Going Postal
Since 2015, influencer-designer and LA-transplant Neek Lurk has used a combination of generically melodramatic phrases and unexpected brand licensing to inject otherwise understated t-shirts and hats into hypebeast wardrobes around the world. Having cultivated a global fanbase through collaborations with Hello Kitty, Honda, and BTS, Lurk’s brand (more of a catchphrase, really), Anti Social Social Club, is setting sights back at home with a recently announced and soon to be available collaboration with the United States Postal Service. In what can’t be helped but feel like another siege on the closets of middle America reminiscent of that NASA collection that seems to keep the lights on at Urban Outfitters, a joint venture between the federal government and a major name in hypebeast culture raises interesting questions about the future of streetwear collaborations.
Government imagery used in fashion design is nothing new. From the generic “US Athletic Dept.” t-shirts my dad used to buy from Old Navy to the NYC metrocard Cody has kept in the back of his clear phone case since that one time he went to the big city, many style choices are driven by some desire, whether conscious or not, to communicate a connection to a location or group. Sporting events and the Fourth of July are the easiest examples of tribalism expressed through clothing. But strip away the face paint and star-spangled garments, and we are still constantly surrounded by t-shirt billboards for this national park or that local deli. Call it patriotism, virtue signalling, or supporting small businesses — we are making a conscious decision to advertise and at least implicitly support a brand when we incorporate a logo into our personal style.
And that makes all the sense in the world when the brand being advertised is just that: a brand. I will be the first to let you know how crunchy and hip I am with my Joshua Tree t-shirt and 18East five-panel hat. I’ll even admit I came close to committing first-degree virtue signalling with an OnlyNY “New York City Recycles” tote. Worst of all, I could even maybe justify donning that NASA logo because, you know, space is cool.
But this latest venture with the postal service is a head scratcher. While the details of any royalty arrangement with USPS have yet to be released, I can’t imagine teaming up with a brand known for limited release collections is intended to spur some conscious-consumer driven revival of the US mail system. And from a style perspective, to expect current fixations on workwear and blue collar culture to extend to the local postman feels like a stretch. So what’s the point of this collab? Is it just another instance of cultural mash-up for mash-up’s sake? Is the postal service looking to emulate NASA’s rebrand to a cool aesthetic that can jump from niche streetwear to mass-produced fast fashion? Whatever the reason and however bad the product, the price of Urban Outfitters stock has been on the rise since ASSC announced the collab earlier this week, so maybe get in on that before the line goes live on Saturday.