LOVELOVELOVE. a Collective
This essence of Street/wear, the epitome of
“Anything is possible.”
Streetwear was never something that was driven by trends, rather a seed that was sown in the hearts of the youth by way of LEADERSHIP, the greats before us, the collectives before us that developed a Blueprint, a willingness to be successful in life by any means.
DAPPERDAN.
DIPSET.
SHAYNEOLIVER.
VIRGILABLOH.
Our ability to come together and survive everyday life, TOGETHER, with a will to push one another towards our individual successes, later, reaping a harvest from the seed.
Rooted in, the ability to impact our community and provide for our families.
FAMILY.
LIFESTYLE.
COMPETITIVENESS.
When you dive into the heart of Street/wear culture and accept it for what it is, you’ll find a willingness to accept adversity with grace.
“I ain’t goin!” - Chicago lingo for "never fold". Never give up, never back down.
Whether we have accepted it or not, at wake we believe we were all born with a destiny to grow, to live, to flourish, and to experience life to its fullness. We find ourselves experiencing some of life’s deepest hardships when we aren’t forward moving, as everything in existence is in motion.
MOTION.
I remember hanging out with my skateboard homies in Hyde Park Chicago, the “Leaders 1354 Kids”. Watching them hit tricks off of railings and concrete stairs.
Leaders Chicago - a legendary Chicago Street/wear shop with Hyde Park origins, Leaders 1354 is urban lifestyle sneaker shop located in downtown Chicago that sells streetwear, Adidas & Nike shoes, and apparel.
I remember watching my homies skateboard, I wasn’t good at it but they reminded me of my family, my footwork [dance] crew “HaVoC” - Having All Victory Over Competition.
Similar to Chicago Footwork - a Chicago born Cultural dance, I took a liking to skateboarding, watching hours of YouTube videos and New York skate documentaries. The energy behind skateboard culture, the motion, watching every trick and move was very similar to the energy I fell in love with through Chicago Footwork.
There's a Soul - an energy that gives Street/wear life.
That energy is LOVE.
It takes a Collective. A family. A community.
There’s no one man that created Street/wear. Even when we think about the tangible side of street/wear - the t shirts. It was always backed by a collective of kids that were deeply expressive.
It was always kids from the inner city that came together, with good energy and healthy competition, that bounced ideas back and forth, most times coming naturally because it was a way of life for us, creating what we know today as Streetwear.
FAMILY.
COMMUNITY.
ART.
HEART.
PASSION.
INTEGRITY.
LOVELOVELOVE. a Collective - The Heart of Streetwear.
