Hood by Air Relaunches with Mother Muse Naomi Campbell | Shayne Oliver Talks Deeply to Vanessa Friedman
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Supermodel Naomi Campbell fronts the return of Hood by Air in phase one 01 Prologue of a new seduction — withrefined insights by original co-founder Shayne Oliver. Luis Alberto Rodriguez photographed Naomi, with art direction by Christopher Simmonds and styling by Carlos Nazario./ Hair by Lorenzo Barcella; makeup by Daniel Sallstrom
Related: Rodriguez most recently became the third person of color to photograph Naomi in her entire career (gasp!) in i-D Magazine’s new cover story and interview.
Not all interviews are created equal, and NYT’s Vanessa Friedman’s talk with Hood by Air co-founder Shayne Oliver is full of insights around the larger Black culture scene in this moment. Oliver also explains why Naomi is his design muse.
Hood by Air, an anarchic, pan-racial, gender-bending burst of a brand, shook up the New York fashion world in 2006. Born of the club scene, founded by Shayne Oliver and Raul Lopez, it foreshadowed the rise of luxury streetwear and proved that the avant-garde could still exist even in the shadows of the garment district.
In 2017, however, HBA went on “hiatus,” plagued by personal and business issues. This month, it finally returns. Mr. Oliver, 32, reveals what to expect.
Asked what’s different about Hood by Air this time around, Oliver explains that in 2006, the brand ethos was about showing the world — and the fashion industry — that people coming from the streets could be associated with fashion. Now the focus is on the wearer, addressing the question “How does this person live?”
Friedman doesn’t question Shayne Oliver about how much progress has actually been made in the industry accepting the talent and influence of Black designers and brands.
Until the summer of 2020 when all hell broke lose after George Floyd was murdered by a white cop live on television — just one too many lives snuffed out by America’s police officers weilding power — it’s not clear what the fashion industry thought about Black talent, and that of other people of color coming from the streets. Reality hardly reflected HBA’s original mission.
Friedman is forgiven because she exhibits a great interviewer trait, by following up on Oliver’s last statement. “Before we were putting the dreams on the runway, and now it’s more about the wardrobe: How does this person live?”
VF: How do they live?
SO: “It’s a lot about protection. Last time we were so vulnerable because we were loving the fact that our conversation was being acknowledged, but no one was there to protect it. So now there are appendages that protect you and then zip off. Before we would do utilitarian details like zips and buckles as decoration, whereas this time a lot of it is meant for actual use, transforming into new silhouettes.”
This insight redefines utilitarian design from mimicking true grit power people with a form of me-too ism into real design elements. As MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow says: “Watch this space.”
Shayne Oliver Hood by Air
Shayne Oliver tells Vanessa Friedman that this new HBA uniform is global, a comment that borders on a universal one in today’s digital world. If nothing else, Oliver articulates the vision succinctly: “A lot of people inform the brand, a lot of demographics inform the brand. It’s about the international language that’s being created all over.”
On a deeper level, AOC believes in this vision — that growing numbers of us and especially young people are global citizens — and we are creating a set of more universal values and interests that transcend our naitonal borders.
Much of the political trauma in today’s America derives from the reality that not only will people of color be the majority in America. Additionally, what we learn about the original values and customs of our origins in the US and beyond — coupled with the politics of how other countries legislate — will redefine the terms of the American experience.
America remains a young country compared to other nations of the world. The United States has been built on the backs of forced labor but also the pursuit of a dream. Reality and vision have been in conflict for decades — and yet, the vision remains compelling and highly motivating.
Shayne Oliver is spot on regarding the creation of an international language and values system. And the United States of America is ground zero in thehistorical battle to make it real.
Naomi Campbell as Mother Muse
Oliver reinforces the importance of strong Black female entities that continually appeared in his new mood boards. “We are all young, Black, gay men, with all of these strong women in the families. So we were like, “OK, so if we’re going in that direction, we should talk to mother.”’
Rather than describe Naomi as the impetuous, diva flame-thrower, Oliver humanizes the supermodel in a unique way. “We quote her, like, every other day. Her laughing and her looks just reminds us of the mother figures in our lives and how they interact with us in a loving but stern way.”
Read the entire Vanessa Friedman interview of Hood by Air’s Shayne Oliver at the New York Times.
