Welcome to Point Of View 003 by DR DENIM. The point of this editorial is to give space to the thoughts and views of our community. To open up new conversations, invite different perspectives and build relationships with friends, old and new.
Our next guest to Point of View is OLIIV aka Olive Holland, a Sydney-based DJ/Music Director/Creative/Vegan Cook. Truly encompassing the duality of life, Olive thrives both night and day, constantly working on her music career while on a mission to inspire plant-based living with her vegan food business, Olive’s Pantry.
Olive is one of those people who lift everyone up around her whilst managing all her own ventures. We caught up over one of her famous vegan grazing boards, to discuss creativity, motivation, music, food and the future before heading out to see her DJ. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon/evening...
D: Who are you? What do you do? Where do you live?
O: I'm Olive! I am a DJ, event planner, co-founder of The Fan Club Collective, founder of Olive's Pantry and a plant-based cook and recipe creator. I live in Surry Hills, Sydney.
OLIIV is a DJ best known for her versatile sweeps of melodic, deep and afro tech sounds, with a serious penchant for late-night indie dance.
Her musical passions have earnt her a residency with Return To Rio, whilst also hosting club nights as co-founder of The Fan Club Collective. She has curated podcasts that have been featured on international platforms and radio stations, as well as running her own podcast series Fan Club Friends. OLIIV has played shows in Melbourne and Brisbane and has supported names such as Jody Wisternoff, Emanuel Satie and Eli Nissan to name a few. She is also the Music Director and co-coordinator for Neomenia - a Sydney-based boutique festival.
D: Do your values inform your relationship to clothing?
O: Absolutely! Being vegan translates into all of the decisions I make. I avoid fur, leather, animal fibres, and fast fashion. I love vintage and second-hand clothing, and anything sustainably made.
D: How do you find your life shapes your expression through clothing?
O: Music festivals are a true love of mine, and one of the best places to express myself fully - there are no rules and I get to be creative with what I want to wear. I can take stylistic risks I wouldn't usually take in my day-to-day life. I love crafting my own creations and pulling together an outfit based on an idea or theme. I spend so much time in nightclubs, so I feel this aspect of my life leads to my outfit choices. I like choosing items that are a little left of centre, even though 90% of my wardrobe is black! When creating The Fan Club, I really wanted to provide a safe space for expression - similar to what festivals do for me, making sure people feel comfortable enough to fully express themselves through clothing - how ever that may look.
D: What are you working towards now?
O: I'm working towards producing my own music, which is something that takes up most of my spare time nowadays. Watch this space...
D: How important is creativity in your routine?
O: I would be pretty stuck without creativity! haha. It definitely comes and goes leaving me more inspired some days than others. I find the creativity needed for music is very different to the type needed for my food side of things. I just try and ride the wave when it happens. I believe we are just vessels for creativity to flow through, so when I feel like it's being forced it's usually a sign that I need to take a break and revisit the task later. Usually, I get the best results when I go into something without any expectations, have a play and just have fun with it.
D: What is your DR DENIM go-to?
O: Anything black (surprise, surprise). I'm really loving the Moxy Straight in Black Metal because they can be dressed up or down really easily, and they are super comfy!
Shop Olive's selects: Echo Jeans Concrete Black, Demi Singlet Black, Moxy Straight Jeans Solid Black, and Cora Singlet black.
D: This might be a tough one but what are you listening to atm?
O: I've made up a Spotify playlist with some tunes that inspire me and that I like playing out at the moment. Easier than listing them!
D: What are you cooking/eating?
O: Being winter here in Australia at the moment I am loving warming foods. It's so easy to jam pack a soup or stew full of all the good stuff (garlic, turmeric, ginger, veggies). Of course, this has to be accompanied by freshly toasted sourdough drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with nutritional yeast! Another winter favourite is my roast pumpkin and mushroom risotto.
I love entertaining and putting on a spread with different vegan dips, cheeses and antipasto. Doesn't get much better than sharing wine and a platter with good mates!
Make Olive's Smoked Cashew Cheese:
Cheese:
1/2 cup activated cashews
1-2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
juice of half a lemon
3 tbsp coconut oil
dash of liquid smoke
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
Toppings (you can choose any that take your fancy)
Spring Onion
Rosemary
Thyme
Goji berries
Cranberries
Dukkah
Tamari sunflower seeds (simply fry up some seeds with a dash of tamari until golden)
Smoked salt
Method:
1. Start by activating your cashews. You can do this by soaking them in boiling water for an hour or room temperature water overnight. The longer you soak them the smoother your cheese will be.
2. Drain your cashews and throw all cheese ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth.
3. Wet your hands and scoop out the mixture. Lightly transferring from one hand to the other to make a ball shape.
4. Place in a container. Add your toppings. Place the lid on your container and place it in the freezer for 30 mins to set.
5. Remove from the freezer and let your cheese sit at room temperature for 30-60mins before serving.
With some international performances on the horizon, we can expect more exciting things from Olive soon. Keep up to date with her across socials:
@oliivmusic
@olives_pantry
@the.fan.club.collective
Shot by @andreaveltom on Gadigal Land. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians, the Gadigal of the Eora Nation, and pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging.