THE FEEL FREE ARTZ GROUP
Friday, September 23, 2022
Depop Collaborators: Clouder Brings Audiences Into the Animated World of Stitch Through Screenprinting Workshop AND MORE
Clouder lives in a technicolor world, constantly inspired by the lively scenes and colors around him and driven by a desire to manifest all of this into his designs. Clouder’s streetwear and lifestyle brand, Stitch, blew up on TikTok in 2019, creating an army of loyal supporters faster than the creative could have ever imagined. His original garments include outerwear, sweatshirts, graphic tees and more, depicting anime-inspired art and prints drawn by Clouder and created in collaboration with other artists.
The designer and visual artist originally set out to become an animator, but he now incorporates original artwork into designs so that others may don his vision, reaching larger audiences through his brand’s platform. Even without a formal fashion design background, Clouder continues to express himself freely through his work.
“I plan to make a lot more animation-based visuals for promotion or my personal work,” he says regarding the evolution of Stitch, “I’m trying to move Stitch from where it is now, into a slightly elevated area of fashion. I would also really enjoy working outside of fashion and be able to create my own furniture and short films. That would be the dream.”
“My graphics often stem from a story I’m writing separately — in many instances, they’re drawings I didn’t specifically create for clothes. On the other hand, I also have collaborative graphics with other artists that I like, seek out, and give free reign to draw my characters,” Clouder shares. His willingness to bring his imagination to life and to share this passion with other talented artists displays Clouder’s enthusiasm for marrying the worlds of artistry and street style.
To inspire a better future for fashion, even in the realms of hype culture and street style, Clouder will be giving his London community the chance to upcycle old garments by reviving them with limited-edition Stitch screen prints during an exclusive one-day event. This Depop Collaborators pop-up will not only spread a positive message about giving pieces of clothing a second life, but will also allow Clouder’s extensive TikTok following to meet him and leave with a truly impactful and meaningful keepsake.
In addition to the activation, Clouder will also sell limited-run pieces in his Depopshop. Clouder’s custom printing event will be open to the public on Saturday October 1st at Hoxton Arches, Arch 402, Cremer street London E2 8HD,11am – 5pm. Stay tuned to learn more about new creators in Depop’s Collaborators series and upcoming pop-up installations.
The Off-White™ x Nike Air Force 1 Mid “Graffiti” features a white leather base accented by graffiti prints on the lateral sides. Additional detailing comes in the form of stitched Swooshes, ankle straps, dual lace systems with lace toggles, and transparent heel tabs. Branding on the shoe includes “AIR” embroidery on the extended tongues, “NIKE AIR” embroidery at the rear, along with “OFF” motifs at the heels.
The usual Off-White™ elements like orange tabs, zip-tie tag, and Helvetica text that mark the medial sides are also found on the shoe. Finishing up the design of the shoe are white midsole units outfitted with warped orange Air units and matching track spike rubber outsoles.
Currently, the Off-White™ x Nike Air Force 1 Mid “Graffiti” does not have a release date but previous releases note a potential release could come at a price of $185 USD.
FRESH KICKS:
Kid Cudi has been bopping around the US for his To The Moon” Tour lately, and during his recent stop in Phoenix, Arizona he received a special pair of Air Jordan 4sthat he commissioned RESHOEVN8R’s Vick Almighty to lend his creative touch to. Originally an Air Jordan 4 “Military Black” pair, the kicks have been completely reworked with interstellar colors and elements representative of Cudi’s Man on the Moon Part 1 and Man on the Moon Part 2.
Smooth leather mudguards have been fitted with a purple paint job and come stamped with the hip hop artist’s signature logo towards the rear, and this comes complemented by shaggy suede forefoot overlays that are dyed in a dusted pink. Cages, shoe laces and netting all match up in pink, while the collars are fashioned with a playful purple to pink gradience. Elsewhere on the upper, the Jumpman logos have been remixed with patches that nod to the aforementioned tour while the heel counters feature pink Jordan logos and the insoles split their branding with his moniker. Additionally, LED lights are stationed inside the Air units to give the kicks a glowing effect.
