The School of Hard Knocks

September 23, 2022

Becoming a "True New Yorker" apparently takes ten years, according to word of mouth. Unless, that is, the big apple eats you up, and you lose yourself in a sea of rats, skyscraper shadows, and flickering 'Nuts 4 Nuts' stands. It's a tough business, but a worthwhile one, earning this city's respect. IRAK, the legendary downtown graffiti crew and brand built around it by member and artist Kunle Martins, is beyond that point. New York has been theirs. They have lived and breathed the school of hard knocks on every inch of the island.

Inspired by the idea of the "school of New York", and getting (or giving) an "education" by it's streets Bauer X, the offspring of Canadian hockey brand Bauer, has joined forces with IRAK on a new collection which will be released in two parts. Infusing the city that never sleeps with hockey motifs, this is a streetwear moment not to be overlooked.

Text by Lea Zoller
Images courtesy of Bauer

Bauer 101, the core collection of Bauer X, catapults hockey attire on the streetwear map. As the majority of the pieces remain monochrome adorned with yellow graphics, Bauer X wants to highlight hockey references intertwined with street style facets to attract a certain audience — streetwear addicts. Known for their recognizable tags, graffiti collective and streetwear brand IRAK adds to the heritage look of hockey attire — an unmatched blend of sports x graffiti culture. Contrasting to the black and white main collection, Bauer X also features a classic hockey jersey emblazoned with a red "Rackers" typeface that chiefly caters to New York Rangers admirers.

The collection is composed of on and off-ice pieces including hats, long sleeves, hoodies, and t-shirts, as well as, socks, pens, and stickers. As Bauer X wants to set foot into the streetwear scene, more capsules and drops are yet to come.

Desmond Hughes and DJ Smedley of the Bauer Design team gave us some exclusice comments on process, decision making, and hockey culture.

Bauer is actually a Canadian heritage brand for hockey gear and apparel. Is tapping into streetwear something you want to expand in?

Having reigned supreme for nearly 100 years within the hockey space, we (Bauer) have attracted one type of audience. Coincidentally, hockey has remained untouched within the streetwear space. In an effort to expand the knowledge and appreciation of hockey as a cultural phenomenon, we are looking to pave the way for hockey’s integration into streetwear and vice versa.

The core collection of Bauer X, the little sister of Bauer, is called Bauer 101. Why did you choose to name it like that?

We decided to title this collection Bauer 101 as we viewed it serving as a convergence point of two worlds; streetwear and hockey. Strategically timed as a nod to the Back to School pathos, the release highlights each individual piece as a concept representing Bauer’s history, rooted in informal areas of education- the streets.

The capsule was inspired by the so-called school of hard knocks - the school of New York. How does Hockey play into the New York street culture?

The adjacency of hockey and NYC can be found at the root of both experiences. Synonymous with toughness, resilience and poetic harmony; both hockey and New York City street culture continue to provide a raw landscape of expression through legacy and creativity.

Solidarity, comradery, friendship, and community are vital concepts for sports, and especially victorious teams. How did you try to convey that in the collection?

In our campaign the goal was to encapsulate crew love and communicate all of those concepts that not only can be found in sport but also within friendship.

By collaborating with a Graffiti collective, the capsule also sheds a light on underbelly culture. What does it mean for Bauer X to work with IRAK? How did they influence the look of the collection?

Being afforded the opportunity to work with IRAK, our aspiration was to make sure we were not only representing the collective with respect and admiration but also the environment that helped shape it. Stalwarts not only in NYC but in the greater creative arena, we looked to construct a collection that acts as an ode to team identity; playing off IRAK’s design language and history.

The collection will drop on Friday, the 23rd of September.

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