Brain Dead Winter 2023 said: “If clothes did acid, this is what they’d look like.” With its stripes, spirals and graphic prints galore, the subculturally informed LA-based label took things to another dimension.
In a press release, we were warned about the “state of hypnosis” we would be plunged into as we felt our “subconscious speaking from within.” Lookbook shots showcase workwear-infused streetwear items, such as work pants and apron-style dresses revamped with colourful patch-branding to the chest. Talent is shot against a range of backdrops, from a nondescript urban environment to the tranquil bliss of a city park. On foot, we see the Brain Dead x Oakley Factory Team Chop Saw mule in the easy-wearing “Nomad” colourway.
Graphic knit sweaters are seen in neutral off-white and muted purple hues and feature cartoon graphics. Easy on the eye, lilac and brown are used to colour cropped tees and striped long-sleeve tops are worn as base layers paired with spiral-patterned trousers. In later books, we see grey work pants worn with the Chop Saw mule in a black-honeycomb colourway.
Brain Dead’s Winter 2023 offering aligns with the previous graphic-heavy collections released by the imprint, which has garnered a cult following that stretches beyond the USA’s West Coast and into just about every cool corner of the world.
Each drop is rooted in subcultures, drawing heavily on skateboarding, comics, and punk, to create a unique and visually pleasing offering each time. Despite the brand’s name, Brain Dead is very much alive and switched on – being behind the Y2K Oakley Factory Team revival. This collaboration perfectly taps into the current thirst for Y2K utilitarian gear (you only have to look at the success of stores such as 194 Local and Holsales to see) and cements Brain Dead as a culturally relevant streetwear tour de force.
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