Jordan Brand has shown love to the Air Jordan 5 throughout 2022 with collaborations and new colorways from start to finish. Glancing at early 2023 plans, this looks to remain true as University of North Carolina colors will grace the model for the first time. Once again, the iconic color palette is used by the brand, which is only fitting considering the school serves as Michael Jordan’s alma matter.
Following an early look at the colorway, detailed images of the Air Jordan 5 “UNC” have now arrived. “Carolina Blue” covers the nubuck upper while silver accents land on the tongue and part of the midsole. Additional color diversity is provided by the rest of the midsole in black, translucent webbed window, black branding elements at the tongue and heel and a blue translucent finish on the rubber outsole. Lastly, the inside of the tongues read “HEART.” and “SOUL.” in flipped text.
A tentative release date of March 4 for this UNC-inspired Air Jordan 5 remains in place with an expected price of $225 USD via Nike and select retailers. Check out the pair above and keep an eye out for official information and images to come from Nike in the coming months.
The first look at the Nike (NYSE:NKE -1.55%) Air Foamposite One “Dream A World” has officially surfaced, debuting a new colorway to highlight the wise words of the renowned Roman philosopher, Seneca. The Nike shoe is bringing some of Seneca’s greatest quotes to life, hoping to inspire athletes all over the world.
The Nike Air Foamposite One “Dream A World” arrives in a black foam shell featuring details that resemble white scuff marks. Additional details include the plush suede eyestays and collars, as well as an inner bootie made of mesh and patent leather pull tabs. Seneca’s philosophical quotes including, “Luck/Success Happens When Preparation Meets Opportunity,” “Insert Your Dreams Here” and “Dream A World” are all seen printed on the insoles and special edition tissue paper and box.
Take a look at the official images of the Nike Air Foamposite One “Dream A World” set to release before the year ends in select retailers and on Nike for a price of $230 USD.
LeBron James, at the age of 37, is heading into his 20th season in the NBA. The four time NBA champion, eighteen time NBA All-Star and four time NBA Most Valuable Player has cemented himself as one of the best to ever grace the court. However, he’s not done writing history yet. Backed by sportswear giant Nike (NYSE:NKE -1.55%) , James has launched a new signature sneaker in his Nike LeBron series every year. In continuation of this, the duo now presents the Nike LeBron 20.
Early looks at the LeBron 20 have popped up in a triple pink and Lakers colorwaypreviously. Now, the Swoosh has shared official images of a “Barely Green” look. While we still await Nike’s proper unveiling of the sneaker, the detailed presentation of this colorway offers much information. First, the upper is a knit that lands in a mint green. An “XX” lace dubrae arrives in a shiny pink while each base Swoosh carries a seafoam green with contrast stitching outlining it. On the lateral, an additional Swoosh with an iridescent finish and pink outline rests atop the base Swoosh. Sole unit specifications have not been disclosed but a midfoot plate is visible alongside multiple shades of pink that cover the midsole and rubber outsole.
Look for the Nike LeBron 20 “Barely Green” to be available via Nike and select Nike Basketball retailers in the coming weeks at an expected price of $200 USD.
Since showing off his first collaborations with Nike and Jordan Brand in 2017 with an unreleased Jordan Trunner and his first Air Force 1 Low colorway, Travis Scott quickly established himself as a major presence in the world of sneakers. Countless releases have taken place in the last five years with the Air Jordan 6 being one of the many silhouettes La Flame has outfitted. First, he brought a military green to the classic sneaker and followed up two years later with a “British Khaki” colorway. However, one look that slipped between the cracks is an unreleased bright yellow makeover.
This bold colorway would be spotted several times on-foot via Offset, only to be later deemed a friends and family exclusive after an expected release period came and went. Originally, sources reported Offset’s pair to be one of one, however, a few pairs have surfaced since. Looking closer at this extremely rare pair, its detailing and construction seems to match the military green release – aside from its color palette. Bright yellow covers the suede upper with Scott’s signature stash pocket at the lateral collar returning with co-branding embroidered on the heel.
