John Elliott Drum Line
Let me preface this whole thing by saying that I think streetwear as it currently stands would not exist if not for people like John Elliott. There. I said it. Furthermore, if you look at his 10 seasons as a collective whole, you’ll see not just the personal development of the John Elliott brand, but the development of street style in the modern day. It began with the layering of t shirts, thermals, and sweaters over ripped jeans and continued to evolve season after season. Given the hype that’s surrounded John since the inception of his eponymous brand 5 years ago, when the invite came in for this 10th season, the bar was considerably high. This season the show was titled “Stretch The Floor” and had models walk down a runway that was made to look like a basketball court, an obvious nod to Johns upbringing and pass times. Additionally, much to many peoples surprise, before the models even appeared on the runway, there was a full drum line that came out to play for the crowd to get them hyped before the collection was viewed. In a way, this was Johns championship game and he wanted everyone in the crowd and those watching online to physically feel the excitement.
John Elliott
The collection, which included 45 looks (Johns largest collection to date), was inspired by the cultural exchange that he feels happens in sports, specifically basketball. Models were outfit with Johns signature hoodies, sweatpants, and t shirts, but also included a tailored suit - a vertical he hadn’t yet explored or delved into. Additionally, the show served to debut his new collaboration with Nike Lab to introduce a John Elliott Vandal high top sneaker. The sneaker, which will be released in two colorways, will feature a detachable strap to add a custom element to the show.
John Elliott
I had a chance to sit down with John after the show to talk about the collection and get a better understanding of where this collection came from and where he’s going with his brand.
Mike: How has your brand developed over the past 10 seasons? Obviously the brand has grown and changed, but what do you think about that?
John: It’s definitely getting more, I don’t want to say commercial, but it’s getting bigger. The brand has grown but thats a great thing. It’s totally attributed to my business partners and my staff and how hard they work, I think hopefully if we keep telling interesting stories with product and keep having the ability to tell new stories and excite people, I don’t envision anything slowing down.
Mike: What was the inspiration for this season?
John: This whole season was based off of who I am because its our 10th season in 5 years and where I want to go. I really want people to refer to us as an American sportswear company. The two paths converge in my childhood experience playing tournament basketball and the cultural exchange that takes place as a result of sports. So when you would be sitting in the stands, oftentimes after you’ve played against a kid, you’d compliment them on the shoes they were wearing or their hoodie, or the music they were listening to. Because you have a shared experience through competition you literally would have a cultural exchange, and this was obviously pre-internet. The whole collection you have sleeves that zip off and can be flipped inside out and be re-attached, you have straps on our first Nike Lab collaboration that can be traded - each shoe comes with 3 straps. The whole idea of exchange and turning things inside out and really trying to reappropriate the way you can wear one piece was the motivation for the entire collection.
Mike: Can you tell me more about your collaboration with Nike?
John: I’ve been a lifelong swoosh fanatic, this is a dream come true. I wanted to work on a silhouette that’s very reminiscent of my childhood and I wore the vandals skating and I wore them playing basketball, so it was the most obvious shoe to take a crack at, being it was the first time. So yeah, this is our first Nike Lab collaboration, comes in 2 colorways and each color has 3 straps, and yeah! I’m excited! We tweaked it slightly and gave it some very contemporary modifications but its a beautiful silhouette.
Mike: So the music, I heard a drum line - what’s that about?
John: Haha yeah! It’s about translating something that both sonically is interesting but it’s something you can feel as well. Percussion is literally something you can feel and it’s so reminiscent of sport so we choreographed the drum line to go with the music, just like how you would in any type of tournament, like a big game! It adds a little bit of drama!
From the looks of the show and cult following John has acclaimed in 5 short years, one could reasonably say this was his biggest game, of which he was not only given the game winning trophy, but also named the MVP.
John Elliott