*There is no ranking for this contest, thus, the artworks are not listed by rank or any specific order. The presented artworks were posted during the contest period; some may no longer be posted.

Eye-catching works rendered with original styles

VERDY: I chose this American comic-style illustration of a person riding a skateboard as it’s filled with my favorite elements. Recently, my drawings have been relatively simple, but I used to draw in details like this before, so it made me nostalgic. “If I made a T-shirt” is the theme and premise of the contest, but I chose this art as I genuinely thought it was a great illustration.

VERDY: Regarding this graphic, it’s perfectly done, and I can easily picture this being a T-shirt and being sold in the market. Out of all the works, I think this design fits the contest theme the most.

VERDY: This work is also close to my roots. It attracted my attention as it reminds me of the hardcore scene. I feel an affinity with this work.

VERDY: I’m not sure how old the artist is, but from the title and the comment, I figure the artist is young. He seems to like rock music, so if he’s thinking of providing designs to bands, I want him to draw as much as he can, pitch his works to his favorite bands, and challenge many different things. I’ve done the same thing in the past—I brought my art to my favorite band, and they used it for their work. So, I chose this illustration to encourage those willing to design for music, hoping for them to challenge positively.

VERDY: This illustration is impactful. Amongst the slew of works, it was the first one that caught my eye. And I couldn’t forget about it during the entire process. It got me wondering like, “Why is it peacock!?” I’m sure each work has its own story, but I guess I was essentially looking for artists who produce work of originality this time. So, in that sense, I don’t think I’d ever come up with an idea like this with a peacock and the font; it felt new to me. The quality of the illustration is impressive as well. It’s a novel piece, and so that’s why I chose this art.

I want to see works imbued with the artist’s unique creative style

——There were many typographies that seemed to be inspired by Wasted Youth and Girls Don’t Cry, but you didn’t choose those, and why is that?

VERDY: I convey my message with text, and that’s my style. And I go with that style because I think my illustrations and designs lack originality. Though I don’t think everyone should be converting their messages into texts and turning them into designs.

——So you weren’t looking for works that followed your style.

VERDY: That’s right. I was looking for works imbued with the artist’s unique creative style. There were high-quality typographies and designs with strong messages, but I didn’t choose those this time. I was fascinated by those with originality that felt new to me than those similar to my creative style.

——It was your first time being the judge of a design contest, and now that it’s done, how was it?

VERDY: It was honesty fun. But now that I think, we could’ve set a specific artistic style or a more explicit theme. There might’ve been people who were confused and unsure of what they needed to focus on creating. But because we gave them freedom, we got to see a lot of interesting works; although I couldn’t choose them all, there were many amazing designs. I was happy to see all the works.

——Would you consider doing this kind of contest again?

VERDY: Yes, if I get a chance, I would love to. But next time, it would probably be better if they could send me the originals. It’s hard to perceive the energy of the works through the screen; I’m sure it would be different seeing them in real life. It was a great opportunity for me to reacknowledge that kind of thing. I’m grateful to everyone who participated in this contest.

This time, for TOKION x Wasted Youth T-SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST, VERDY chose five artworks. As VERDY mentioned after the selection process, every work was unique. Having originality is the most imperative factor in the art of expressing through designs. We don’t know whether these contestants are professional designers or drawing as a hobby, but either way, for those who like drawing graphics and illustrations, we sincerely hope they continue producing more works and honing their style. Finally, please give a round of applause to all the works submitted for this contest!

VERDY
Graphic artist at VK DESIGN WORKS. He is the creator of Girls Don’t Cry and Wasted Youth and has accomplished collaborations with various brands and artists in Japan and worldwide. He is one of the established artists taking the helm of the modern fashion scene. His solo exhibition RISE ABOVE is currently on display at Kaikai Kiki Gallery until December 9th.
Instagram：@verdy

Photography Tetsuya Yamakawa
Text Ryo Tajima
Translation Ai Kaneda

The post Which Artwork did VERDY Choose for the TOKION x Wasted Youth T-shirt Design Contest? appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

VERDY is a globally sought-after graphic artist laude, and his creations, Wasted Youth and Girls Don’t Cry are lauded with fervent fans from all around the world. The highly praised artist, VERDY, had opened the pop-up event, titled TOKION x Wasted Youth “I can’t waste my time anymore.” at TOKiON the STORE.

A wide collection of items was made available at the event, including collaboration products with Häagen-Dazs and POSCA, of which their visuals were shot in Los Angeles, and the new Wasted Youth collection comprised of aloha shirt, shorts, and beach sheet.

Along the event, TOKION and VERDY have announced that they are hosting a design contest titled, TOKION x Wasted Youth T-SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST. The contest is taking place on Instagram, under the theme “If I made a T-shirt…?” Later, VERDY himself will select the one that most attracts his eye, and it will be introduced on TOKION’s website.

We sat down with the initiator of the project, who also has a memorable experience of submitting his work before on a magazine’s T-shirt contest, and heard about his thoughts on the project.

For me, it’s an opportunity to meet new people. I want people to join the contest casually for fun

ーーWhy did you decide to take part in hosting TOKION x Wasted Youth T-SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST?

VERDY: After 2020, since the pandemic started, I’ve decided to do less interviews and began launching projects from home, instead. For example, I did one where I posted a black and white graphic for people to enjoy coloring it in. I started the contest, thinking that it would be fun if I did a T-shirt contest under this circumstance. Also, I’m co-hosting this contest with TOKION, and I felt that it would become a more meaningful project working in tandem with the media.

ーーAnd what makes you think that the contest is going to be fun?

VERDY: In the past, I did a lecture at my old school (the vocational school where VERDY used to go), and after class, some students brought their portfolios asking for my comments and advice on how they could improve their drawings. Also, whenever I do a pop-up event, there are some kids who bring and show their illustrations to me, but I think there are only very few young kids who get to do things like that. There are only limited opportunities to meet me in person. And I’ve been thinking that there must be a lot of people out there, who are just like me in the old days, who want to continue designing and want to be a designer but frustrated as they can’t find the right place to work to pursue what they want to do.

ーーI agree. There aren’t that many people who can directly talk and get close to you.

VERDY: Right. But there must be a whole bunch of people from all around the world, who think “my drawings are the best!” And there are countless people, who post their works on social media. I’ve personally been wanting to meet new talented people, but the world is too big that it’s almost impossible to find those people by myself. So, I came up with this project thinking that if I did a contest that anyone can join, regardless of where they live, I would be able to gather and see a lot of works and meet new people with fun ideas and great creativity. So that’s why I think this project is going to be exceptionally fun.

ーーIs there a reason why you’ve decided to co-host the contest with TOKION?

VERDY: I’ve always wanted to do a project like this (T-shirt contest) and been thinking who would be good to partner with and when would be the right time to do it. This time, as we are releasing the Wasted Youth x POSCA collaboration items together and considering that these products focus on the art of “drawing,” I thought that they match the theme of the contest well. Also, as the modern world is suffused with Instagram or social media in general, I thought posting the works online and sharing them with people from all over the world is more significant now than ever.

ーーSpeaking of the past, I heard that you had also joined a T-shirt contest before.

VERDY: That’s right. In 2012, the Japanese street culture magazine, Ollie, was doing a T-shirt contest under NIGO®’s support and he was also the judge. And I entered for that contest.

However, I submitted my work without reading the rules thoroughly, and didn’t draw accordingly to the requirements, and sent an illustration of a boy moshing in a club wearing a pair of vans shoes…[laughs]. In the contest, 1 artwork was awarded a grand prize, and there were 9 other winners, and my work was chosen as one of them. I told NIGO® about this recently, and he remembered it, which made me extremely happy.

ーーIt’s amazing how you entered the contest and won a prize, but also the fact you talked to NIGO® about it some years later is so epic.

VERDY: Back when I entered the contest, I was still unknown, living in Osaka, and I remember being so nervous thinking that it might be a chance for my work to get published in a magazine from Tokyo. After I’d submitted my work, I just couldn’t wait ‘till the magazine came out with the announcement of the grand prize winner; now that I think about it, that winning experience was one of the reasons that kept me going without ever giving up on drawing. I think there are a lot of young people out there, who are like me from back then, finding a lot of inspirations and drawing pictures every day, but don’t really have a place to present their works.

ーーAnd this time, you are the judge of this T-shirt contest, and I’m sure this project is really exciting for the fans of Wasted Youth and Girls Don’t Cry as well.

VERDY: I hope there will be more people participating in the contest. Back when I submitted my work for the contest, I was drawing artworks for bands and I’d like to think that I came out debuting from that scene, but now, I want to know if there are young kids out there who also like bands and provide artworks for them. I’m also curious to know if there’s anyone who owns a brand and makes interesting graphics. I like people who diligently pursue the cool things they do.

ーーSo, are you hoping to discover young new talents?

VERDY: It’s actually not like that; I’m just yearning to “find out.” Though, if I were to say something to the younger generation, I want to let them know that there are ways for them to do what they want without getting consumed by the antiquated system.

ーーCan you elaborate on that?

VERDY: There are possibilities where new designers in the scene where I’m in, may succumb to unfair situations where the design is bought with a couple ten-thousand yen and re-used for years. Though, I strongly believe that these designers deserve to get paid enough, and at the same time, they should be responsible for their own works. It doesn’t matter if they become famous or not. If they do become famous, they will receive all sorts of offers, and in the beginning, they’ll be so elated that they might accept all offers, but that may lead them getting too much attention and the designs becoming too ubiquitous; and furthermore, there are people who earn a lot of offers temporarily yet become too busy that they eventually fail to find the right balance. It’s a shame to see those talents get ruined like that.
For corporates and brands, those designs may merely be one of the many designs out there, but since you have your name forever, you’re the one that needs to protect its value—I guess that’s the kind of message I want to deliver.

ーーAmazing. For this contest, what kind of feelings do you wish for the contestants to have when sending in their works?

VERDY: They can send them to me causally or they can send them to show their strenuous efforts—I’d be happy either way. They shouldn’t care about perfecting their illustrations or graphics, though. I’m not looking for perfection, so they don’t need to ever hesitate like, “is my work good enough to send?” I want people to feel free and just have fun with it.

VERDY
A graphic artist from VK DESIGN WORKS. He is the creator of Girls Don’t Cry and Wasted Youth, collaborating with brands and artists from Japan and abroad. He is one of the representatives of the contemporary fashion scene.
Instagram：@verdy

■“TOKION×Wasted Youth T-SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST”

【Application period】
today and until August 6th

【Design conditions】
Please create a design using the idea, “If I made a T-shirt…?”

【How to apply】
Starting today and until August 6th, please post your comments on the design image tagged with @tokion.jp and with the hashtag #wy_tokion_2021.
VERDY will make its selection once the application period is over.
Those selected will be introduced on TOKION’s media and on Instagram.
※Please note that posting a story will be invalid.
※Please only use “#wy_tokion_2021” as your hashtag when posting.
Please note that your entry will be invalid if you use another hashtag.
※Please use only “@tokion.jp” as the account tag.
Please note that your entry will be invalid if you tag another account.
※Please note that your entry will be invalid without a hashtag or account tag.
※Please note that your post may be reposted on TOKION’s Instagram during the application period.

【Application requirements】
・Applications are possible regardless of age, gender, occupation, or professional vs. amateur status.
・The format of the design does not matter. Please create the design that can be posted on the Instagram feed.
・1 applicant may apply using any number of designs.

Photography Takaki Iwata
Text Ryo Tajima
Translation Ai Kaneda

The post TOKION x Wasted Youth Vol.3 TOKION and VERDY Launch a T-shirt Design Contest on Instagram appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

I’ve always wanted to make something with POSCA

——I thought the idea itself of collaborating with POSCA was unique.

VERDY: I think no one has ever done a collaboration like this before. It all started from collaborating with Häagen-Dazs, and I made an offer to POSCA right when I began producing the new Wasted Youth collection with the theme “I can’t waste my time anymore.”

——You’ve done various collaborations in the past, but what are your criteria for choosing who to collaborate with?

VERDY: I have my own particular rules set for collaborations, and for Wasted Youth, the collaborator needs to be someone that adheres to my roots, hasn’t done many works with other brands or artists, and has its own style. Among others, POSCA was a brand that I’ve always wanted to work together with.

——Do you normally use a lot of POSCA pens?

VERDY: Of course. I like how you can draw on anything with POSCA. I use it when I draw on a skateboard or when I’m live painting. I’m emotionally attached it. It also looks cute as an object.

A special collaboration dedicated to myself in the past

——When did you start using POSCA?

VERDY: I started using when I was in vocational school. In class, we often used Copic pens, and they’re great when drawing on paper, but they’re too thin when drawing on a skateboard or on club dressing room walls. Regarding that point, POSCA pens are thick and perfect when drawing on uneven surfaces. Also, I like how they have a round tip. The tips of bigger ones are too bulky and square, so for this collaboration, we made one with a round tip. It’s the best. I’ve got tons of it at home.

——Do you stock a whole bunch since you use them a lot?

VERDY: Not really. I buy 10 POSCA pens whenever I need them for like live painting. But they’re no where to be found the next time I need them, so I buy 10 of them again, and as I’ve been buying them over and over again, it turned into a massive collection [laughs]. It shows that I use them a lot on a reg, though. The thickness of the POSCA pen is also perfect when drawing an illustration for my friend and signing autographs.

——POSCA’s pop-ness is transcended into graphics and well-captured in the Wasted Youth collaboration products. For this collaboration, why did you decide to produce not only apparels and skate deck, but also pens?

VERDY: I often get questions like, “what pen do you use?” or “how do you draw pictures?” But I can’t answer and respond one-by-one to each question and comment I receive on social media. I usually answer through interviews like this, but not everyone reads them. I’m sure the people who are curious about what I do, are the ones who are the most interested in the items I release, and thought I’d be able to respond to their questions implicitly by including POSCA as one of the items in my collection. At least they would know that I like and use POSCA regularly, or it may make them wonder why I’m releasing the POSCA items.
Obviously, there are people who already use POSCA when they draw pictures, and I hope this collaboration means something special to those people as well. Plus, when I was younger, I would have been truly happy if my favorite street brand was collaborating with POSCA. In that sense, this collaboration is like dedicated to myself in the past.

I should do everything I want to do, now!

——I see. Along your collaboration productions with POSCA and Häagen-Dazs, the new Wasted Youth collection under the theme “I can’t waste my time anymore.” was also released. Can you tell us about its concept?

VERDY: Before now (life with Covid), my life was like a whirlwind for 3 years, constantly flying to New York, Paris, Asia and all over the world that I wasn’t in Japan much, and my feelings and work were barely catching up to it. But the pandemic happened, and I was given more time to work more leisurely, and one day, a thought randomly popped in my head that fitted my current mood, which eventually evolved into the message, “I can’t waste my time anymore.” I then thought, “I should do everything I want to do, now!” And began thinking that I want to realize all the ideas I come up with and do as many collaborations as possible.

——So, would you say that your stance towards collaborations has changed?

VERDY: Yes. Before, I often made decisions after receiving collaboration offers, and there were only few times where I made the offers. I was more receptive, thinking that the ones I want to collaborate with would come to me eventually. But, now I’m more like, I should open up everything I want to do, and if it (the collaboration) doesn’t work out, then that’s that. As a result, I was able to create these unexpected products with POSCA and Häagen-Dazs, which got me so excited. With keeping this high spirit and under the theme “I can’t waste my time anymore.” I thought of creating something that exists in our lives and came up with all sorts of ideas for the new Wasted Youth collection.

——Including the alarm clock, this time you are releasing commodities as well, and I can tell this collection is focused on lifestyle essentials.

VERDY: The idea of creating these lifestyle goods came in organically as we spend more time home. Before, I was considering more on traveling light, and wasn’t that interested in creating commodities. Also, I’ve always produced things based on my own needs, what the skaters around me usually use, and what I thought would come in handy when I was on a tour with the skaters. And that stance has never changed.

——It’s such a cutting-edge line up with the beach items like aloha shirt, board shorts, and beach sheet.

VERDY: I made them simply because it’s summer now [laughs]. I personally love going to the pool and the beach. So, I’ve always wanted to make board shorts. Also, I’ve been thinking that if I’m making a product together with TOKION, I wanted to produce it from scratch. I was in a mood of creating something other than T-shirt and wanted to make a shirt as well, and as I had access to the required resources, I was able to create and add the aloha shirt in the line up.

——So, this project allowed you to expand the line up.

VERDY: Yes. I’m creating clothes just as an artist and I’m not a fashion designer, so I normally don’t consider making clothes from scratch. This time, I was thrilled to have had the fun and new opportunity to produce the products together.

VERDY
A graphic artist from VK DESIGN WORKS. He is the creator of Girls Don’t Cry and Wasted Youth, collaborating with brands and artists from Japan and abroad. He is one of the representatives of the contemporary fashion scene.
Instagram：@verdy

Photography Takaki Iwata
Text Ryo Tajima
Translation Ai Kaneda

The post TOKION x Wasted Youth Vol.2 VERDY’s sentiments etched in the collaboration between Wasted Youth and POSCA appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.

But why has VERDY been following Häagen-Dazs avidly for a long time? And what is it that he sees in Häagen-Dazs? In fact, the answers are closely linked to VERDY’s creative origin. In this article, we unveil his thoughts embodied in the products that were produced for the event.

The realization of a long-time dream of collaborating with the brand

――How did this collaboration with Häagen-Dazs come about?

VERDY: I’ve been wanting to do a project with Häagen-Dazs for quite a while, but it was difficult to do it officially. In the past, whenever I did a project with a brand or a corporate, I’ve always asked, “is there any way I can make an item together with Häagen-Dazs?” However, it never happened. But one day, when I was walking around town thinking that creating an item with Häagen-Dazs may be impossible, I stumbled upon a display of a T-shirt made in collaboration between ADAM ET ROPÉ and Häagen-Dazs. The font of the flavor name printed on the back was different from the official one, but still, it was clearly there. So, that’s when I realized that collaborating with Häagen-Dazs was indeed possible.

――And there, you thought you got to make it happen, as you then knew that it’s possible.

VERDY: Yes. I looked in to find out who was producing the T-shirt and the name JUN—whom I had partnered with for this project—came up. So, I immediately called the person in charge and said, “I’ve been wanting to collaborate with Häagen-Dazs for so long, and I’m desperate. Is there any way to make it happen?” [laughs]. And finally, my long-coveted wish of creating a product with Häagen-Dazs came true.

The front men of my favorite bands used to work at Häagen-Dazs

――Ultimately, why did you want to collaborate with Häagen-Dazs so badly?

VERDY: The front men of my favorite bands used to work at Häagen-Dazs, and even today, if you look up on the internet, you’ll find bunch of pictures of these guys wearing a Häagen-Dazs T-shirt. The first time I found out about the bands was when I was in high school, and they were the reason that got me into music. To name those guys, one was Henry Rollins from Black Flag, and the other was Ian MacKaye from Minor Threat. There are more bands I listened to like, Bad Brains, Circle Jerks, Gang Green, and many more…. They are all basically American hardcore bands from the 80s, and I would say they are one of my roots. Coming from that background, Häagen-Dazs clothing appeared insanely cool to me.

I’d wanted to wear one, too, but Häagen-Dazs T-shirt is essentially produced in small quantities…. And when I found a vintage one, it was really expensive, as it was really rare and popular from Ian MacKaye and Henry Rollings wearing it; it was just hard to get. On top of that, Häagen-Dazs doesn’t release their items much, so there aren’t that many in the market, but that’s another reason why I wanted to produce a product with them.

――I see. And in that sense, Häagen-Dazs items are especially special for you as they also embody the music culture.

VERDY: That’s right. I now think that I should’ve worked at an ice cream shop for my first job [laughs]. It’s that good seeing Ian MacKaye and Henry Rollins wearing the shirt. They look like they’re having so much fun working in the store, and I’ve always been obsessed.

――Since you’ve brought it up, can you tell us how you got into those types of music you were mentioning earlier, and how you first discovered bands like Black Flag and Minor Threat?

VERDY: When I was in middle school to high school, the 80s hardcore punk was back in trend, and I was listening to a lot of domestic bands like BBQ Chickens, Razors Edge and Idol Punch. One day, I was talking about the kind of music I liked with this guy working at a music studio I went, who occasionally played the guitar for Idol Punch, and he lent me CDs of bands like Black Flag, Minor Threat, and Bad Brains. I instantly got into these bands. The cool part about the 80s hardcore punk scene is that the graphics of these bands are exceptionally on-point. The bands’ style of playing hardcore punk with their usual T-shirt-and-shorts attire is also fascinating. That culture is at my core. What I design today is greatly influenced by those graphics, and the messages I convey come from there as well.

I hope the products also attracted the people who genuine like Häagen-Dazs

――Now, can you tell us about the design of the products?

VERDY: As in the photos of Ian MacKaye and Henry Rollins wearing the shirt, Häagen-Dazs T-shirt has an ice cream flavor printed on the back. So, I designed the front with a simple logo of the brand and developed an original flavor for the back print. Since it’s a project with Wasted Youth, I wanted to put the word “Wasted” and thought that I should go with chocolate as it’s the closest color to my favorite color, black. And that’s how I came up with the imaginary flavor, “WASTED CHOCOLATE.”

――And why did you choose “CASSIS”?

VERDY: It’s because “CASSIS” is the flavor printed on most of the Häagen-Dazs T-shirts including the one Ian MacKaye and Henry Rollins were wearing, and I wanted one too, so I made it [laughs]. The word doesn’t relate to Wasted Youth, but I’m sure there are a lot of people out there, who aren’t interested in what I do, but want to wear a Häagen-Dazs T-shirt, so I’ve created one with the original flavor for those people. The classic version was made with Russell T-shirt, so for this collaboration, I made an original Wasted Youth tag with the design inspired from the Russell tag.

――So, this project is truly a dream come true to you.

VERDY: Yes. This time, at TOKiON the STORE, we had also released a collaboration item with POSCA, and the new Wasted Youth collection held with the theme, “I can’t waste my time anymore.” and essentially, this chain of projects was thankfully spawned from collaborating with Häagen-Dazs. It’s a special product that brought me such amazing opportunity, so I hope it attracted both the people who are curious to see what I do and the people who genuine like Häagen-Dazs.

VERDY
A graphic artist from VK DESIGN WORKS. He is the creator of Girls Don’t Cry and Wasted Youth, collaborating with brands and artists from Japan and abroad. He is one of the representatives of the contemporary fashion scene.
Instagram：@verdy

Photography Takaki Iwata
Text Ryo Tajima
Translation Ai Kaneda

The post TOKION x Wasted Youth Vol.1 VERDY’s Sentiments Embedded in His Long-Awaited Collaboration with Häagen-Dazs appeared first on TOKION - Cutting edge culture and fashion information.