Reigning Champ is a brand that manages to cross boundaries with brilliant fashion. While their minimalist tone keeps things sharp, their artistic side is evident. In creating a New York showroom to showcase their SS19 Collection, it's got football flavour running throughout as the brand collaborated with conceptual designer Dario Escobar for a bespoke installation.
Keeping things tonal, the link up brings a subtle though unquestionably strong showing for a brand that bridges quality tailoring with sports performance. Having released collaborations with adidas along with several MLS club winners collections, momentum has shifted this brand into Spring/Summer 19 with much anticipation. Picked up and worn by the best of them, you can expect big things as the brand continues to not only explore football and fashion but art and design.
This project entitled 'Obverse & Reverse', is a bespoke way to bring art and football together and in discussing the project, Escobar explains; "The title of this series of works invites us to think about the interior and exterior of things. These soccer balls are opened and turned: The inside is now the outside: What was inside is now outside. More than a flip of the coin to determine the fate of something, it is for me an invitation to change the angle of view of things in general, I think of a change of perspective on people, things and art itself, It is a good time to put everything away and tune up the gaze."
Darío Escobar is a conceptual artist from Guatemala who has created wave after wave of inspiration as his work looks to bring objects to the fore with visual arts. For this piece, that rough edges of the footballs personify the space in which Reigning Champ operates. Raw and heavy with character though clean, contemporary and packed with many a sharp cut. It features 120 soccer balls, each turned inside out and carefully re-sewn, exposing the texture of its leather and countless intersecting threads. Good cloth championed, SS19 is going to bring heat.
You can see more work from Dario Escobar here. Read the full interview about the 'Obverse Reverse' collaboration here.
