Anti Social Social Club had an Asia-exclusive drop on Sept. 15, and hopefully, this marks the first and last time I write about this brand. Anti Social Social Club ranks near the top of my least favorite brands. Yes, I will admit, I used to be a fan of its edgy aesthetic and weird slogans dripping of depression and melancholy, if you couldn’t already tell from the brand name. The slogans consist of ‘self doubts,’ ‘I miss you,’ ‘enough is enough,’ ‘everyone goes away in the end,’ ‘last time was the last time,’ and, most infamously, ‘get weird.’ The wavy logo font and graphics are uninspiring. Every collection is headlined by the same old pieces in the same old colors (pink, white, black, blue, orange, purple, camouflage) that predictably recycle the boring logo. Compared to other brands, ASSC’s price points are low and affordable, but having owned a few hoodies and T-shirts, the quality control and shipping times were too inferior to justify the prices. In addition to clothing, the brand sometimes releases accessories such as ashtrays, chairs, medical masks, incense chambers, license plate frames, riot shields, coasters, beach balls, umbrellas, and more. The poorly-designed website with unrelated titles for items and terrible customer service is another reason I am put off by ASSC, as it does not have a physical store and either sells through online drops or pop-up locations. The only form of marketing conducted by Anti Social Social Club seems to be through its lone social media outlet, Instagram. Upcoming products and girl models sourced from all over the visual platform make it on to its page. Of course, Anti Social Social Club does not follow a traditional business model, and does not even seem to have a supply chain, with founder Neek Lurk and a small group of workers primarily handling manufacturing and shipping.
ASSC has notably teamed up with A Bathing Ape, Undefeated, Neighborhood, Hello Kitty, Samsung, Jansport, mastermind JAPAN, Rimowa, Dover Street Market, Penthouse, Richardson, and Playboy for capsule collections. Overall, these collections utilized the same bland logo that defines ASSC in a pathetic attempt to stimulate consumers and induce them to make the purchase.
The only items I would consider wearing are the footwear released by the brand: Sk8-Hi Vans and Nike Air Force 1 Low released exclusively at ComplexCon (only 24 pairs were sold). The one item that intrigued me the most was the Toyota Prius decorated with ASSC graphics that retailed for $20,000 and promptly sold out.
The only reason ASSC used to be relevant was because celebrities such as Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Wiz Khalifa, Travis Scott, Nav, Metro Boomin, Pharrell Williams, Cara Delevingne, Rita Ora, Future, Kodak Black, and Ian Connor cosigned the brand by wearing them. Slim Jxmmi of the hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd even released a song called “Anti Social Smokers Club” on his album Jxmtro, clearly paying homage to Anti Social Social Club. This may seem obvious, but celebrities are a driving force behind the rise of new brands. We live in a culture dominated by celebrities who legitimize anything they wear or use. Nowadays, you rarely, if at all, see these same celebrities wearing ASSC. Too many streetwear brands depend on hype to drive demand, and ASSC fell victim to this a long time ago. A lot of the initial hype the brand had enjoyed has rightfully died down, and should stay that way.
Neek Lurk (not his real name), who originally worked at Stussy as social marketing manager, further cultivates the artificial mystique surrounding the brand. His perceived vulnerability and brutal honesty makes it relatable to buyers, which made it refreshing in the beginning, but now their designs are conventional and overused. Of course, he never talks about Anti Social Social Club as a brand or business but more to express himself, which conveniently deflects from having to address broader issues that seem to plague his brand, such as the constant negativity as a result of undelivered orders and inconsistent items. The lack of originality and creativity is frustrating, particularly since it seemed to be a promising brand due to the authenticity of Neek’s background as a lonely outsider in high school and later in society. Now I question Neek’s motives and suspect money might have to do with why the brand is still here. Not that money is a bad thing, but Neek just comes off as lame and inauthentic. When a brand does not even bother to have decent customer service, you know where its true priorities lie. The brand is terribly overrated and unless ASSC makes some dramatic changes, I don’t have a reason to buy and wear it. In the time it would take for an order to arrive in the mail, I could have obtained my own Gildan blank tees and printed the same logo many times over — and it would have been far cheaper.
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