No stranger to collaborations with influential people, PANGAIA is back, this time with a collection in partnership with American painter Kenny Scharf. Together they have released a capsule using Scharf’s signature characters for inspiration. It focuses on a shared love of nature and spreading an earth-positive message, and is available for kids and adults.
Having become known for his work in New York’s interdisciplinary East Village art scene during the 1980s, Scharf created alongside the likes of Jean Michel-Basquiat and Keith Haring. Throughout his career, he’s delved into multiple mediums, experimenting with painting, sculpture, fashion, video, performance art, and street art. He was heavily influenced by his enchantment with television, the futuristic design of the ‘60s, and pop culture references.
The capsule taps Scharf’s works, such as “Paradis Perdu” and “Swamp Style”, turning them into embellished illustrations of nature, and blends the painter’s creative visuals and PANGAIA’s science-based materials concept.
The color palette is composed of jade green, celestial blue, orchid purple, sakura pink, sand, and off-white. These are featured on three cornerstone styles that intend to highlight environmental awareness: the 365 Signature Hoodie, the 365 Signature Trackpant, and the Organic Cotton T-shirt, either made in a mix of recycled cotton and organic cotton, or 100 percent cotton.
This launch also commemorates PANGAIA’s aim of planting, protecting or recuperating one million trees via the Tomorrow Tree Fund. In the same vein, every item will have a message, a PANGAIA staple, that emphasizes how important trees are, with the one on the T-shirts and hoodies saying “Trees are the messengers from another time. Beautiful beings, stable and wise. Dreaming of a brand new world with trees at the heart of it.”
The collaboration is already available to shop on the PANGAIA website. Prices range from $90 USD, for the T-shirt, to $265 USD for the hoodie. If you’re in Los Angeles you can also shop the collection in-store at the pop-up at The Grove.