LA-based artist Joshua Vides has teamed up with BAPE to release a collaborative collection comprised of apparel, footwear, home goods, and accessories.
Vides has become known for his sketch-like style, which he first introduced in 2017 when he posted a flick of an all-white Air Force 1 customized with a black marker. Vides then took this “Reality to Idea” concept and applied it to other silhouettes and objects, leading to a gain in popularity and official collaborations with the likes of Converse, PUMA, and New Balance.
The collection by BAPE and Joshua Vides features the ROAD STA in the same style as that Air Force 1 from 2017, dressed in all-white with outlines on each panel that are made to look like they were done in black marker. A custom APE HEAD graphic featuring Vides’ blurred dot pattern is applied to the insoles, and every pair comes in a custom black box. There is also a signed and numbered special box version limited to 100 that comes with an outer wooden box cut from A Grade Baltic Birch.
On the apparel side, Vides has also put his own touch on BAPE’s APE HEAD and COLLEGE logos, which are found on short-sleeve and long-sleeve tees as well as crewnecks in white and black colorways. Other items feature a green camo print overlaid with a white blurred dot pattern: sweatshorts, a mesh cap, bucket hat, mini shoulder bag, and cushion. The sketch style has also been applied to a BABY MILO vinyl figure, which will come signed and numbered out of 200 if ordered from Joshua Vides’ online store. Rounding out the collection are the home goods: a mug, plate, rug, and ashtray.
As a student of streetwear culture, this collaboration is major milestone for Vides. He explains in a heartfelt caption on Instagram:
“You probably know me as an Artist who’s produced and worked on some major projects or designed your best friends sneakers. That’s the now. But before I picked up a paint brush, I was a streetwear brand owner. If you would have asked me what I wanted to be in High School, it was exactly that. My entire existence and book of knowledge revolved around the pioneers and history of what streetwear is. Name the blog or forum from the early 2000’s and I was deep in the trenches arguing about the latest drops from Stussy to Supreme to The Hundreds to Bape. To this day I could see a T-Shirt and tell you what season and year it dropped and what shoes it matched ( please test me ). Streetwear was my everything and to this day, still runs in my blood stream and if you’re lucky might even catch me arguing about a new release thru an alias. Since Bape was created, only a handful of Artists have had the opportunity to recreate the infamous Bape Camo or even touch their footwear. Somehow, I’ve reached a point in my career where I’ve been thrown the keys to arguably one of the most iconic streetwear brands of all time. 20 years ago I was just a fan. A student in a small classroom filled with others who foamed at the mouth for exclusivity in what was then, a small world. Today, I’m still a fan. But now, I stand as one of the few Artists to join their infamous roster of collaborators. BAPE….. X …… ME! What a trip man.”
The BAPE x Joshua Vides collection launches Thursday, March 14th on reality-to-idea.com, followed by a release at A BATHING APE stores and BAPE.com on Saturday, March 16th. Check out the lookbook photos below.
Lookbook:
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