A global collective in every sense of the word, Yeti Out know how to put the work in. They have been slowly honing their cross cultural narrative though a mix of club nights and events mixed with art and fashion projects, that personify Yeti Out’s energy and relevance in the international scene. An energy that is distilled in its latest project “Lost Signal” a collaboration with Nike By You where the crew put their distinctive stamp on the React Vision. We caught up with the guys to find out more /
TNO / Guys its been amazing seeing “Yeti Out” grow over these last few years. This project feels like the collective has come of age so to speak. What is the inspiration for this collaboration and the narrative behind the Yeti Out x Nike By You "LOST SIGNAL" React Vision?
YETI OUT / The sneaker collaboration is the last part of an 8-week project we've been working with Nike Sportswear. The project consisted of an exhibition at Shanghai's On Air Studio which displayed our flyer and T-shirt archive, an 8-week pop-up radio (featuring shows from local artists and DJs), and a series of DIY zine-making & screen-printing workshops.
Yeti Out is an ever-evolving transient project based between Hong Kong, London and Shanghai. We've reliant on telecommunication and technology to do what we do. Shaky WeChat calls and Whatsapp groups are our satellite offices. Without signal, there wouldn't be Yeti Out. But, there's also a dark side to signal and its ubiquitous presence. Throughout the project, we celebrate underground dance culture and look at technology's role in keeping us connected, but in other instances we explore how it's keeping us apart. Has social media really made us more social? We explore these topics in the radio sessions and interview different personalities in nightlife (door girl, sound technician, promoter, etc) in the "LOST SIGNAL" zine.
I get… in these times more than ever. Can you tell us about the design process? How did you come up with details?
The sneaker is called "LOST SIGNAL", and the two colorways are Metallic White and Voltage Purple. We're connected to signal 24/7, our lives have become so dependent on it. Moreover, Yeti Out is a 24/7 lifestyle too, ideating in the studio during the day and pulling a "night shift" in the club once the sun goes down. With that said, we wanted to create two colorways that reflect day and night, a sneaker we can rock in the height of summer, and another for the rave. The purple accent is Yeti Out's signature colorway, while the metallic double Swoosh continues to echo the concept of the two shifts we pull throughout the day. Comfort and flexibility is key if you're moving around the city, so we used mesh on the uppers, and applied a unique speckle print on the heel and tongue that draws inspo from retro Nike tracksuits popular in '90s rave culture.
“Yeti Out is a 24/7 lifestyle too, ideating in the studio during the day and pulling a "night shift" in the club once the sun goes down”
And the wire and velcro? What's the meaning behind that?
The wire hoop is synonymous with electric wires, a modern symbol of our "life line". Velcro, when torn, creates static-like white noise; the intense signal processing sound which makes-up our modern heart beat. The "LOST SIGNAL" zine will also feature the wire and velcro on the binder.
Being based between Hong Kong, Shanghai and London, how did you guys design the shoe?
Since the "LOST SIGNAL" project took place in Shanghai's On Air studio, Tom who lives there took the lead in seeing the activations through, setting up the radio & exhibition and leading the workshops. We created the moodboard together, working with Eri in London and Akira in Hong Kong on multiple logo and font options, while Arthur (who's also in Hong Kong) did the sneakers' mock-ups alongside the concept for the two colorways. It was difficult at times since we couldn't travel to Shanghai due to COVID-19, but it just meant we had to make precise tech packs and guidelines.
“Growing up in Hong Kong in the mid 2000’s, we wore AF1s with patchworks bought from Shenzhen which we would custom onto the shoes”
The location in the lookbook shoot looks interesting, where did you guys shoot?
We shot at an intersection of flyer overs in downtown Shanghai. The concrete overpass gives the lookbook a special urban energy and captures the cityscape that's the backbone of Yeti Out. The city's fast-pace energy is reflected in the way work and play. The models are good friends Chingi and Marshall from Shanghai's creative community, both wear multiple hats as models and designers, and frequent our club nights.
Why did you choose to work on the Nike React Vision?
The project was based off of Nike By You's Changer Makers program. Our friends DOE who have a great boutique in Shanghai also took part. We were fans of the React Element 87 model when they dropped a few years back, so were stoked to try our hands at remaking the React Vision in light of the larger social story of "LOST SIGNAL"
What is the relationship between Yeti Out and Nike?
We grew up wearing Nike sneakers, the Air Max 90 and Air Max 95 are some of our favourite silhouettes. Growing up in Hong Kong in the mid 2000s, we wore AF1s with patchworks bought from Shenzhen which we would custom onto the shoes. While in the UK, the Air Max 90 and Air Max 95 are staple silhouettes. Recently, we've been working with Nike more; whether that's doing the sound 13th Witness' Exhibition at NikeLab X158 or last year's YETI x NIKE AV021 workshop series which explored audio and visual design in club culture.
So how is the collaboration appealing to music listeners?
The collaboration part of a bigger conversation on music culture. Throughout the project, we did radio sessions with Shanghai producers and DJ like grime artist ZEAN, drum & bass queen DJ Siesta, young guns; PREME DJS and singer/rapper Charity SSB. All the shows will be available on our Mixcloud and Soundcloud.
We'll also be doing a launch party this Friday with Shanghai DJs Sai G, O Ma Casse, ChillGoGo and Tom Yeti at On Air Studio.
The Yeti Out x Nike By You "LOST SIGNAL" project will be available at www.yetiout.com/shop