Take a deep dive into our 2020 collaboration with one of Japan's most iconic street style and fashion magazines, FRUiTS. Starting in 1997, Shoichi Aoki went on a mission to capture what the youth and people of Tokyo's Harajuku prefecture were wearing in the streets. As a result from his dedication, FRUiTS Magazine was born and has been running (to some capacity) ever since.
I was first introduced to FRUiTS back in 2014 while working with famed women's streetwear brand Hellz Bellz (HLZBLZ). Lanie (Miss Lawn if you're a real one), had a bunch of copies and I was immediately hooked. Being able to bring it full circle and collaborate with such an iconic force in the fashion world was truly a dream come true. Here's how it all went down.
We met Shoichi Aoki at ComplexCon 2018. Our booths were near each other and he had a wall of film photos that if you were smart enough to ask, he would let you pick one and stamp it with his signature. I knew I had to hover around the booth a bit so we could talk and as the weekend went on we spoke more and more. We said our goodbyes that Sunday and kept in touch. Soon after sparks of the collab started and needless to say, we did it! Below are some photos from the collection, our campaign shoot, shot by Randy Nakajima, product photos of some the tees, by a look into the official collaborative FRUiTS issue we did, as well as some graphics that didn't end up making the final cut.
Haley and Tiffany shot by Randy Nakajima*
3 pieces from the Lavender x FRUiTS Magazine collection*
Our pitch to FRUiTS to let us curate an exclusive issue of the magazine.*A few excerpts from the issue itself. Limited to 100.
These were the designs that didn't make the final run. Maybe one day we'll do a part two with FRUiTS Mag and these will see the light of day. Peace!