Hidden NY may well be the worst kept secret in the streetwear industry. An Instagram moodboard with a passionate following, the page shares aesthetically pleasing images all day, every day. You can even count the likes of Virgil Abloh and Drake as some of HIDDEN®’s top fans. But who is the man behind the legendary account?
As the name suggests, the founder of HIDDEN® prefers to stay, well, hidden. The page’s popularity continues to boom despite this. Merchandise releases sell out almost instantly, whilst Mr Hidden remains in the shadows of the social media world. I look at the anonymous influencers career and how the page got to 614,000 followers (and counting) simply by curating images.
WHERE DID IT ALL BEGIN?
Initially set up way back in the summer of 2018, HIDDEN® became the go-to place for streetwear enthusiasts to get their daily dose of inspiration. The page specialises in a carefully curated selection of past, present and future sneaker releases. It also shows off automobiles and archival interior images. The page specialises in visually pleasing shots. By tapping into these specific genre’s within the culture, HIDDEN® has amassed a cumbersome following in just three short years. You will find the likes of Abloh and Drake as previously mentioned amongst the followers, as well as many other superstars such as Pharrell and Lil Yachty. There were even rumours flying around the internet that Yachty was, in fact, the face behind Hidden NY. A story debunked due to the anonymous founder’s podcast appearances.
Despite the pages name suggesting the founder is from New York City, he is actually a twenty-something from the UK. The name indicates that he is, in fact, hidden in New York. Manhattan, specifically.
The founder’s streetwear obsession began at the tender age of ten and eventually led him down a path towards Pharrell, Nigo and BAPE’s iconic run within the industry. Archived images from Nigo’s past and vintage BAPESTA images feature on the page frequently and helped define the diehard following it has today.
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FROM DREAM TO REALITY
What may have started as a dream for HIDDEN® quickly became a worthwhile career path. The first time it looked as if Hidden NY could be more than an Instagram moodboard was down to Drake and a certain Visvim Kerchief down jacket. The Champagne Papi was spotted in the paisley blue coat at a Toronto Raptors game, with many wondering what the coat was.
It turns out the Visvim number was from Fall/Winter 2012, and HIDDEN® had sent the product through to the rappers stylist. Drake took notice, followed the account and a relationship between the unlikely duo blossomed. HIDDEN® would become somewhat of a personal shopper for Drake, whilst Drake, in turn, would share new music. The two would generally just vibe with each other, building a genuine friendship.
After a successful tenure as Drake’s unknown right-hand man, HIDDEN® would move away from personal shopping and try his hand at designing clothes himself. With clearly impeccable taste reflected through the IG account, surely HIDDEN® could not miss with merchandise drops.
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WHEN SOCKS BROKE THE INTERNET
OK, maybe breaking the internet is a strong statement, but try and show me somebody else selling out SOCKS in a matter of seconds after the release. The socks have quickly become the must-have accessory for sneakerheads across Instagram. I am pretty savvy on the web and have still been unable to grab a pair of the elusive foot warmers. That’s the demand HIDDEN® has for his socks. The vibrant colourways and high-quality materials are why everybody wants a pair, and it seems HIDDEN® sticks to this method across all products.
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Proudly produced in the USA, all garments come crafted from only the best elements in American factories. The colourways used are very much on-brand for the moodboard, with cream, green and brown hues dominating most products. HIDDEN® even gives unknown designers a chance to feature their creations on Hidden NY products. As he mentions on the Throwing Fits podcast, he hopes that using these creations and offering the designer a cut of the sales will give them a financial break needed to flourish in the industry.
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HIDDEN® NY, AN INSPIRATION
It is hard not to see HIDDEN® as an inspiration to this new generation of fashionistas. Many people once saw Instagram as merely a social media tool to share images and have fun with their friends and family. However, HIDDEN® has shown that Instagram can be much more than that for Gen Z’ers looking to break into the fashion industry.
Simply starting @hidden.ny as a moodboard has opened many doors for the man behind the social media page. From personal shopping for A-listers to designing garments with well-known brands, HIDDEN® has done it all. We even saw him join forces with Pharrell’s band N.E.R.D for a merchandise drop, something he probably would have never thought to be possible once upon a time.
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I myself see HIDDEN® and his Instagram page as an inspiration, too. I will continue to support a brand that has, for the most part, stayed true to precisely what the goal was when the page began. Everything that has come to the gentleman behind Hidden NY feels organic and like a completely natural progression for the brand’s identity.
I particularly love the way HIDDEN® markets its brand. A recent jean release with the infamous ⓗ logo embroidered on the pant leg showed exactly how plugged into the culture HIDDEN® is. In a true throwback, he would bring Bryan Greenberg & Victor Rasuk, the two main characters from the hit HBO show ‘How To Make It In America’, to star in an advert.
If you are unfamiliar with the show, it follows two New Yorkers, Ben and Cam, trying to make it in the fashion industry with denim jeans a focus of theirs. In a stroke of genius, HIDDEN® brought this moment full-circle by including the two in the promo video for his very own jeans, once again showing how tuned in to the NYC lifestyle he really is.
I predict we will never truly know the man behind the page, and I am OK with that. Part of the allure of the page is the anonymity that comes with it. In a time when consumers have so much access to celebrity lives, I appreciate the want for the legendary brand to remain faceless.
A true tastemaker in a time when everybody feels as if they are one, I look forward to seeing what HIDDEN® has up his sleeve for the foreseeable future.
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