STAPLE x Hudson Taylor

In the summer of 2022 I entered the "Make A Pigeon" design contest Jeff Staple hosted in partnership with NTWRK for Staple's 25th Anniversary. The winner received a cash prize and an opportunity to collaborate with Jeff and his creative team at Reed Art Department to create a unique apparel capsule to commemorate the brand's anniversary. I was honored to have my design voted #1 by the public through multiple rounds of a tournament style voting bracket. I've featured my submitted design of a pigeon constructed of Jeff's prolific Nike Dunk Low SB collabs.

I loved getting to work with Jeff and his team and benefitted greatly from their encouragement, direction, experience, and constructive feedback. This capsule narrates the journey of Staple. The single line drawing of the pigeon with the sneakers in it's beak, and the pigeon footprints all illustrate the journey Jeff began twenty-five years ago on the unknown path that would lead him to where he is today.

The dissected sneaker pattern tee holds a quote from Aristotle, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." Part of what makes Staple unique is Jeff has designed his business' branding to be versatile for the purpose of collaborating with other creatives. He compares it to a graffiti tag that can be slapped on, stuck, or thrown up on anything; this mentality is something I heavily identify with in my personal creative practice. He talks often on social media and in his book "Not Just Sneakers" how the influences, mentors, culture, and creativity of others has helped him and his brand become what it is today. Each part has helped bring about the results we see today. Some even came in the most wild and unexpected moments, like the one that started a literal riot in New York with the brand whose logo we hid in the negative space of the dissected sneaker pattern.

This streetwear capsule has been a high point in my career so far. I'm looking forward to if and when I get to collaborate with Jeff and his creative team again in the future.