BRANDS TO LOOK OUT FOR in 2021
Clothing is not simply clothing. Your style makes statements; it tells a story about who you are; so finding the right pieces and brands that align with who you are is a lovely feeling. Here’s a short list of brands (mainly clothing) who I dig very much and that I encourage you all to keep an eye out for in 2021.
JOEFRESHGOODS | Chicago, IL | www.JoeFreshGoods.com
The Midwest is running shit. For the better part of the past decade we’ve seen Chicago emerge and take the lead as fashion / urban culture’s mecca. From Kanye taking the fashion world by storm; then putting key CHICAGO staples in position to win; whether its DON C or VIRGIL the list goes on of influential icons waving the Chicago flag. The individual with the most organic boom in my opinion is JOE FRESHGOODS; he’s been on an absolute tear as of late; single handedly running his own race. From branching off from LEADERS; to building a reputation for constantly dropping the best collabs on the market. The NEW ERA x JF caps have turned into a daily staple of mine. His sneaker with NEW BALANCE seemed to be the unquestioned ‘SNEAKER OF 2020’ bringing a hypebeast craze to a shoe company not named JORDAN or YEEZY is quite a bar to set. The midwest capsule is amazing; storytelling and fashion colliding at its finest; I can’t wait to see what he has up his sleeve next.
ERWIN HINES | San Francisco, CA | www.byerwinhines.com
I became familiar with Erwin Hines through my Instagram algorithm. Since the untimely death of George Floyd there has been a number of voices, creatives, brands etc all using their respective platforms to make a statement. No article of clothing has been able to capture my attention quite like the designs of Erwin Hines. If I’m not mistaken, Hines wears many of hats for a number of different entities so I imagine production isn’t the only thing he’s responsible for so act fast upon the releases you never know when’s the next time you’ll be able to get your hands on something. One thing I can guarantee is that each time you step out in one of these pieces there is for sure a conversation to be had.
RIPNRPR | Los Angeles, CA | www.ripNrpr.com
One of my more prized pieces is a jacket that I was able to get from ComplexCon 2019 from the RipNRpr booth. The brand inspired by Korean propaganda culture caught my eye and just hasn’t taken their foot off the gas at all. Their latest drop puts me in the mind of Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift; paying homage to drift culture and showing love to the nostalgic Race Car jacket era that I appreciate so much. Streetwear culture is all about swapping stories and educating folks on culture; there is so many layers of history and culture woven into every piece is exactly why they’re one of my brands to keep an eye on in 2021.
UNFINISHED LEGACY | Milwaukee, WI | www.unfinishedlegacy.co
Unfinished Legacy is DOING NUMBERS! Their team has been in hyperdrive; I think the large springboard onto a much larger audience and platform was their ‘BLACK LIVES MATTER’ butterfly design T that started to surface during peaceful demonstrations stemming from George Floyd’s unfortunate public murder here in MKE. From there they’ve been more active than any brand I can think of here in the city; hosting a ton of unique and outside the box pop-up shops and interactive events that allow folks to customize and press up 1 of 1 pieces. Being featured in Vogue magazine really was a huge deal and well deserves; a very clean aesthetic. Their Levi 501 collaboration is sure to turn heads. Excited to see what’s next for them.
REED ART DEPARTMENT | New York, NY | www.ReedArtDepartment.com
REED Art Department is far more than just a clothing brand. Founded by one of my favorites in the Streetwear culture, JEFF STAPLE, he’s leading a coalition of designers, creatives, and overall dope individuals and using his network and talents as an agency to amplify other dope creatives, brands, and overall dope people. Just based on the intersectionality of those involved, I’m anticipating some top tier collabs moving forward; but until then lets just appreciate the storytelling and connecting that Reed Art Department will be responsible for.
STUSSY | Laguna Beach, CA | www.stussy.com
In all honesty, Streetwear culture has been under attack for a number of years. I’m not here to point the blame at re-sellers, DIY culture, hypebeasts, gentrification or whitewashing of the culture, microwave society; I’m not even blaming Virgil Abloh, it doesn’t matter; but the reality of it is there is a shift happening. Streetwear is merging with high-fashion and the brands that we’ve fell in love with are having a harder time staying relevant like they once were. One brand that has never wavered in my eyes is STUSSY. Never got too loud; never swayed too far from the original course, and still putting out some of the best quality pieces and still getting kudos from the public everytime you step out in it. If it works; keep doing it.
