Satellite Voices

Tokyo / 日本語

Verbal

September 21

The Ambush fashion iconoclast and m-flo rapper speaks about his new project as the Creative Director for Reebok Classics Asia

• Text by Emi Kameoka

Verbal has been named as the creative director for Reebok Classics Asia. He is a multi-talented creative whose music as part of the Teriyaki Boyz and m-flo, alongside his fashion credentials as co-founder of Ambush sees him as one of Tokyo's best loved iconoclasts. Last Thursday, he hosted an awesome party for the announcement of his Reebok collaboration, performing new tracks with a host of special guests. Satellite Voices spoke to him about his dream bridge between fashion and music.

Satellite Voices: How did this collaboration happen?
Verbal: It all started when I was talking to some friends from Reebok Japan. I was reminiscing about my first basketball shoes being the PUMPs, and how I wrote a paper on Reebok during my college days studying business. Then we started bouncing ideas back and forth and explored fun ideas we can execute for Reebok, and soon after I was offered the position!

SV: What have been some personal highlights of the collaboration so far?
Verbal: Well, the biggest was the Tokyo Launch Event! Lots of hard work by everyone involved culminated into this crazy party! The amazing 3D mapping/projection stage, inviting people from all over the world, performances by Mademoiselle Yulia, Trippple Nippples, m-flo (my group!) and Swizz Beatz… it was too phenomenal!

SV: As a creative director of Reethym of Lite, what do you think it is important to attract the Asian market
Verbal: We need more FUN! I think people are tired of the corporate schemes and run-of-the-mill marketing ideas, so it's imperative to deconstruct the obsolete methods, but remember the traditions that brought the brand this far. The iconic designs and the technology is there. We just need to re-ignite that same initial excitement and bring the attention back to the products! Then the products can speak for themselves!

SV: What kind of products are you thinking of designing?
Verbal: Starting off with sneakers, I eventually would like to get my hands on apparel.

SV: How do you think you can combine Reebok's latest technology and innovative design?
Verbal: Reebok has lots of fun technology that could be used to create unique apparel. I am in the process of getting a group of young Tokyo designers to create some "prototypes" out of Reebok sneakers and apparel, in the hopes of spawning fresh design ideas. Actually, some of the styling for stage outfits from the Tokyo launch party were made out of Reebok! More to come!

SV: What is the concept of the visuals for the Classic Lite? How did you choose the people to get involved?
Verbal: The Reethym of Lite campaign emphasised the lightweight technology used on the sneakers whose designs were inspired by the iconic Classic models. But since I was given the task, right after the 3/11 earthquake, and the morale of Japan was very low, I wanted to use this campaign as an opportunity to bring excitement back through Reebok. So my personal theme for the visuals was "Reelite the City". I wanted to apply futuristic themes into the styling and express a new city that was being rebuilt, so I selected pieces from an upcoming Tokyo designer Runurunu, and envisioned a 3D mapping projection stage (as done at the launch), which became the abstract city-like image. I wanted all the models to be Asian, who had energy and swag. Daisuke, Kiko, Noma and Jun, they are 100% energy and swag!

SV: Please tell us the concept of this party.
Verbal: I wanted to bring together all the coolest artists that I knew to this launch to literally "Reelite the City". Tokyo's been a bit quiet after the earthquake, and so I wanted to inject some energy back into everyone through this event. Angree Yung Robotz (Mademoiselle Yulia, Trippple Nippples, VERBAL), m-flo, Swizz Beatz, on stage in one night was pretty unreal. It definitely created lots of excitement and it's safe to say, this party is currently the talk of the town!

SV: It was an amazing light installation performance at the party.
Verbal: This was to bring the 2D (the campaign ad) into 3D (the stage), to symbolise that we are immortalizing the plan to "Reelite the City".

SV: How did you design this light effect?
Verbal: I am involved in a company called WHATIF that specialises in creative planning, utilising the 3D mapping projection technology. We work in conjunction with Superbien, who shared their expertise with us to make our stage.

SV: What was the most difficult point of creating that?
Verbal: Since it's a painstaking procedure to create the graphics and movement to execute 3D mapping projection, it was not until the day of the event, that we finally got see how it was going to turn out. Until then, it was about trust and teamwork.