Hood By Air used to be the sh*t, but Shayne Oliver has moved on from the brand that put his name in every fashion person’s mouth. Now, Oliver is expressing his creativity through an art installation titled “Mall of Anonymous” as part of his newly founded Shayne Oliver Group venture.
Hood By Air was first launched in 2006 in New York City by Shayne Oliver and it quickly grew success for its subversive aesthetic that was seen on the likes of A$AP Rocky and Justin Bieber. It was one of the most exciting brands to come out of New York, especially when HBA started doing its fashion shows in the 2010s, but by the late 2010s, when the brand seemed to be at the peak of its popularity and success, Shayne Oliver cancelled the FW17 show and the brand went dead silent.
You were confused, we were confused, and no one knew what the f*ck was going on. In recent years, reports from both Oliver and other HBA employees have come out, painting a still a confused picture of what actually happened, but if there’s one thing clear, it’s that there was a lack of strong management on more than one level.
The brand has since tried to relaunch multiple times, such as in 2020 with Edison Chen as a new business partner and in 2021 with a Noami Campbell-featuring campaign. Though Oliver grew unsatisfied with HBA’s new direction that lacked the artistic experimentation once key to the brand and by June of this year, Oliver officially walked out.
As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end and now Oliver is onto bigger and better things, or at least different ventures. Part of his new Shayne Olivier Group, a creative project that groups the three brands Anonymous Club, As Seen by Shayne Oliver and the high-end label Shayne Oliver, the now Berlin-based creative is putting the “Mall of Anonymous” on show.
Presented by the Schinkel Pavillon, the “Mall of Anonymous” is an art exhibition that explores the death of the American mall and a critique of consumerism. Since it’s Shayne Oliver, we can expect this exhibition to be layered in complex themes and meanings, with the project showcasing a blend of architecture, sculptures, photography, film and samples.
“Mall of Anonymous” will be opening on August 12 and considering Oliver’s background in studying art at NYU, we’re sure it’ll be a deep dive into his intricately interesting mind and creative process we’ve missed since the haydays of HBA.
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