If you keep up with the ASAP Mob, into street fashion, or are from Harlem, then I’m sure you know about the VLONE clothing line. If you don’t know much about it, then let’s get into the history of the VLONE clothing line.
Founders of VLONE
VLONE originated in the year 2011 in Harlem, New York. Harlem is known for the arts and fashionable community. In the beginning of this creative adventure all who were involved were ASAP Rocky, ASAP Bari, Playboi Carti, Ian Connor, and ASAP K.
Most of them are known in the music industry except Ian Connor, who is originally more well known as an influential fashion and street culture personality. Not too long after this was all thought out to create a fashion brand ASAP K backed out of the whole thing. The development of the clothing line continued without him. If you pay close attention to ASAP Rocky and Playboy Carti closely you will see that they even have a tattoo representing the brand which really shows their love for the art and brand.
VLONE Logo History
The logo of the brand is in a cryptic typography leaving a heavy impression. This bold approach along with the visuals for the clothing line are partly inspired from SpaceGhostPurrp, an American rapper and producer. Purp was drawn to the aura of Three 6 Mafia and Tommy Wright III. The dark vibes that they give off became a uniform that ASAP Mob wanted to be known for. VLONE got the idea for its message and slogan “Every Living Creative Dies Alone” from the 2001 movie Donnie Darko. Where there is a scene in the movie of Donnie talking to a lady about what someone once told him about life, the message “Every living creature dies alone” is the actual line said in the movie.
“FRIENDS” Design
You might have also seen t-shirts, hoodies, and other merchandise featuring the text “Friends –“ and wondered what’s the meaning behind this. According to ASAP Bari, the minus sign means zero, so the text just means zero friends or no friends. It’s just another way of saying alone or VLONE. Although the brand was geared towards darkness there was an audience for it. People caught on and wanted to drip in the brand’s clothing. This attention eventually expanded into an iconic premium brand. The “Friends” imprint was one of the brand’s most memorabl designs and became an import part in the history of VLONE.
The Rise and Expansion of VLONE Clothing
The crew eventually went internationally into cut & sew and pop up shops as ASAP Bari took his VLONE project on a worldwide tour. Which included pop-ups in New Orleans, Texas, Tokyo and more. They also had collaborations with Off-White and Fragment Design. Another major collab and achievement in the history of VLONE is partnering up with Nike. VLONE being originated from New York thought it was only right to come up with its own air force one sneaker. The launch of VLONE x Nike Air Force 1 happened during one of New York Fashion Week’s buzzier pop-up events on Feb 10, 2017 on the 116th Street in Harlem.
VLONE x Nike Pop-Up Store
This location took place right up the block from where ASAP Mob spent their younger days. They came up with a few different variations of the shoe. One being a black and white high top and another being a low top black and orange. The inspiration all came down to the NBA basketball team Knicks’ colors being black and orange which is like the signature New York shoe. Both sneakers have the brand message engraved in them.
Not too long after this collaboration the history of VLONE clothing went on to do something else extremely iconic by paying homage to the great Tupac Shakur. In April of 2017 Bari teamed up with Bravado, the leading global provider of consumer, lifestyle and branding services. They created a limited edition collection honoring the legacy and life of the Tupac. They played the timing smart by making this all happen ahead of the movie “All Eyez On Me” one of the most anticipated movies of that summer.
To celebrate the release of the collection, VLONE in partnership with Bravado gave consumers the ultimate 2Pac experience by opening up a special pop-up shop in the lower east side of area of NYC. The Tupac by VLONE pop-up shop was open for three days started April 7 – April 9. The collection released 18 pieces designed by creative director ASAP Bari. This consisted of several different hats, graphic tees, hoodies and a bathrobe. The items were in three primary colors being black, red and orange and each piece of this collection featured the VLONE signature “V” throughout the entire spread of clothing.
The Underlying Message Behind VLONE Clothing
Once you thought you heard all you can hear about this brand there is even more meaningful history of VLONE. It is said by the mob members that there is a positive and negative to the clothing line aesthetic. Ian Connor represents the positive side. He believes that VLONE means more than being alone, instead being in a class all to yourself. He explains that it is very lonely at the top and you have to stay ahead, above, and unattached. He also seeks out like minded individuals and helps them develop their craft so they can stand independent on their own. Bari on the other hand describes the brand as hood fashion. The negative side comes from him.
Controversy
There was a lot of controversy with ASAP Bari in 2017. The VLONE philosophy kept him away from others resulting in him self-destructing. Eventually due to his alleged 2017 video leaking of him assaulting a naked woman made the crew distance themselves from him. Bari had later expressed that he wasn’t getting the affection and attention that he deserved. After Nike got wind of the alleged drama they wanted nothing to do with Bari and cut all ties with him. This significantly slowed down the growth of the VLONE lifestyle brand.
Many may ask why would ASAP Bari do this? Why would he do something that would cause problems for himself and VLONE? History has it that many great things coming out of Harlem also get followed by dysfunctional conflict. The soul of Harlem blossoms and then withers. People at the time may of be able to argue that his own slogan “Every Living Creative Dies Alone” became true metaphorically for him at this time.
VLONE Clothing Lives On
These days the brand is still being sold all over the internet and before the rapper and songwriter Pop Smoke died the mob had a chance to team up with him launching their merchandise in February ‘20. The collection consists of hoodies, t-shirts, and a pair of bandanas, keeping things simple. Featuring a simple V design on most of the merch, the pieces reflect the direct nature of the artists music. The mob is still prospering in these ways as well as keeping memory of Pop Smoke alive. The VLONE clothing brand is still not done yet and has even more history to make ♦
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