Meet the Artist: BOB x ENOX – The Story Behind the Monsters

We’ve teamed up with one of the coolest creative minds around to bring a monstERous twist to our AW25 collection. Say hello to Monsters by BOB x Enox, a bold, quirky collab designed with none other than Iain Spanhake, aka Enox — the globally acclaimed Kiwi artist whose colourful characters and graffiti-inspired style have earned him a huge following (140K+ strong!) on Instagram.

Enox’s world is packed with playful energy: think retro 80s and 90s cartoon vibes, cheeky humour, street art, and a dash of kawaii charm — all mashed up into his signature bold, high-contrast style. We’ve long admired his work, not just for the creativity, but also because supporting homegrown Kiwi talent is hugely important to us. So when the chance came to collaborate with a local artist like Enox, we jumped at it.

Together, we wanted to channel all that fun, feel-good energy into a collection where his unique monsters could run wild across our streetwear designs. The result? A range that’s equal parts bold, quirky, and cool.

Curious to know more about the artist behind the monsters? We caught up with Enox to chat about what inspires him, his creative process, and his favourite monster from the collab...

Can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your journey as an artist?
My name’s Iain, I’m a digital artist from Hamilton in New Zealand. I love drawing characters, it’s what I’ve always done. I have a real fixation with creating characters that are bright, vibrant, bold. I love incorporating street art and graffiti in to these types of character designs and things just have humour behind them, fun and that make people laugh and enjoy themselves I guess.

How would you describe your artistic style in three words?
I’d say my artistic style is bold, vibrant and fun.

What or who inspires your work?
I’m inspired a lot by the classic 80s and 90s cartoon characters from back in the day. Retro characters, street art, and graffiti are a big part of what I’d call my artistic make-up. I also love kawaii (cute) Japanese-style characters — that fun, simplified but bold style. I guess those three things combined pretty much make up who I am as an artist.

What was your first thought when Band of Boys reached out about collaborating?
I was really excited when Band of Boys reached out. I love working on kids' illustrations and characters, and since they’re a New Zealand brand too, it felt extra special. I don’t often get the chance to collaborate with local brands, so getting to work with a Kiwi label and put my own twist on their already cool range of clothes was such an exciting prospect. I’m stoked to be part of it!

Did you have a favourite monster to design? (And why?)
My favourite monster would be definitely the one tilting doing the peace sign. It’s quite quirky compared to the other ones. I find him more funny. I like to pour a lot of humour into my characters so that one in particular has a lot of funny, quirky style to it and I dunno, that just kinda resonates with me.