FRESH KICKS: NIKE

After teasing exclusive iterations of the Kwondo 1 for his friends and family earlier this month, G-Dragon has finally announced the official release date of his collaborative pair with Nike under his label, PEACEMINUSONE.

Inspired by taekwondo, G-Dragon’s legal name and the Swoosh’s “Just Do It” slogan, the Kwondo 1 features an all-white leather upper with brogue details taken from the Nike Tiempo and classic golf shoes. The lacing system comes with a detachable cover, allowing you to wear the footwear style in two different ways. Rounding off the design is PEACEMINUSONE’s signature daisy logo on the heels and soles. “I want to feel free with the way I wear and style clothes, in addition to everything else that I do,” G-Dragon shares in a press release. “I hope that people can overcome stereotypes and feel free in their own way by wearing the Kwondo 1.”

PEACEMINUSONE x Nike’s Kwondo 1 will be available via Nike SNKRS and select major retailers on December 3.

Nike and Swarovski add another collaboration to their impressive roster, joining forces on a truly unique Air Force 1 Low available in “Triple White” and “Triple Black” colorways. The monochromatic designs come decked out with avant-garde bejeweled overlays secured with large screws. Each pair comes with an etched “NIKE AIR FORCE 1” screwdriver to remove the panels, offering a customizable take on the style.

The pair follows the jaw-dropping Cactus Plant Flea Market Dunk and Swarovski x Nike Air Max 97. Fingers crossed this partnership crosses over into Jordan Brand. Swarovski Jordan 1s, anyone?

Take a closer look at the Swarovski AF1 in the gallery above and stay tuned for more details on the official release.The Nike Air Force 1 Utility offers wearers the functionality of a winter boot with the look of a sneaker. Nike‘s latest take on the hybrid silhouette is a muted women’s exclusive, offering a chic take on the winterized model.

Dressed in creamy beige and pure white, the Nike Air Force 1 High Utility “Light Bone” has a synthetic leather upper and Velcro strap at the collar. It also features a taller midsole and improved traction thanks to a serrated outsole.

While no official release date has been announced, shoppers can expect to see the “Light Bone” AF1 High Utility to release at Nike stockists in the next few weeks. It follows a dusty “Arctic Pink” iteration released this fall.

GAME AND FASHION: DRESS YOUR 'FORTNITE' AVATAR IN THE LATEST 6 MONCLER 1017 ALYX 9SM DROP

Moncler has joined forces with Epic Games to make its 6 MONCLER 1017 ALYX collectionavailable on Fortnite. Designed by Matthew Williams, the fashion and gaming crossover arrives as part of the French brand’s Genius line.

Available outfits include the Moncler Classic Set in “Andre” and “Renee,” which can be accessorized with the Umbra-Tube Back Bling, Umbra-Axe Pickaxe and Para-Pluie Glider. Players can choose between dark and light styles, or opt for the reactive version, which changes colors as they reach higher altitudes within the game. The collaboration also features “The Summit” Loading Screen.

“It’s been very interesting working with the team at Epic and Moncler to bring the 6 MONCLER 1017 ALYX 9SM collection to life inside a vibrant digital space like Fortnite,” Williams shares in a press release. “The new 6 MONCLER 1017 ALYX 9SM collection celebrates when light meets the dark, the collaboration with Fortnite explores this concept in completely new ways. Digital materials do not follow the rules of the physical world, allowing us to be more creative with these new in-game reactive outfits, they transition from light to dark depending on the altitude of the player inside the game.”

Fortnite players can head to the in-game Item Shop to get their hands on the virtual collection from November 20 at 7 p.m. CET (1 p.m. ET).

SAINT LAURENT DROPS SURFBOARD AND ELECTRIC BIKE FOR LATEST RIVE DROITE COLLECTION///ENJOY "THE HEAT" WITH SAINT LAURENT'S LATEST RIVE DROITE DROP

For its latest Rive Droite release, Saint Laurent has designed a collection of items ranging from surfboards to electric bikes.

Titled “The Ride,” the drop is led by a limited-edition collaboration between the fashion house and electric bicycle brand SUPER73. The SUPER73-S2 bike arrives in all-black with Saint Laurent branding added for contrast. The piece is accompanied by black helmets in leather, matte and glossy finishes, which are adorned with star motifs throughout.

Elsewhere, Anthony Vaccarello has teamed up with K-Way for a color-blocked bomber jacket with tiger print detailing on the back. In water sports, the designer has created an exclusive surfboard with UWL highlighted with a burnt wood effect. The board arrives alongside a black Sooruzwetsuit.

Priced from $115 to $8,000 USD, “The Ride” collection is now available online and at Saint Laurent Rive Droite’s boutiques in Paris and Los Angeles.

