“ The Dopest Streetwear ”. This is how, without too many turns of phrase, AS THEY ARE FUCKDOWN defines its style. The brand conceived from an idea born in the streets of Brooklyn in the late 1990s is based on the dialogue between a strong American attitude and refined European taste, expertly mixing character and know-how. From this vision comes a fashion solution that directly addresses Gen Z and Millennials, as it is bold, accessible and always attentive to new trends. As mentioned, the category it addresses is streetwear, which is however revisited with a captivating approach based on the encounter between US aesthetics, with all the relevant influences, and Made in Italy manufacturing, which symbolizes a particular attention to the European market.
His collections are made of garments that are cared for down to the smallest details, often with functional cuts, silhouettes that are anything but banal and iconic graphics that revolve around the use of branding. Irreverent prints and logos play a decidedly important role in the creative process, as do the continuous references to mass culture. It is a continuous succession of tradition and innovation that distinguishes each article and it is no coincidence that his relevance on the world scene has become something not to be ignored.
We also found all these peculiarities in the season fall/winter 2021 , presented last November, and so, intrigued by the products visible in the lookbook, we decided to interview the brand's team. Together we talked about how the label was born, what its main inspirations are and what role music plays in their work. Not only that, we also made some reflections on the value that collaborations have in today's fashion system and what the current situation of streetwear is, ending up anticipating some future projects, such as the opening of the first flagship store in Milan in Corso di Porta Ticinese.
How and why was COMME des FUCKDOWN born?
The brand was born on the streets of Brooklyn in the late 90s as slang with a precise meaning “ calm down ”; a bit like when we Europeans use the slang “ fly down ” with the same meaning. This is how this slang became common, to the point that the first caps bearing this phrase, which later became a brand, were worn by the likes of Madonna, A$AP Rocky and Jay-Z. This is where this new social phenomenon began.
What were the key stages of COMME des FUCKDOWN?
Surely for us one of the fundamental stages was the landing in the European market. This market did not yet have the culture for this type of style still niche and sought after by a non-commercial public very attentive to the trend and American influence.
COMME des FUCKDOWN is a brand much appreciated by international musicians, especially in the hip hop scene. What is your relationship with music? How much does it influence your creative process?
Music has had, has and will always have a fundamental role for fashion in general. In particular, the hip hop world has always anticipated the trends that inspired the world of Gen Z. We believe so much in music, not only as a source of inspiration, but above all as a means of communicating a certain type of fashion outside of the classic schemes and closer to the street trend. It is from music that our research today starts. It is the generation of new rappers that today dictates new trends and is the new source of inspiration for unconventional fashion.
COMME des FUCKDOWN operates in the streetwear category, which in recent years has been at the center of a controversial discussion that attributed an imminent “end”. How are you experiencing this matter? Have you noticed any changes?
As mentioned, there will never be an end to any type of fashion. There may be some types of fashion that in a certain era may be more followed than others. We believe that streetwear will never die. There will certainly be an evolution of streetwear thanks to the great popularity and diffusion that it has had in recent years and this is why our way of interpreting streetwear is constantly changing: a constant and updated reinterpretation, in a modern and European key.
One of the elements that struck us is how COMME des FUCKDOWN is not particularly active in the world of collaborations, a model that now seems to be indispensable for any type of brand. Why?
Quantity and quality are two opposite concepts. We are open and believe in collaborations, but only when they are in target with our consumer and in line with the spirit of our communication philosophy. So stay tuned, because anything can happen and even in a short time!
In COMME des FUCKDOWN you can see the combination of Italian know-how and American aesthetics. What do these two elements represent for you?
That's exactly what we are: streetwear necessarily has an American DNA but ours is a European interpretation, more than an Italian one. Garments that have an American inspiration in a modern and European way. A mix between tradition and new trends, originality and modernity, past and future.
Are there any special projects or plans for the future that you would like to announce?
The project that has kept us busy in the last year is the opening of the first flagship store in Milan, in what is now known as the street fashion district: Corso di Porta Ticinese. A project that interprets the style of COMME des FUCKDOWN also through its store: geometries, colors, environments, spaces in perfect harmony with what the brand wants to express to its public.
LINK: https://www.outpump.com/scoperta-comme-des-fuckdown/