Exclusive: T.I. & Jonathan Mannion Detail New 2014 AKOO Collection [PHOTOS]
Exclusive: T.I. & Jonathan Mannion Detail New 2014 AKOO Collection In Full [PHOTOS]
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Several rappers develop clothing lines but very few completely believe in the fabric that covers their bodies.
T.I. certainly doesn’t fall into that category, evidenced from the name of his brand AKOO, to the distinctive styles the apparel is known for. A King Of One’s self represents the same of confidence used to take his self-appointed crown moniker into a name everybody begin to believe in.
And the confidence is being instilled once again on a national scale–with a creative twist. T.I., AKOO and its parent group RP55 just unveiled their new Summer/Fall Capsule Collection, creatively directed by legendary Hip-Hop and culture photographer Jonathan Mannion. Hip-Hop Wired is all about digging deeper into triumphs that propel the culture and was able to catch up with both distinguished gentleman for them to outline how the collaboration came about and what it means for them personally.
T.I. a.k.a. Clifford Harris sets the bars for trends and nearly everything he does. And he tells Hip-Hop Wired that everything he does AKOO-wise is calculated precisely to make some sort of impact.
“For five years now, we have been eyeball-deep in strategies and approaches to business fashion and art,” the AKOO’s King explains. “In the past few months, there has some demand and ‘spike’ in business that has been created. More so than any sort of spooky superstition or alignment of the cosmos and stars and what not. Our team works hard and it seemed to pay off.”
When asked how much creative control he maintains over the situation, the Grand Hustle chieftain knew when to exercise his executive powers to delegate. “For elaborate pieces such as our Summer ’14 line, I just had the expertise to say, ‘Hey man, I think we should consider Jonathan Mannion for a collaboration [Laughs].”
Mannion, who has shot nearly every piece of classic rap imagery imaginable, concurs that the business merger was completely organic. “This wasn’t something that was just we labored over for some time like a ‘3-year process’ that finally came into fruition,” Mannion recalls to Hip-Hop Wired. “This was sort of like, ‘Hey man, we value your voice and vision and want to curate a body of work of what you created that’s a little bit different than anything anyone has seen thus far.'”
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Photos: Epic Nights/Santiago Interiano, Hip-Hop Wired, Third Floor Netwoork, AKOO
“Once the deal was inked and solidified, I knew that Jon knew enough about our culture to uphold the ingretity of our brand,” T.I. chimed in. “Once he was one board, I was able to just back up and wait for the magic to happen.”
A dash of magic seems appeared to indeed have touched the idea, as it combines a vintage look with a fresh overhaul, that never should exceed any sort of trend calendar year. A feat T.I. was well aware of.
“The fashion industry works so far ahead of time, sometimes I don’t meet deadlines with my critiques and the show the must go on,” he humbly admits. “However, 80-85 percent I’m able to chime in. See, it’s like this. The focus will only shift off your clothing line if you allow it to. The only thing that brought people to the clothing like is you! [As in the artist]. If you remove yourself from the equation, you have nothing!”
A quick backtrack towards memory lane during your own high school/early adulthood years will attribute to the knowledge that Tip is displaying. Urban fashion especially has the daunting task of being analyzed with the association’s buzz but giving AKOO’s ability to stay competitive–even given T.I.’s legal troubles–says something for the message they represent.
“A lot of times, the clothes have been hyped up so much, people are catching on to the fact that they are being force-fed into something that’s not exciting they say it is,” T.I. continued, obviously not done lambasting his rivals who proved themselves to be not completely serious about servicing an audience’s needs. “The quality of the garments don’t always justify the amount of hype it gets. Same with music. You hear so much about an album and then one of your actually friends hear and say, ‘Man, that sh*t wasn’t all that,’ you lose interest! It all boils down to the sincerity and applications put in place to promote that clothing line that make a difference.”
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Taking photos that already existed and renewing them onto clothing are easy to get lost in the sauce but the snapshots Mannion chose to be the face of Summer/Fall 2014 are ones he’s treasured since the day he took them.
“These pieces are the ones that represent lifestyle, it’s a bigger picture that’s presented and not about personal preferences between the artist and the fan,” he states. “This is something that feels familiar. Like for instance, I remember when I was 15-years-old and saving up for a chain I saw in a jewelry store and that’s what the line represents to me. Showing the type of layers of cultures from Hawaii to Brooklyn, to Memphis to Kentucky! It’s a little something for everybody. From the Marcy’s project sign I shot in front of Jay’s building to the ‘G-Thing with the car raised up I shot in Hawaii.”
To sumarize, Mannion punctuated his opinion with, “It’s fresh. It’s a nice full thought.”
In other words, it’s fit for anyone who strives to be royalty with whatever they put their mind to.
Visit AKOO Clothing Co. online at www.akooclothingbrand.com and follow on them on Twitter to get easy access to get fitted like a King (or Queen).
Continue on through the gallery to see pictures of the pieces T.I. and Mr. Mannion are so proud to present.
