The viral human rights movement and organization Black Lives Matter Global Network (BLM) showcased its highly anticipated collaboration with a legend in the streetwear fashion scene FUBU at ComplexCon Long Beach, as a part of BLM’s #WhatMatters2020 Campaign, created to engage communities in the all-important 2020 election. Co-founder Patrisse Cullors hosted an intimate fireside chat with blockbuster actress Storm Reid and founders of iconic 90’s brand FUBU, J Alexander Martin and Keith Perrin, on issues that matter most in the upcoming election. The BLM activation also featured a voting booth for visitors to register to vote as a part of the campaign’s goal to drive voter registration in partnership with Rock the Vote and to actively engage Black, under-represented communities, Millennials, and Gen Z in the 2020 presidential election.
Founded in 1992 by four neighborhood friends from Queens, New York trying to make quick cash by selling tie-top hats to their friends and family, FUBU, aka “For Us By Us,” quickly grew from a shoestring budget of $40 into a $6 billion fashion empire. BLM x FUBU incorporates both classic and fashion-forward styles all with the original BLM 3 stripe streak logos featuring the iconic Fubu font style and a bright pop of color. The collaboration will incorporate a BLM x FUBU Hoodie priced at $60 and a BLM x FUBU T-shirts priced at $40.
During last weekend’s festivities, BLM hosted a vibrant activation creating a socially conscious space within the ComplexCon universe, featuring a mock voting registration booth to encourage visitors to be civically engaged. During Cullors’s fireside chat, Storm Reid and FUBU founders shared their stance on key issues such as voting rights, racial injustice, gun laws and more that are shaping the upcoming election.
Also in attendance were Grammy-winning artist Eve, hip hop legend LL Cool J, New York Times Bestselling author and journalist Elaine Welteroth, who stopped by to show love and support to the organization. The BLM X FUBU collaboration is one of many solidifying moments for the #WhatMatters2020 campaign and a continuation of BLM’s Arts+Culture platform dedicated to celebrating the impact of Black innovators in visual arts, literature, music, and fashion. In its effort to celebrate leading representations of Black arts and culture, BLM has created unprecedented campaigns with pop art icon Hebru Brantley, former Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party, Emory Douglas, and CFDA winner Telfar at key pop culture events such as Complexcon, Art Basel, Frieze NY and more.
