Brain Dead clothing, or sharing tastes and inspirations
Constantly gaining notoriety since its inception in 2014, Brain Dead clothing is a Los Angeles-based streetwear brand that has managed to set itself apart by offering a much more abstract version of the famous graphic tees by implementing a casual yet provocative style. Kyle Ng and Ed Davis, co-founder of the brand, take great care to stay true to themselves as they create.
They do not define the Brain Dead style but consider that it changes and renews itself according to the ideas and inspirations of the two artists. Because it is necessary to know that the duo is passionate about old things and collects objects in mass to feed their imagination.
“Brain Dead started with the idea of showcasing things that Ed and I were into. We love art, music, cult cinema, rare printed ephemera, anything illicit, handmade toys and weird stuff in general. We wanted to create a platform to create and manage projects and products related to our world. It’s really just stuff for us. We didn’t realize that other people were going to be so into it. ”
A RAW number, an old Japanese Penthouse and the magic can happen within the gold mine that is the young designer’s apartment. He used to collect all kinds of magazines, prints, old furniture and stuffed animals.
The subculture, the logic of taking it as it comes, makes sense through the clothes of the two designers. They think it’s a pure chance, but the magic really works because many are the praises of the fashion world towards the emergence of Brain Dead.
“We are Brain Dead”, collaborations that speak for themselves
The Workwear World
Stylistically memorable and atypical, Ed and Kyle tried their hand at workwear in a collaboration with Carhartt for the SS18 collection. A capsule in which they had immersed reinterpretations of the biggest classics of the brand of utility clothing. In this capsule collection, the two labels had each bet on their respective strengths: on the one hand the made in Carhartt with its recognized solidity and on the other the power of Brain Dead clothing graphics.
We find the timeless overalls and work pants crossed with pop and post punk influences. A mixture that creates a very interesting contrast with pastel colors green, purple, blue and yellow. A game on transparency with the jackets that depict a capsule collection under the sign of eccentricity.
In a completely anti-establishment approach (recurring message of the brand), the two Californians have also collaborated with the New York artist Clay Arlington. The Californian duo offered us a collection “prison sculptures“, including a jacket, a round-neck sweatshirt and jogging in sober colors, with heavy prints. A real highlight of fine and pure illustrations, carefully arranged on each side of the different pieces.
Brain Dead x Converse, the arrival in the big league
More significant of the approval of the fashion world, the label Braindead has proven itself with very diverse collaborations. We can for example talk about the famous cooperation with Converse on the model of the timeless Chuck Taylor, redesigned to recall all the stages of the evolution of these shoes. We then move to an aesthetic mixing the first camouflage patterns, animal, polka dots and not forgetting the famous American flag, patriotic print that had been a hit at its release in 1991.
The logo of the emerging youth on one side, that of the founders on the other and here we are with the Brain Dead x Converse. A collection that was later completed with a hoodie, another with a high collar, a satchel and a shoulder bag. Released on October 26, 2018, this collaboration with Brook Bergland (design director of Converse Apparel) was not only a springboard for the notoriety of the brand of Kyle and Ed but also propelled them to other “big brothers” of the field.
A brand that constantly renews itself
In its airs of confrontation with the hype, Brain Dead likes to renew itself constantly and does not hesitate to explore new tracks, whether between Kyle and Ed or with other creators. Eccentricity and dissidence are the watchwords of the Californian factory which always gives itself new ambitions in order to perfect its graphic style and its heterogeneity with the mainstream of the trend.
With this new SS19 collection, Brain Dead reinforces this idea by offering us varied, colorful and technical styles from the most classic hoodie shape to pin-up jackets and beautiful unstructured button-down fleeces.
“Brain Dead has grown in a really organic way. I’m happy with the way it’s going. My partner Ed Davis and I started it with the idea that it could be a sandbox where we could create and explore ideas in all facets of culture. I think the fact that we’re not trying to go the conventional fashion route allows us to capture the attention of some of the larger retailers and customers.”