Whoever told you that the streetwear industry was dying sold you a lie from hell. The Hypebeast-reading style corner was rocked only six months ago, when news surfaced that Trapstar was to become the first apparel line on Jay-Z's Roc Nation. Now, chances of the west London-based brand breaking into the global fashion industry are higher than they ever were before. Which begs the obvious question: whose garms will be next to dominate out here in these streets? Every day this week Noisey's Joseph "JP" Patterson will introduce us to one more player in the British streetwear game.VA-Garments
Start date: 2009Owners: Vidal Bull and Alan AdewaleVidal Bull on the design aesthetic:
The sampling stage is crucial, and is the most useful part of the design stage. First, we test out existing products we already have with VA signature finishes, like our standout key pieces, and then look at how we can reconstruct them in terms of material, cuts, and patterns. The sample mock-ups then allow us to decide what we should alter with our designs. The key is learning more about our ideas and designs, and then working as a team to propose possible solutions between ourselves. Being able to share and reference from research always makes our design choices better.Who or what has been the biggest inspiration for your work?
Everything that surrounds us in our everyday lives has been a great inspiration for us, and we’re truly blessed to be at a strong position at this moment in time. Working with Barclays Bank PLC was a very inspiring moment for us. Working with a banking company was a totally different ball game in relation to our other fashion ventures. The corporate world's taught us a lot, and we were delighted to be part of it. It helped in spearing us on to achieve much more in a short space of time, such as featuring in VOGUE and GQ Magazine for three consecutive months. All of these achievements drive and give us determination to achieve more.How does your label compare to any other British streetwear labels?
VA-Garments has reached a diverse range of people from all walks of life. At Visual Artistic Garments, we create visually stimulating garments, which are unique for their cut and construction. Our brand appeals to students, professionals, fashion designers, celebrities and people who just desire the latest fashion styles. VA-Garments is different in many ways, and is simply inspired by a vision to take a simple menswear garment, and implement color, print, cut to form a unique piece of clothing and give a fresh and innovative alternative to British streetwear.
Tyga and Big Sean in VA-Garments.
Trey Songz in a VA-Garments snapback.
Who have been some of your biggest supporters?
We’ve expanded our brand and marketing quite a lot recently. We’ve had the opportunity to move beyond our social and cultural circles into the wider society, and have received endorsements from celebrities such as Trey Songz, Dappy (N-Dubz), Ace Hood, 112, Melanie Fiona, Big Sean, Tyga, Wizkid, Ed Sheeran, Plan B, Kano, Stooshe, K Koke, and Mann, to name a few.What’s the future of VA-Garments?
Our plan for 2014 and beyond is to continue to create more awareness of the brand within the UK and move internationally, as we’ve received strong interests from many countries. We are starting to expand into the European market and have started to pursue that more with ambassadors of the brand in different countries. And then, of course, we hope to get into well-known stand-alone stores and department stores later down the line—with even our own VA store one day.Joseph is on Twitter! Follow him - @JpizzledizzleRelated:Streetwear Spotlight: Wale AdeyemiStreetwear Spotlight: Too Much PosseStreetwear Spotlight: Lizzy Clothing
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The sampling stage is crucial, and is the most useful part of the design stage. First, we test out existing products we already have with VA signature finishes, like our standout key pieces, and then look at how we can reconstruct them in terms of material, cuts, and patterns. The sample mock-ups then allow us to decide what we should alter with our designs. The key is learning more about our ideas and designs, and then working as a team to propose possible solutions between ourselves. Being able to share and reference from research always makes our design choices better.Who or what has been the biggest inspiration for your work?
Everything that surrounds us in our everyday lives has been a great inspiration for us, and we’re truly blessed to be at a strong position at this moment in time. Working with Barclays Bank PLC was a very inspiring moment for us. Working with a banking company was a totally different ball game in relation to our other fashion ventures. The corporate world's taught us a lot, and we were delighted to be part of it. It helped in spearing us on to achieve much more in a short space of time, such as featuring in VOGUE and GQ Magazine for three consecutive months. All of these achievements drive and give us determination to achieve more.How does your label compare to any other British streetwear labels?
VA-Garments has reached a diverse range of people from all walks of life. At Visual Artistic Garments, we create visually stimulating garments, which are unique for their cut and construction. Our brand appeals to students, professionals, fashion designers, celebrities and people who just desire the latest fashion styles. VA-Garments is different in many ways, and is simply inspired by a vision to take a simple menswear garment, and implement color, print, cut to form a unique piece of clothing and give a fresh and innovative alternative to British streetwear.
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We’ve expanded our brand and marketing quite a lot recently. We’ve had the opportunity to move beyond our social and cultural circles into the wider society, and have received endorsements from celebrities such as Trey Songz, Dappy (N-Dubz), Ace Hood, 112, Melanie Fiona, Big Sean, Tyga, Wizkid, Ed Sheeran, Plan B, Kano, Stooshe, K Koke, and Mann, to name a few.What’s the future of VA-Garments?
Our plan for 2014 and beyond is to continue to create more awareness of the brand within the UK and move internationally, as we’ve received strong interests from many countries. We are starting to expand into the European market and have started to pursue that more with ambassadors of the brand in different countries. And then, of course, we hope to get into well-known stand-alone stores and department stores later down the line—with even our own VA store one day.Joseph is on Twitter! Follow him - @JpizzledizzleRelated:Streetwear Spotlight: Wale AdeyemiStreetwear Spotlight: Too Much PosseStreetwear Spotlight: Lizzy Clothing
Streetwear Spotlight: Benjart Clothing Meet Mikey Trapstar: The Brains Behind British Streetwear's Leading LabelMost Wanted: MODU Snapbacks
We Talked to the Dudes Behind the Drake YOLO Polo