Singapore – Sneakers and apparel marketplace Ox Street has announced the launch of its Asia-focused experimental creative studio ‘OX Street Labs’, which will act as an incubator for up and coming Asian artists to co-create limited edition designs that are inspired by the region’s culture.
OX Street Labs will work with a selected group of SouthEast Asian designers who are radically changing the narrative for fashion-forward Asian consumers, and will give Asian artists a voice and platform to share their designs. The studio will spearhead regional Asian collaborations, made by local designers from Bangkok to Manila.
“From the very beginning, our intention with Ox Street was to champion Southeast Asia as the future centerpoint of culture, and disrupt the global fashion marketplace. Southeast Asia is underrepresented in the global creative sphere, and with Ox Street Labs we continue to forge a path to more global recognition of local street cultures,” said Gijs Verheijke, founder and CEO of Ox Street.
The creative studio’s launch comes in response to the opportunity of showcasing unique brand collaborations against well-known Western apparel collections such as The Ben & Jerry Dunks Nike and Off White as well as recently the MSCHF x Satan Nike Air Max.
“Local artists and creative concepts from this region don’t always get the recognition they deserve. Ox Street Labs means we can help Asian designers build their artistic platform faster,” Verheijke added.
First edition Ox Street Labs 2021 releases include the Sheng Shiong x Nike Dunk SB, the NDP x Air Jordan 1 ‘No. 4 Camo’, and the Songkran x Nike Dunk High. These limited editions are one of ones, and can be commissioned with Ox Street Labs.
Ox Street has recently expanded its Southeast Asia presence, notably in the Philippines and Malaysia last February this year.