Hood By Air (often stylized as HBA) was a fashion and streetwear brand based in New York City co-founded by designers Shayne Oliver and Raul Lopez. Launched in 2006, Lopez left the brand three years later. The label took a hiatus from 2017 to 2019.[1] Oliver left the brand in 2023 but remains a partner.
Brand
The designer was Shayne Oliver, a former student at the Fashion Institute of Technology and New York University who described his design aesthetic as "ghetto gothic" and banjee.[2][3][4] Oliver was named among The 25 Greatest Black Fashion Designers by Complex.[5] Oliver brought in the conceptual artist and filmmaker Leilah Weinraub as CEO and cofounder in 2012.[6] Weinraub was openly skeptical of the brand's celebrity endorsements. The company was notable for refusing outside investment.[7] In the past, Hood By Air, also known by the acronym HBA, has identified as a "luxury streetwear brand," a term coined by Oliver and now "synonymous with HBA's subversive use of logos, high-end production values and an ingenious online presence".
History
Founding and early years (2006–2009)
Founded in 2006 by town designers Shayne Oliver and Raul Lopez, Hood By Air went from a t-shirt oriented streetwear project to a cult brand at the forefront of New York's fashion new guard. In 2006, Oliver was running a brand and blog under the name Elite Urban Brigade. Editorial collaborators on the blog included Akeem Smith and Mykki Blanco. Under Elite Urban Brigade, Oliver began printing one-off t-shirt designs, which he would sell at the New York streetwear store, aNYthing.[11] During this period, Oliver met fellow designer Raul Lopez at an after-school programme run by the Hetrick-Martin Institute in partnership with the Harvey Milk High School, which Oliver was attending.[12] Oliver introduced Lopez to his early blueprint for a brand which could expand on his Elite Urban Brigade ideas. After developing the concept further, the two began printing t-shirts, eventually releasing the designs under the name Hood By Air.
Whilst attending Harvey Milk High School, Oliver was accepted onto an art programme at New York University (NYU).[13]
Designs and shows
Hood By Air has received widespread praise and positive reception for its progressive design values and uncompromising aesthetics. The brand has been noted for its diverse subcultural touch points, taking influence and inspiration from the art world, queer culture, hip hop, club culture, and subversion of corporate branding through design.
In a 2015 article, Oliver's designs were described by i-D Magazine as "[questioning] gender, race and power, cutting through the noise of the fashion world with razor sharp precision".[8] In a short biographical entry on the brand, the LVMH Prize describes Hood By Air as "re-imagining Americana uniforms" by "combining the fluidity of youth culture with the refinement of luxury fashion".[48] Referencing Hood By Air's logo-heavy aesthetic, The Cut explains "they were more about signifying membership in a tribe than they were about advancing any design agenda." The article continues: "aggressively inclusive, HBA wasn't gay or straight. It wasn't skate or hip-hop or art or fashion—it was, rather, all these things at once."[18] Designer and Creative Director
Fashion shows and collections
- Spring 2014 Menswear (New York Fashion Week)[52]
- Fall 2014 Menswear (New York Fashion Week)[53]
- Fall 2014 Ready-to-Wear (New York Fashion Week)[54]
- Spring 2015 Ready-to-Wear (Part 1: New York Fashion Week, Part 2: Paris Fashion Week,[55] Part 3: MoMA, New York[56])
- Fall 2015 Ready-to-Wear (New York Fashion Week)[57]
Brand collaborations
Awards
See also
References
- Nico Amarca. Why Streetwear Needed Hood By Air Highsnobiety, April 25, 2017^
- Emily Segal. Shayne Oliver of Hood By Air on His Design Vision Business of Fashion, August 26, 2014^
- Eric Shorey. Hood By Air Is Going On Hiatus