Unfortunately for collectors, this pair will remain one of the rarest Travis Scott x Jordan Brand colorways as only a few friends and family pairs are known to exist. Take a closer look at the pair above and below, courtesy of English Sole.
Jordan Brand is set to release a brand new special edition of the beloved Air Jordan 4 in “Black Canvas” just in time for the Fall lineup.
The AJ4 was first released in 1989 and has since been one of the most coveted Jordan Brand models. The shoe arrives in a mixture of materials and comes dressed in a black, light steel grey, white and fire red color scheme. The shoe features a black canvas base and suede toe panel. Grey detailing accents the eye stays, midsole and outsole. Red contrasting highlighting the “Flight” branding on the tongue. The Jumpman logo is visibly placed on the rubber heel guard to round out the design.
The highly anticipated Air Jordan 4 “Black Canvas” arrives on October 1 on SNKRSfor $210 USD.
STREETWEAR: The Now and Next of Ye’s Beefs With adidas and GAP
Forget Keeping Up with the Kardashians — keeping up with Ye is a full-time job. The artist formerly known as Kanye West has a knack for staying in the headlines, from meming chapeau-coiffed adidas senior vice president Daniel Cherry III into the next SZN or shooting for a lofty long-term goal like reimagining education at DONDA Academy.
Ye is an enigma, and it can be hard to tell what’s permanent and what’s transient in his world. In recent weeks, however, he’s aired gripes with both adidas and GAP that seem to be anything but ephemeral. He’s spoken at length about his dissatisfaction with both brands, and his YEEZY label is embroiled in a legal fracas with GAP, leading fans to wonder if these battles will have long-term effects on the YEEZY brand and Ye’s creative endeavors as a whole. Below is a primer on what already happened, what’s happening now and what might go down in the future.
The Unfolding of Allegations, Explained
Ye has been expressing his bitterness towards adidas since June, beginning with a gripe about the adilette 22 sandal before expanding his complaints to the brand “not getting his approval” for YEEZY Day and even publicly stating that he’d been offered a billion-dollar buyout. Then, on September 5, Ye said in an Instagram story that he’d “settled” with adidas and that GAP was “next.” A few days before that story was posted, Ye began publicly slamming GAP, alleging that they’d stolen his designs and saying that he planned to open his own standalone YEEZY stores.
On September 12, Ye upped the ante by announcing he’d be leaving both adidas and GAP when his contract with each company expired. “It’s time for me to go it alone,” Ye told Bloomberg on September 12. “We created ideas that will change apparel forever … now it’s time for Ye to make the new industry. No more companies standing in between me and the audience.”
This new stance was a stark about-face from a man who, in earlier years had expressed his need to work with brands like adidas and GAP because they had the means of production he so desperately craved to fulfill his fashion visions. Then, things got even more intense on September 15, when the famously impatient Ye announced that the partnership with GAP had been terminated, effective immediately. “GAP left Ye no choice but to terminate their collaboration agreement because of GAP’s substantial noncompliance,” said West’s lawyer Nicholas Gravante, Jr. in a statement to Footwear News. “Ye had diligently tried to work through these issues with GAP both directly and through counsel.”
It wasn’t just bluster either: images of a notice of termination sent to GAP by YEEZY’s lawyers began circling on the internet. “If two feuding business partners can’t come to an amicable solution, the next step is often litigation, which usually suggests there’s a breach of agreement so one of the parties can get out of [the agreement],” said Kenneth Anand, a lawyer, author, professor and co-creator of Sneaker Law who recently represented John Geiger in his trademark battle with Nike.
Ye versus his corporate partners was quickly becoming a full-on public spectacle that felt more like a heavily-promoted title fight than a business disagreement. However, under the theatrics lay a fairly standard discordance. According to Anand, personal and legal issues of this nature are common between corporate partners — but what’s not common is how Ye is handling the issues. “One partner might not like something the other partner is doing, but normally, they’d work it out privately, behind closed doors,” he said. “The difference with Ye is that he puts it on the internet. That’s his leverage: getting the public and his very eager fan base behind him.”
