'The Hype' debuts on August 12, pitting streetwear designers against one another for hypebeast dominance.
As society moves further away from a transactional economy towards an experience economy, the fight for streaming content dominance heats up as HBOMax brings a streetwear design competition to life.
Prepare for war! We think we're going to see a ton more of these types of shows in the near future. Everything we know so far from 'The Hype' is still based off of the trailer, which you can see here. The media platforms are fighting for cultural relevance, and we see this as a win-win for up-and-coming creatives to leverage their talents. We can only watch so many re-runs of FRIENDS. The audience needs something new to watch that is relevant to their lifestyle. Something more "binge-able." Something to follow on social media after the episode ends. Streetwear is one of the top industries to dip those toes into for HBO.
Who's competing?
Besides Alan King, founder of AKINGSNY, we have no clue who the rest of these people are. We'll most likely see a ton of big words on puffy hoodies and jackets, crazy color ways that hurts the eyes and unique fabrics that may not mesh well together. But we have hope that that's just the first episode, and we start to see some real creativity after the most difficult year in our lives last year.
Who's judging?
Offset is not only a judge, but is a producer on the show. Alongside him will be Beth Birkett, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Union, and Marni Senofante, stylist to famous celebs like Beyoncé, Jay Z and Lauryn Hill. What do we think?
With guest judges and appearances by A$AP Ferg, Cardi B, Wiz Khalifa, Dapper Dan, Bobby Hundreds, to name a few, you've got a solid lineup of characters to drop in and share some knowledge on pop, hip hop, rap and fashion culture. Being co-founded by a Vietnamese-American ourselves, we have a certain bias to see our fellow brother Alan King go far. But, all in all, everyone's a winner here. Youth culture can see that you don't have to be a big celebrity in these industries to be influential. Being a dope designer, understanding the business behind business, compelling marketing and building a brand can be influential as well.
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