serious wapanese - season 0
A serious student of fashion drops some knowledge of his own…
Serious Wapanese - Season 0
In the spring of 2011 I spent a week or so crashing in the clubhouse like apartment located on North Damen Avenue behind Chicago's legendary
. I've actually crashed there few times, but this time wasn't the same because among the assorted characters I met hanging there, one was a little different. I became instant friends with this soft spoken, introspective French kid named Mehdi Chabane, who had random tattoos scrawled on him and a penchant for all things Drake. I remember the night
Watch the Throne
dropped and I found out it was actually Kanye, Virgil, and Don C who had requested the young Parisian's presence in Chicago. It was that week that I was made aware of Chabane's alter ego
Serious Wapanese
, as he also ran a Tumblr of the same name, but it wasn't until later that I learned that he was "kind of a big deal."
I stayed in contact with the Serious Wapanese CEO and when I was asked to have some friends participate in the
, of course we asked Chabane to get involved. It was a super radical moment when A$AP Rocky dropped his name in his track "Hell" last year, and needless to say the Serious Wapanese fan base has grown and continues to.
What nobody knew (but we all should have probably guessed) is that this whole cult following for a blog and aesthetic curation was just a study, a greater mood board, for what would eventually become a fashion brand. The time spent working in various internationally renowned boutiques, going for broke investing in high end pieces, traveling the world to study from those with experience...it was just Serious University--a next level education.
This spring Serious Wapanese culminates years of studies and references in culture and inspiration to launch his first streetwear capsule, echoing to the concept of “SEASON 0.” The first items (long tee, snapback, bucket hat) are designed keeping the DNA of Serious Wapanese : strong iconography and cultural mix. The aesthetics mix the Japanese alphabet, game of materials, US volumes and French manufacturing; declining this eclecticism under several forms.
For this SEASON 0, phosphorescent fabrics, ingenious prints, codes games, are all winks to the discretion concept dear to Serious. While a lookbook and complete launch is in the wings, the journey to building the brand is tucked in the blog
and photos of beautiful Pariasn girls in the clothing can be found on the Instagram
. I'm looking forward to everything Serious Wapanese-related, simply for the fact that the whole brand and concept are helmed by an individual who's taken the time to study and pay his dues...it's only just the beginning.