Speaking to CNBC on September 17, Ye indicated that he had high hopes for the partnership and understood the difficulties he faced at first but became disheartened by his lack of control, referencing how he had no say over price points, that GAP hadn’t made good on promises to open YEEZY GAP flagship stores and that unapproved colorways and stockists made him question his place with the company. “I would talk to the leaders [of GAP] and it would be like I was on mute or something,” he said. “Our agenda, it just wasn’t aligned.”
What Does This Mean for YEEZY?
Not even 48 hours after his conversation with CNBC, Ye took to his Instagram to post a document titled “Summary of Restrictions on YEEZY Standalone Activities.” This piece of legalese indicated that although the artist and designer had terminated his contract with GAP, his brand was still required to follow a restrictive set of limitations. Products that Ye and YEEZY had made with adidas in the past were included as well, leading fans to wonder: was Ye cutting ties with the Three Stripes too?
According to Anand, it’s unlikely the meaning of the document was so extreme: “The notice looks like it was prepared by Ye’s attorneys to notify him of the current restrictions on his respective deals,” he said. “It seems like they’re taking all the agreements Ye has with his partners in totality, and saying ‘this is the whole scope of product that you cannot make by yourself without pissing off one of these two companies.’” In short, the document isn’t a signifier that Ye is ending his relationship with adidas — more so a notification to Ye himself of goods he may not be able to make solo while under contract or in litigation with GAP or adidas.
Anand went on to explain that when a brand and manufacturer/distributor partnership like the ones between YEEZY and adidas or GAP is established, there are often restrictions on what the brand can produce outside of the partnership while it’s ongoing: for example, if YEEZY creates shoes in partnership with adidas, they’re not allowed to manufacture and promote their own shoes as they’re already a core tenant of the existing partnership.
What’s Next?
What’s the future of the YEEZY brand if it does indeed go solo? It’s unlikely that Ye and YEEZY will be barred from making clothes for an extended period, as a few hours after he shared the above-mentioned “Summary of Restrictions” on YEEZY’s standalone activities he posted to his Instagram Stories that some of the “restrictions” on what he could produce had been lifted, though exactly what those restrictions entailed had not been clarified. From GAP’s side, it’s also important to note that the YEEZY GAP ENGINEERED BY BALENCIAGA collection is governed by a different agreement and should not be affected by the same agreement.
At the time of writing, there’s no further word on the termination of YEEZY’s partnership with adidas either — our only hint of that was the notice prepared for Ye by his attorneys, which, according to Anand is par for the course with most partnerships of this nature. “These are very standard legal proceedings that are usually worked out,” he said, also noting that Ye’s airing out of the particulars in public may make the situation seem more complicated than it actually is.
What of all the trademarks Ye has been filing over the past few months? Sharp-eyed fans have noticed that Ye has been racking up trademark applications, aiming for everything from YEEZUS-branded amusement parks and NFTs to toys and more — items that are far removed from the purvey of his standard clothes and shoes — as well as more straightforward marks for apparel. Sadly, we’re not likely to see a YEEZY rollercoaster any time soon. “A lot of people like to discuss Ye’s latest trademark filings and it looks like there are a hundred different product categories,” says Anand. “It’s very standard for attorneys who are filing trademarks to submit a mass list of categories just in case the client wants to enter that field one day.” Anad also noted that trademark applicants only have a limited amount of time to put their filings into “commerce,” so eventually the wide trademark list will be whittled down.
Maybe it’s not worth fretting or about what’s next for Ye and adidas, Ye and GAP, or Ye’s solo business ventures. Maybe it’s better to just enjoy the ride and use it as a learning experience. “Personally, I think this is extremely educational for everyone,” said Anand. “It’s rare we get to see behind-the-scenes stuff like this. This is a high-level lesson for up-and-coming designers and creators. If you aspire to have deals of the magnitude that Ye does, you now know what they look like — and how difficult they can be to carry out.”
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