New Wave
Updated: Dec 26, 2020
Photography by Vitalija Prosevic & Lily Zoumpouli
Creative Direction by Derrick Odafi
Modelled by Uzoma, Junayd, Michelle, Blessing, Bijoux, Jordan
Since the release of our Issue VI cover story, designer and creative director Jai Eleven has reverted to his studio to develop the latest iteration of his streetwear brand [NOTHING]. The young designer, who founded his brand in 2014, has continued to keep purpose at the center of his brand - therefore creating his latest collections that carry meaning, meaning that holds weight within the youth, especially in the city of London. In our recent live discussion titled 'A Talk About [Nothing], Jai Eleven eloquently stated that fashion should not just be looked at as an art but as a social science. The way people treat fashion can affect the people that encounter it, not only the individual wearing the garment, therefore, fashion should make statements that will galvanise conversation.
[Nothing] has continuously had a strategically rebellious tone to its garments and even its methods of marketing. The latest RECON collection is an excellent example of such. The narrative of this collection interestingly is inspired by the world-renowned combat simulation Call of Duty. Recon is a shortened form of the military term 'reconnaissance' which is defined as the exploration of an area to gain information, an interesting subliminal message to the consumer of gaining power through knowledge. The neutral colorways against the bright primary coloured text and images make the message very clear. Jai Eleven has also let it be known that the Recon collection was inspired by the riots in 2011.
The 2011 riots are an event that Jai feels needs to be discussed in the present day, it was an example of youth rebellion and an overflowing of anger and frustration. [NOTHING] as a brand continues to seek new information and bring light to interesting topics for reflection or research and development. These ideas have been present in the brand since the infamous 'Your Life Is A Lie' slogan was introduced, also the brands' collaboration with Nigerian streetwear brand Vivendii dawning the slogan 'These Are My Church Clothes', these are stimulating phrases that resonate with people on a level deeper than clothing.
The potent graphic of the CCTV with the scope on the latest RECON collection is a reference to both militant combat and a hyper-controlled society. It seems to be a clash of that dichotomy, the scope on the surveillance camera may be deciphered as a way of combatting the hold that society may have on individual freedom at times. The city of London has been recognised to have the most surveillance cameras in the whole of Europe, an interesting question that arises through the vessel of this garment is how much of that is for safety versus lack of privacy.
The Recon collection was preceded by the 'Hotel Lagos' drop which featured a range of T-shirts, first released at the [NOTHING] Lagos pop up in December of 2018. The Wireframe T-shirt and the 'Welcome To Hotel Lagos' T-shirt were staples of this drop, seemingly taking a structural and technological direction towards graphic T-shirts with the signature '[ ]' on the back of the garment. The white wireframe T-shirt is a very strong statement piece that goes very well with the black [NOTHING] Jeans which are tailored for each individual that purchases a pair. The stylish Jeans have the signature '[ ]' stitched to the legs with a zip on the side, allowing the individual wearing them to be flexible with their footwear choices or fit.
The [NOTHING] editorial was curated to showcase a dual representation of the brand. The [UNDER CONSTRUCTION]
set was designed to play on the idea of searching for information, also as a small reference to the installation seen at the live discussion. The unpolished look, which is in contrast to the second set titled [FOYER] which has a more pristine and considered aesthetic.
nothingforus.com
Price Range: £40 - £120