With the help of tastemaker Swizz Beatz, Bally recently launched a new capsule collection with artwork from Shok-1. Known for his unique x-ray aerosol technique, the British artist recently traveled to Japan and Hong Kong (seen above) to promote the release of a selection of sweatshirts, joggers, totes, fanny packs, sneakers, and hats for both men and women. Blending art and music, the Swiss luxury house brought in Nas to celebrate the release by performing a full set backed up by Swizz at a local underground Tokyo club. While in town, Shok-1 also painted a Godzilla mural next to Tower Records as well as took over the top floor of Bally’s Ginza flagship for a pop-up show.
Shok-1 further explains the collaboration – “Swizz contacted me first a few years ago because he was a big fan of my work. He’s an avid collector of art; he has his thumbs in many pies. At the start of this year he got in touch, we had a call, he explained the collaboration and invited me to be this year’s artist. Which I was tremendously flattered by. They could have any artist in the world. I knew Bally from back in the Eighties. I understood why he was working with them and what the cultural basis was for the relationship. I had ideas in place before the call was finished. I flew out to Milan to meet Frédéric and have lunch, meet all the heads of department. We all got on like a house on fire and we’ve worked hard this year to put together the capsule collection.”
Photos via Bally, Shok-1, and Swizz Beatz.
See the entire collection here. Discuss Shok-1 here.
