The power of collaborations has proven to be an ongoing trend in the world of streetwear. From PUMA’s upcoming Nipsey Hussle collection in tribute to the company’s profoundly missed brand ambassador, to more experimental drops like Forever 21’s capsule with USPS, there are simply no limits to who, what or how a collab can come together. It’s for this reason that a company like Snapple linking up with Chicago creative Joe “Freshgoods” Robinson for a merch drop makes perfect sense.
Setting up shop in the Lower East Side of New York City last night (August 22), Joe launched his “corner store” pop-up with Snapple to debut a special edition bottle design, two T-Shirts and a standout yellow trucker cap. A handful of industry heads and famous faces made their way out in the rain to come show support to the homie, one in particular being fellow Chi-town native and longtime supporter Chance the Rapper. With an entourage that included his brother Taylor Bennett not too far behind, Chano showed much enthusiasm for the set, including other pieces from Joe’s past collabs that will also be available at the pop-up throughout the weekend.
We got a chance (no pun intended!) to speak with Joe in the midst of greeting supporters and fans of his work, and he gave us a quick quote on what exactly goes into his collaborations when it comes down to putting out that fire. Peep what he told The Source exclusively below:
“With this collab, I wanted to tell a story. Right now in particular we’re dealing with a time in the culture, and even this era of life, where the word ‘collab’ is getting kind of diluted. We’re about these brand partnerships where I can align my brand with other brands, but for me it’s all about making sure the story makes sense overall. I never want to be one of those dudes, especially being the Black man that I am, who just gives away his energy. My only thing is making sure it’s a situation where I can hear an idea and spit it back at you how I want to do it instead of you just pitching me a deck. I look for companies that are like, ‘Hey Joe, what do you want to do?’ versus ‘Hey Joe, you’ve got to do it like this.’ That’s always number one for me.”
— Joe Freshgoods
Joe Freshgoods’ pop-up shop, cleverly titled “The Corner Store Was My Gift Shop,” will operate starting today at 198 Allen Street until 8PM, and will also be open to the public tomorrow (12PM – 4PM) and Sunday (12PM – 4PM). The trucker hat will be on sale for $30 USD, meanwhile both shirts retail for $45 USD.
Check out more images from the Joe Freshgoods x Snapple pop-up in NYC below:
Images: Brian Ach / Getty Images for Snapple
