BLACK SCALE SPRING 2017
"The goal for Black Scale is to evoke emotions and to create topics of discussion through our designs and to encourage the consumer to leave no stone unturned when searching for one’s own truth."
I recently read the statement "The key to happiness and success in life: don't read the comments section" This is particularly good advice since we've crashed head on into the era of Post Truth and Fake News. One of the most undesirable comments sections, outside of the likes of Twitter and Facebook, has to be on Hypebeast. Unfortunately in a moment of weakness I caved to the pressure after reading about Black Scale's latest collection and ended up feeling compelled to write this post.
I think my first exposure to Black Scale was through an early collaboration with the Soul Assassins. The dark imagery, west coast origins and affiliations resonated with me. They've been on my peripheral ever since.
With relatively little noise the brand are celebrating their tenth anniversary which is a great accomplishment but I'd say even more so in street-wear. That they've maintained their core identity (just don't call it street-goth) whilst maturing and evolving is no doubt key to their success. Another is the fact that they've collaborated with a number of brands they consider friends including Diamond, HUF, Mighty Healthy, Staple, Us Versus Them, SSUR to name just a few. In turn this has lead to working with the more globally renowned brands like Burton, adidas, Stussy, A Bathing Ape and Reebok.
The brand are working on some special projects as part of the anniversary but I'm interested more in some core pieces from the Spring collection. Some of the criticism aimed at the brand is their continued use of camouflage. Insert sound bite of Trump saying "Wrong" here. A military aesthetic is generally ever present in street-wear and even crosses over to luxury fashion on occasion. Admittedly it's possible to get it wrong, but their use of woodland and tiger camo is sound.I'm too old I've no need for the on trend destroyed tee or long sleeve so my picks would be the scarf and accessory tray. I'm a big fan of the fishtail parkas and pullover hoody (all three colours) however and believe them to be ageless.
Another aspect of Black Scale that I admire is their proclivity to working with artists both aspiring and established. For example their use of the 'Devil's Rebirth' design created by UK artist Rebel Yüth a couple years back, to their continued relationship with Mexican artist and illustrator Golgo on apparel and accessories.
No brand is exempt from criticism, even stalwarts of street-wear like Stussy and A Bathing Ape have been accused of losing their way in the eyes of an often fickle and more recently celebrity obsessed fast-fashion Instagram audience. For some to suggest that the brand has somehow fallen off, well I don't see any examples of that. With their online and physical presence intact and no shortage of peers wanting to work with them they're only getting stronger.
For those that wish to know more about the brand there is a good interview on The Hundreds Blog with co-founder Michael “Mega” Yabut which gives insight on where the brand has come from and where it and perhaps street-wear in general is going.
-Bossman75
With relatively little noise the brand are celebrating their tenth anniversary which is a great accomplishment but I'd say even more so in street-wear. That they've maintained their core identity (just don't call it street-goth) whilst maturing and evolving is no doubt key to their success. Another is the fact that they've collaborated with a number of brands they consider friends including Diamond, HUF, Mighty Healthy, Staple, Us Versus Them, SSUR to name just a few. In turn this has lead to working with the more globally renowned brands like Burton, adidas, Stussy, A Bathing Ape and Reebok.
The brand are working on some special projects as part of the anniversary but I'm interested more in some core pieces from the Spring collection. Some of the criticism aimed at the brand is their continued use of camouflage. Insert sound bite of Trump saying "Wrong" here. A military aesthetic is generally ever present in street-wear and even crosses over to luxury fashion on occasion. Admittedly it's possible to get it wrong, but their use of woodland and tiger camo is sound.
Another aspect of Black Scale that I admire is their proclivity to working with artists both aspiring and established. For example their use of the 'Devil's Rebirth' design created by UK artist Rebel Yüth a couple years back, to their continued relationship with Mexican artist and illustrator Golgo on apparel and accessories.
No brand is exempt from criticism, even stalwarts of street-wear like Stussy and A Bathing Ape have been accused of losing their way in the eyes of an often fickle and more recently celebrity obsessed fast-fashion Instagram audience. For some to suggest that the brand has somehow fallen off, well I don't see any examples of that. With their online and physical presence intact and no shortage of peers wanting to work with them they're only getting stronger.
For those that wish to know more about the brand there is a good interview on The Hundreds Blog with co-founder Michael “Mega” Yabut which gives insight on where the brand has come from and where it and perhaps street-wear in general is going.
-Bossman75