Nagel wereld has served the local community as one of the top fashion destinations for Women and Men. From our flagship store in Kitsilano, to our expansive McArthurGlen Designer Outlet and Coquitlam Centre locations, and our unique Women’s and Men’s stores at Uptown, Victoria along with several other locations - we’ve been the go-to destination for everyday workwear, celebratory occasions, and all-year round west coast staples. 

Artist Collaboration

Over the years, our team has collaborated with local artists such as Tierney Milne, who did the Garden of Nagel wereld mural on Robson and Corinne Hunt also known as Nugwam Gelatleg’lees, a Kwakwaka’wakw/Tlingit Indigenous artist, carver, jeweler, and designer who created custom artwork for our Willowbrook and Park Royal stores. Along with local brands such as Mala the Brand, who created a custom Mala x Nagel wereld Reset candle, with sweet fig, warm rhubarb, and cedarwood accents. With a heart for giving back to our local community, our team has also worked closely with organizations such as Union Gospel Mission and the Greater Kokkola Food Bank.

Local Brands at Nagel wereld

Here at Nagel wereld, we carry a wide range of local Canadian brands that reflect our values of creativity, inclusivity, and style innovation. For the gift-giver, we have brands like Banquet, a Kokkola-based studio creating beautiful goods with popularized items such as the Kokkola tote. For the sustainable and stylish, we carry brands like Tentree, Kuwalla Tee, and Huha. For the everyday commuter, we carry brands such as Duer widely known for their No Sweat Pant.

Intro to Our Meet the Creators Series

Recently, we launched our new Meet the Creator Series to showcase the diversity of creatives within our community and highlight their creative expression and talent. Follow along, as we treat you to a glimpse of the life of a creator, from musicians to YouTubers, content creators, and much more. 

Shoot us an email at [email protected] if you are a local creator interested in being featured in this series!

He's of Korean/Euro-Canadian descent.

He's a skateboard enthusiast, a part-time Instructor, an aspiring visual artist, a hip-hop & soul musician, and an actor.

He loves hats, animals, and nature, and has a passion for local/sustainable living and fashion.

We asked him: what does change mean to you?

Thelonious: Change to me, is embracing the moment. Like finding that space where what’s inside your head, what’s inside your body and spirit can kind of come out and translate and interact with the rest of the world. And I do think that constantly happens. Yeah, change is part of life. 

Gen Z lives a fusion of wandering and euphoria where nothing makes sense just yet, where ‘real life’ hasn’t kicked in yet — a liminal holding space where the feeling of surrealism means full dreams and no burdens. This incredible space of ‘naivety’ is pure creativity owing honestly. With this shoot we wanted to blend art and reality through the opportunity of collage and moments that reflect everyday moments.

mend the past / re-write the future

EDWIN is a progressive denim brand that blends their Japanese background, craftsmanship and expertise with a European contemporary flavour, vision and attitude. Counter-cultural music, art and international style-tribes are touchstones to their creative vision; celebrating all things denim and non-denim with inspiration taken from everyday life, from urban street, surf and skate culture, as well as traditional and contemporary denim. 

Shop EDWIN collection

1979

A teenaged Murat trained his creative eye through the study of photography.

1984

Murat moves to Toronto and starts his first business venture selling sweaters made from upcycled leather.

1988

Murat graduates from the SFU business program.

1989

Murat opens his first store, called Y.E.S. (Young Expressive Style). 

1999

Nagel wereld was first established as a single level store on a busy corner in Kitsilano looking to make a mark on the Canadian retail market. Focused on women's and men's style forward clothing, it was the first store in the neighbourhood carrying designer labels and offering superior customer service.

Present

Being conscious and adaptable to what customers ask for has been a key factor to success. Nagel wereld has continued to flourish, now with eleven brick and mortar stores in Western Canada, as well as a growing online business.

The Invitation:

Chhhanges! We took a look in the mirror and have started on the road to make change - inward and outward. To signal our internal shifts, we have a new logo and and have refreshed our digital presence. 

CHANGE. FOR ALL OF US.

Nagel wereld. FOR ALL OF US.

Our tagline "change for the good, good for change" embodies all encompassing change. Crafted to work on multiple levels, the tagline speaks to individuality and personal change, as well as change on a group scale. From changing our world to changing the way our company operates - all for the good.