have we lost the plot?
how far have we fallen from the concept of what makes “streetwear” fun and the practices in streetwear that keep things fresh
i was sent this cease and desist recently for the last OTA drop - fully complied with everything so that’s that.
to me and many others, what makes the concept of streetwear “fun” is the disruptiveness and things that start dialogues to get the community talking - whether good or bad
so imagine my surprise when another STREETWEAR brand sent me a cease & desist.
all designs in STREETWEAR are references of references in all aspects … flipping familiar motifs in new ways - all of your favorite streetwear brands do it. all the GREAT streetwear brands do it.
hardly anything is “original” anymore - and that’s ok
we are a small family owned shop / brand trying to make noise and be disruptive - the same basis that all major streetwear brands have gone thru at one point.
the bigger conversation at hand i feel is the old guard vs new generation - something that’s present in all avenues, not just streetwear
i’m not old enough to be an “OG” but i’m seasoned enough to not be considered “new generation” either. i’ve been around and aware of this scene since birth and i got plenty of people older and younger than me that can vouch for that.
i’ve done no where near enough as these OG’s nor do I claim to have done more.
but i’m 28 years old now, opened a store in a city / state that i’m not from, and built my own community from the ground up for the past 10 years (not slowing down either)
i’ve seen a lot in this game but it goes to show how much the times have changed.
in the famous words of Mark Jackson, I ask all who care
What happened to the game I love?
COMPLEXCON 3025 - OTA OTX BOYZ SHORELINE MAFIA
a project my team & i have been working on behind the scenes for the whole year & i’m happy we finally get to share this with the world
thanks @ohgeesy & team for trusting me to put this all together 🤞🏼
thanks to the OTA team for helping put this booth & experience together - countless meetings, shoots, phone calls & all
thanks to everybody from in and outta town that pulled up - the most fulfilling thing about everything i do is to be able to communicate and see the community we’ve built interacting at events like this 🫶🏻
OTA TO THE WORLD WE JUST WARMING UP
OTA JAPAN POP UPS IN A FEW WEEKS AND I’M BRINGING ALL MY FRIENDS W ME. THESE LAST FEW MONTHS HAVE CHANGED MY LIFE AND I CAN’T WAIT TO SHARE EVERYTHING WE’VE BEEN WORKING ON.
MORE INFO IN THE COMING WEEKS @onthearm
FLYER DESIGN BY @healthygav
ota autumnal equinox finally out now …
thank you to all involved in the creative process to help bring this small but meaningful collection to life.
this is OTA’s 10th full cut & sew collection in 5 years. still kind of surreal that we’ve continued to be able to make full collections this far in & push the boundaries of what a resale store brand can be.
this not merch & i’m gonna keep pushing that narrative & never take the chances i have for granted
