Kory Drahos
Born in Ocean Springs, Mississippi – Kory Drahos expressed an interest in art from a very young age. As early as 1st grade he would fill entire notebooks with drawings of things that amused him (mostly sharks and roller coasters) saying that when he grew up he wanted to be a designer.
Kory attended Ole Miss where he was accepted to the university’s competitive 5 year thesis program in Fine Art, graduating with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Imaging Arts with a Thesis on the Sociological Impact of Luxury Brand Consumerism. Kory moved to New York City 4 days after finishing university and worked as a freelance artist and corporate creative for 8.5 years in Manhattan.
While working for luxury companies and one of New York’s top marketing agencies he had the pleasure to work with clients such as Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen, Lori Goldstein, Clarins, Oribe, The Council of Fashion Designers of America, Dickies Skate, and Del Toro footwear.
His own artwork has been sold primarily to private collectors throughout his career as an artist. His work can be found in the homes and private collections of esteemed art collectors (whom wish to remain anonymous) as well as the homes of some of Ivy League‘s top leading professors.
In mid 2017 Kory shifted his focus from photography to conceptual illustration. His illustrations led him to apprentice for British contemporary artist Christopher Winter at his studio in Berlin, Germany in 2018. In Berlin Kory assisted in the production of Mr. Winter’s site specific installation “Mirror World Space Collider” as part of the Rohkunstbau International series of contemporary artist exhibitions at the Schloss Lieberose – considered one of the highest honors in the art world for established European artists selected each year.
In the spring of 2019 Kory left Manhattan to return to his southern roots where he continues to produce new work full-time. He is currently in the process of starting a luxury handbag brand with a client turned close friend in collaboration with a technology company previously known for working with Nike; in addition. he is starting his own personal luxury brand called Yes Gaud which will feature original products geared toward consumers who value an irreverent lifestyle.
You can follow me on Instagram, @korydrahos!