French label A.P.C. drops collaboration with US creative collective Brain Dead

By

Chenu Alexis

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Sep 16, 2019

French mixed-gender label A.P.C. began the ‘Interaction’ project by teaming up with rapper Kid Cudi last December. In July, the project continued with Suzanne Koller, and a few days ago the label unveiled the first collection developed with US art and design collective Braid Dead.

Jean Touitou, who once again became A.P.C.’s sole owner a few months ago, picked the Los Angeles-based collective, made up of, in their own words, “artists and designers from the four corners of the world,” and inspired from its inception by a post-punk, skateboarding and comic-strip aesthetic, to launch a capsule collection of printed t-shirts and assorted streetwear.
 
According to Jean Touitou, “the collaboration isn’t just a matter of redesigning [A.P.C.’s] logo, but of playing around with the script of an imaginary film entitled ‘Future Shock’.” The outcome is a collection of some 20 items, at once street-inspired and geeky, when not plain wacky, including hoodies with the ‘Future Shock’ logo, a Japanese denim jacket with printed lettering from the fictional film’s script, a workwear-style gilet, t-shirts, tote bags and a pair of sneakers in calfskin and reflective material, all currently available at A.P.C. stores and online.

The Brain Dead collective was founded by designers Kyle Ng and Ed Davis in 2004, and made a name for itself with its psychedelic prints and streetwear style, which spawned collaborations with brands like Converse, Reebok and Carhartt. Its apparel collections are available on the collective’s e-shop and at select multibrand retailers, like Dover Street Market and Graduate in France.