Maybe you noticed the sudden influx of kids rocking fashionable outfits in New York City and thought nothing of it since there was a BTS concert at Citi Field, the New Yorker Festival, and New York Comic Con all occurring simultaneously. I can tell you they probably did not attend any of the three events, but instead showed up at the first annual Hypefest, which was organized by the multimedia publication Hypebeast. Hypefest took place in DUMBO, Brooklyn this past weekend, October 6-7, from 12-10 p.m. Many brands and sponsors participated in this event, such as A-COLD-WALL*, Adidas Originals, Awake NY, BAPE, Diesel, G-SHOCK, Lacoste, Marcelo Burlon, Moncler x Palm Angels, Heron Preston, Puma, and Undercover. Hypefest is meant to be a convention of culture, but more importantly an experience of art, creativity, fashion, music, and more. Kevin Ma, founder and CEO of Hypebeast (founded in 2005), said in a public message, “Culture and learning shouldn’t have a price attached to it. I will personally cover the cost of tickets to make Hypefest a free experience for all” (@kevinma, Instagram). However, on the other side of the country, it costs $125 for a one-day general admission pass and $300 for the VIP experience at ComplexCon, which was organized by media empire Complex. So I appreciate the anti-capitalistic mindset Ma brought to the table while forming this event, and acknowledge that the ability to learn more about culture should be available to all at no cost. Tickets sold out almost immediately on Tuesday, September 17, at 12 p.m. The VIP two-day ticket pass was gone instantly. I still do not understand how I was able to obtain two general admission day passes. There were restocks of general admission tickets randomly announced on Hypebeast’s social media channels.
The committee members were Hiroshi Fujiwara and Sarah Andelman, both legendary figures in their respective fields. On the Hypefest website, Fujiwara is listed as, “The godfather of the ura-harajuku fashion scene. His fragment design imprint continues to drop collaborations with global brands including Louis Vuitton, Moncler, Nike, and more. His expertise, knowledge, and foresight of cultural trends is unrivaled within the industry.” In addition, Andelman is listed as, “the creative director of colette, the multi-label concept store in Paris from 1997 to 2017. She is famed for discerning fashion edits and curating an exclusive mix of lifestyle products. She now runs “Just An Idea,” a consulting company building bridges between disciplines” (hypefest.com).
On the first day, I got to the venue around 1 p.m. and waited in line for about 45 minutes. Security was really tight, and once we verified our tickets at registration and passed the security check, we boarded a shuttle bus that took us to the actual venue. The second day, I got there right at noon and waited in line for less than 10 minutes. Listening to people talk about their favorite brands, what merchandise they wanted to buy, and what installations to visit was really interesting. No cash was allowed and all transactions were handled through Google Pay or Apple Pay. Gourmet food vendors were in food trucks along the second pavilion. I was not able to get much food since I was too busy running around catching events and people, but the grilled cheese sandwich I tried was the bomb. There was a DJ set up on the main stage that continuously played music which is most likely on your playlist already, good vibes only. Renowned graffiti artists such as Futura, STASH, and Kevin Lyons held live art displays and autographed people’s merchandise. Adidas Originals hosted a customization workshop for people to design their own clothes and shoes. Pieces from the Adidas archives, immersive art, design installation, and limited ZX merchandise was also available to explore. There was a Pokemon and Thunderbolt Project booth, organized by Hiroshi Fujiwara, that gave out free bags and stickers to Pokemon trainers that were above level 25. There were so many people trying to get into that booth that security was called to control the crowd. My favorite booths were from Sacai (Japanese brand that will be dropping a hybrid collection with Nike in early 2019), MAINS (contemporary brand founded by grime rapper Skepta), The VINYL by Beats by Dre, and Hiroshi Fujiwara (listening experience with vinyl records).
Among the merchandise exclusive to Hypefest, the ones that caught my eye were the Adidas Never Made collection which includes the I-5923 4D silhouette, BAPE Ape Head tee, Neighborhood x BBC tees, Off-White Rimowa See Through Case White & Black suitcases (costing $1700, a considerable amount that did not stop other people from frantically refreshing their Hypefest apps to try and cop), Nike Dunk SB Low Girls Don’t Cry, and the 2019 Akira calendar. I was also busy participating in the GOAT Nice Shoes Photo Challenge, which prompted people to take pictures of 12 of the year’s most hyped sneakers: Adidas Yeezy 500 Utility Black, Jordan 4 Retro Travis Scott Cactus Jack, Adidas Yeezy 700 Wave Runner OG, Air Max 1 Parra (2018), Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Zebra, Off-White Jordan 1 Retro High University Blue, Nike React Element 87 “Sail Light Bone,” Air Max 1/97 Sean Wotherspoon, Air Presto Acronym “Racer Pink,” Jordan 1 Retro High Nigel Sylvester, Air Presto Off-White “Black.” Two winners were picked per shoe. Only Hypefest attendees could participate within the geofence. Although I did not win any of the listed shoes, it was a fun experience actively looking for shoes on the feet of attendees and casually asking them for permission to take pictures. Seeing so many other rare sneakers and grails reminded me of the global community that has quickly formed around the rise of streetwear. In an age of declining brick-and-mortar store locations, it was exciting to see throngs of young people reaching out to brands and learning about the different aspects of fashion. There were so many flashy ensembles and sneaker grails that it was hard to keep my mind straight even standing still. Calculating the prices for each piece of the outfit was a mind-boggling exercise in of itself. Shopping was not just about making yourself look better; it became an elevated art form at Hypefest. Clearly, with the right combination of hype and good product, our generation is still willing to experiment with new trends that inform our own culture.
