FILMING THE WE <3 NYC COMMERCIAL AND EVERYTHING IT MEANT TO US
This is not a hot take, it’s a fact, New York City is the culture capital of America. Argue with me in the comments if you want, but I’ll probably disagree to agree if you catch my drift. New York City is the leading force for fashion and music, we start trends over here, we don’t follow them. Dapper Dan? A$AP Mob? Biggie Smalls? Pop Smoke? Supreme? Who Decides War? We got it all and then some over here. And that’s because nothing else can compare to this city.
And what better thing is there to do than to pay homage to the city that I was born in (not raised in, don’t get that twisted) ,and to the city that creates the greatest art, then with a collection completely inspired by it.
Fashion in New York is forever changing. And I fucking love that. When I’m walking around the streets of Harlem, or Soho, or the Bronx, I am endlessly inspired to create more and elevate every piece. The outfits here are on the next level. Fuck what Lil Yachty said, NYC is on top and obviously he hasn’t felt the culture here.
And music is forever changing, as well. The drill scene has absolutely taken over the streets of the city. And I have a lot to say about that, and a ton of stories to add on to it, so we will save this topic for another blog.
What I really want to touch on is the We <3 NYC Collection. Before we get started, if you haven’t seen these already, here are the designs: (available right now on our website, too)
We took all of the staple NY styles and combined them with our vintage graphics to share NYC with you through our eyes. We have a snapback, thick hoodies, crazy printed zip-ups, matching sweatpants, t-shirts, and of course, a Dickies style insulated mechanic jacket.
The message behind this collection: New York City is a city full of pain, but is a beautiful place and it is filled with resilient people. BE PROUD. The people here embody our message: no matter what you go through, you can always get the fuck back up.
This collection is alchemical, the story of it touches on the breakdown process that allows something better and stronger to rise from the ashes.
Out of all of these designs, there are three I really want to speak on, though.
It had been a while since I had been back in the city. I left this area for Boston years ago, and when I came back, I felt like I walked into something new, something different, and something that was crumbling. And I came back to a community that was rebuilding and surviving together. I came back to see a group of people that so deeply displayed their resilience. And I fell in love with the culture even more. No one can deny that violence, poverty, police brutality, and a crumbling education system are covering the city in a blanket of pain. However, the people stand the fuck back up and fight for what is right. They survive and they use their experiences to create beautiful, culture-shifting art.
The ‘Hey NY’ T-Shirt is an initial reaction to being back. The back of the shirt very overtly displays “We’re All Fucked”. I wanted the person behind you to know that we’re all fucked right now, but we’re in it together.
The Statue of Liberty design on the back of the zip-up displays the Statue of Liberty, hands in her face, horrified as buildings fall behind her and a cloud of smoke erupts from them in the shape of skulls. The imagery is aggressive to say the least, but that’s what we do here at Demon Child. We want aggressive imagery because we want you to think outside of the box. What could this design mean? And do my feelings fit that? That’s up to you. This shows the collapsing of the old city, the dismantling of what was, so that something new can begin. And the Statue of Liberty still stands, the heart and soul and connection of the people in this city still stands.
The We <3 NYC design on the back of the jacket shows the crumbled buildings with the Statue of Liberty standing tall behind them, having tamed the ominous cloud. I’m sure, by now, you can guess what we are getting at. Resilience.
We have built a very strong connection with a group of artists in the Sugarhill Historic District of Harlem. Shoutout to Rahh Young for introducing me and the team to everyone. Your work doesn’t go unnoticed Rahh, forever grateful for you. I think Rahh understood the vision. He understood that we were paying respect to the city at the center of everything and he jumped on board to help.
We needed the perfect commercial to stamp it forever in history. And we decided that following the lives of the artists in Harlem was a great way to show the world what it means to be from out here.
Working with Rahh on this project was an amazing experience. He was beyond helpful to me in my time of need and ended up directing the video while I was sick. He enlisted a fire group of artists to participate, including Bloodie, Trelly Savage, Rose Eye View, JStar Balla, and 6ix Baby, all artists that are at the heart of the current drill scene. The commercial follows them while they cop up at the deli, roll dice, and go to the studio. Everyone worked so hard to put this project together and I couldn’t be more grateful.
Shoutout to the whole Sugarhill family, you know we forever locked in. And a special appreciation goes to New York City and all of the beautiful people that live there. Keep going. Keep striving. Keep creating. The world needs us. But more importantly, the world needs YOU.
And for those who want to watch, tap the links below: