AOKI TEAMS UP WITH TATRAS: As an intrepid traveler, DJ and collaborator, Steve Aoki is known to maximize those forces.
His latest compilation is a limited-edition collection between the outerwear brand Tatras and his own label Dim Mak. The official U.S. launch will be held with Aoki on Dec. 8 on Chicago’s “Magnificent Mile” at Water Tower Place. Shoppers who make their way to 835 North Michigan Avenue will find eight styles including a white geometric camo bomber jacket and a reflective parka in the Tatras and Dim Mak line. Aoki customized the bomber jackets, puffer jackets and parkas with his own color palettes and prints, reflective nylon fabrics and an assortment of Dim Mak embroidered patches. The pop-up will be open in the Windy City through the end of the year.
The often-in-transit Aoki visited Tokyo earlier this month to host a meet-and-greet and signing at Tatras’ boutique to celebrate the collaboration. The cobranded styles are being sold in Tatras’ two stores in Tokyo, as well as the ones in Osaka and Milan and online. Retail prices range from $715 to $1,318.
People’s Revolution photographed the look book for the Tatras-Dim Mak line in Twentynine Palms, Calif., which is home to the Joshua Tree National Park headquarters. “The Cobrasnake” photographer Mark Hunter shot the images. He and Aoki became friends as teenagers, when their careers were just getting started. Aside from the 110-degree heat, the shoot went off without a hitch. “It was so hot. Even I, Kelly Cutrone, was thinking about not wearing black anymore, after that shoot that day,” said the People’s Revolution founder.
Despite the blistering temperature, model Akos Sogor sported wintry hooded down coats, reflective bomber jackets and other styles for the assignment. The Transylvanian-born model-architect Sogor also modeled for Givenchy, Hermès and Golden Goose in the past. A few of his shots for Tatras and Dim Mak are framed with more prehistoric-inspired looks — profiles of the Cabazon Dinosaurs — a roadside attraction featuring steel and concrete replicas. (Manfred Thierry Mugler also used the creatures for a recent shoot.)
With this production locked and loaded, Tatras is gearing up for another endeavor overseas — the staging of a men’s show in Paris in January. The company is also working on a project with the artist Nick Walker.