I also enjoyed the talks during the convention as well. Talk 3 and Talk 4 on Saturday were definitely the highlights of the Hypetalks. Jeff Staple, founder of Staple Design, moderated the talks. For Talk 3, Josh Luber, CEO of StockX, Arun Gupta, CEO of Grailed, OG Ma, owner of NYC contemporary fashion and streetwear store Unique Hype, and Leo Rodriguez, Adidas regional manager of North America, all sat down for a conversation on the resell market called “Reinventing Resell.” One of the more interesting concepts was the idea that the secondary market could work directly with the primary suppliers such as Nike and Adidas, similar to the way Stubhub is the official fan-to-fan ticket marketplace for MLB. For Talk 4, Errolson Hugh, co-founder of ACRONYM, John Elliott, founder of the eponymous brand, Matthew Williams, founder of 1017 ALYX 9SM, Nigel Sylvester, professional BMX rider, and Hiroshi Fujiwara, legendary founder of fragment design, sat down discussing the “Art of Collaboration.” The five men have in common a working relationship with Nike shoes: Air Presto Acronym, Air Vapormax Moc 2 Acronym, Lunar Force 1 Low Acronym, LeBron Icon John Elliott White, Nike Vandal High John Elliott, Air Force 1 John Elliott White, Nike x MMW Vapor Street Flyknit, Nike x MMW Zoom Fly (Friends and Family editions limited to 50 pairs worldwide), Air Force 1 High ALYX (white and black), Nike Dunk SB High Nigel Sylvester “S.O.M.P.,” Jordan 1 Retro High Nigel Sylvester, and Jordan 1 Retro Fragment. Talk 4 on Sunday was great as well. For Talk 2, Minya Oh and Jonah Hill would have talked about Hill’s upcoming movie written and directed by him, “Mid 90s.” Talk 2 would have been great, but it unfortunately got cancelled last minute. For Talk 4, Jaden Smith, multi-hyphenated creative, Heron Preston, founder of his eponymous brand, and Maya Penn, founder of Maya’s Ideas, sat down to talk about “Sustaining Sustainability.” Without the education aspect, everything there would have just been a commodity and not an opportunity to promote the culture. I was able to listen to the panelists answer questions from the audience and afterwards briefly talk with the panelists individually.
Jaden Smith, Sheck Wes, Trippie Redd, and A Boogie wit da Hoodie all performed during Hypefest. Jaden Smith was primarily at Hypefest to promote his collaboration with G-STAR RAW, but then started rapping his songs later in the day onstage. Sheck Wes, coming off hot after the release of his debut album Mudboy, appeared as a surprise guest late Saturday night and certainly stole the show by leading a riotous performance. Travis Scott, Action Bronson, and Gucci Mane showed up to Hypefest and visited several booths although the artists did not perform onstage. Regarding Travis Scott, I have never seen so many fans enthusiastically reacting to his presence. He was the guest on SNL the day before, but I never assumed he would show up here. The power of celebrity proved itself in the form of Astroworld merchandise and Travis Scott and Nike silhouettes. I was disappointed he did not perform, but I still saw him in person so I guess that counts for something. Stylist Aleali May, Jonah Hill and Youtube sneaker reviewer Brad Hall made unannounced appearances as well. A Boogie wit da Hoodie appeared as a surprise guest Sunday night. Trippie Redd performed songs off his recently released debut album, Life’s a Trip. A-Trak, Ed Banger Record’s Busy P, No Vacancy Inn, Benji B, Heron Preston, Onyx Collective, Venus X, Taco, Siobhan Bell, and more played music at DJ sets during Hypefest. Overall, I had a good time during the two days I went, and I would definitely go again. The one thing that did not live up to my expectations was the Wi-Fi and cellular service, but I guess that was to be expected for an event that housed anywhere between 10,000 and 15,000 attendees. On a more positive note, I was surprised by the total openness and approachability of all the attendees and designers. Hypefest gave me a glimpse into the power of kindness, the enthusiasm demonstrated by the community, and the welcoming atmosphere of the culture. Shoutout to Kevin Ma and Hypebeast for organizing this free event and doing it for the culture.
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