Following a Jean-Michel Basquiat-themed range, Anthony Vaccarello is now back with another Rive Droite drop for Saint Laurent. Celebrating the hot sunny days, “The Heat” capsule features must-have fashion and lifestyle goods for the summer season.

Standouts include a New Era logo cap and pink-tinted visor hat, as well as a palm tree and heart-shaped float and cup holder. Those headed to the beach can get their hands on the “VHS Sunset” skimboard and store all essentials in the striped raffia bag. In lifestyle, the luxury brand has created vases, cups, towels and more adorned with mosaic patterns and panther motifs.

Peep the collection above, and head to Saint Laurent’s web store to shop the products. The range is also available at the label’s offline Rive Droite locations in Paris and Los Angeles.

ART: Witness Cao Fei's Groundbreaking Films at Sprüth Magers

Sprüth Magers Los Angeles is showcasing a solo exhibition by Chinese artist and filmmaker, Cao Fei. Born in Guangzhou and based in Beijing, Fei’s multimedia projects reflect on people who have come to terms with both the perils and possibilities of an industrialized and hyperconnected world. 

Caught between fantasy and reality, Fei’s everyday characters largely reference China’s working-class amidst the nation’s rapid expansion and changing urban environment. On view at the gallery are a number of Fei’s films, including her two most recent — Nova (2019) and Asia One (2018). 

Nova follows a scientist who is tasked with a secretive international mission. In one of the tests, he accidentally turns his son into a digital version of himself, eternally trapping him into cyberspace. The film is a startling reflection of our current age in which individuals live in a state of flux — constantly navigating through past, present and future.

Although Asia One is future-facing, it is coincidentally set in the year 2021. The premise of the film focuses on two workers and a robot who are left alone in a massive automated logistics center. The work is both lonesome and monotonous, but through playful fantasy, the characters begin to depict the merging of human emotion and artificial intelligence. 

To accompany the screenings are a series of photographic stills and installations that were part of the film sets from Nova and Asia One. Cao Fei is on view at Sprüth Magers LA until December 22.

In other art news, Ellsworth Kelly’s lesser-known collages are the subject of a new book.

Sprüth Magers
5900 Wilshire Blvd,
Los Angeles, CA 90036

WU - GHOST FACE, ODB, REAKWON #ARTBYSKIP

 

‘The Harder They Fall’ Tells the Story of Black Western Culture Through Costume

Jeymes Samuel’s The Harder They Fall made its Netflix debut on November 3 and tells the story of retribution and revenge through the lens of Black cowboys in the 19th century American West. Though the story is fictional, the film based its character portrayals on legendary Black historical figures and employed a star-studded cast that includes Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Jonathan Majors, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler, Delroy Lindo, Danielle Deadwyler and more.

The prevalence of Black cowboys was the result of freed slaves who migrated from the South to the American West, with historians estimating that 1 in 4 cowboys was Black, according to the Smithsonian Magazine. Following the Civil War, being a cowboy was one of the few jobs open to Black men and there was an increased demand for workers skilled in herding cattle. Aside from farming jobs, freed slaves sought out the West as a means of freedom.

“The West represented this idea that you could create your own future as a Black person in that time,” fashion and costume historian Shelby Ivey Christie told HYPEBEAST at a screening of the film in New York.

To paint the picture of Black Western culture in The Harder They Fall, costume designer Antoinette Messam reflected on what the many characters would have looked like during that time, and how their costumes could help tell their stories. From consulting with The Brooklyn Circus’ creative director Ouigi Theodore, who has roots in Caribbean and American cowboy culture, to working with a range of luxury designers like Golden Goose, perfecting the portrayal was a core part of creating the film.

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“I didn’t grow up knowing this culture even existed,” Messam told HYPEBEAST. “Even though my background is fashion before film, and I took history, this history was not something that anyone shared with me exactly.” Messam said she consulted with other designers to craft costumes that were both historically accurate but also featured a signature “flair and swagger.”

For Theodore, the film’s costumes presented the opportunity to flip the script on what people usually associate with cowboy culture. “Hollywood has always painted Western culture and owning horses or being in that culture as something that was white. It was also something reserved only for the wealthy, but it was actually the reverse for us as a people.”

Costume design was also crucial for conveying unspoken details about a character’s personality. For example, when Zazie Beets’ character, Mary Fields a.k.a. Stagecoach Mary, made her first appearance in the film, she wears a red Victorian dress with a corset, side leg slit and a black top hat. Field’s powerful ensemble not only highlighted her independence but also showcased the importance of saloon women during that time.

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Based on figures like Nat Love, Rufus Buck, Mary Fields, Gertrude Smith and more, the film’s power lies in its efforts to showcase both the history of Black Western culture in the United States and its modern-day implications.

“Black cowboy culture is counterculture,” said Ouigi Theodore.

Produced by JAY-Z, The Harder They Fall is now streaming on Netflix.