Seeing examples of how graffiti and street art can play such a role in fashion is always an inspiring experience, so when companion bag company Cocaine Mule paired up with Crewest Gallery urban and graffiti artists to create an art show it was something that many people had to check out. On October 11th, as Fashion Week kicked off in downtown Los Angeles, CA, so did the Hangtag-Cocaine Mule/Crewest Art show in what’s known as the Historic District on 110 Winston St.
Each Cocaine Mule bag was presented as artwork on the gallery walls painted by a top graffiti or urban street artist, including the director of Crewest, Man One, as well as Zoueh, Vyal, Spum, Sacred, Werc, Overton Loyd, Sherm, Crol, Jnub, Cache, Shark, Upendo, and Noek.
The reason the collaboration came about, as Man One describes, is an important part of getting the word out about Los Angeles’ underground movements: “As Los Angeles fights to become a key player in the fashion world and the demand for graffiti intensifies, Crewest supports the role of graffiti art into the mainstream by bringing in events and exhibits that highlight LA’s unique fashion and culture.” The collaboration idea from Trevor Tarczynski and Tyler Huen from Cocaine Mule, another downtown LA brand that’s making waves in fashion and accessories, made sense for both parties and illustrated just how interesting it can be to create art on fashion resulting in a completely new canvas for expression.
The exhibition runs at Crewest until October 28th. Sponsors included Dewars, with vinyl beats by Hoe1fat and a live performance by Learning Curve.
