NAMESAKE 2022P5 'HOME COURT' PRESENTATION

“Winning” is victory. Sports and music heroes are often the faces of such success. Yet, NAMESAKE insists that we are all heroes in our own biopic. “We’re all winning trophies in our own way,” said the Hsieh brothers. “You may not be a household name like star athletes and musicians, but you can be a true household name in your community.”
Built on family values, NAMESAKE’s community is the foundation that uplifts their dreams.
Torn from heartfelt pages out of the brothers’ basketball diaries, the AW22 presentation is filmed at the gymnasium of their former Kaohsiung high school, where two athletic icons are the protagonists: the player vs. the marching band.
The former, is a hero, extrovert and aggressive, while the latter are loyal orchestrators who calmingly drum to each player’s heartbeat. As a unit, they’re one. They chant celebrations on coach rides in high times, the same way they hang their heads together at the losses.
Re-calling their own anecdotes, the brothers note, “our basketball team was uplifted by all its members. On court and offcourt. Even in away games, we never felt lost. Home wasn't a place, it was a state of mind. As a unit, we were all different, but connected.”
This combination of pain, sweat and joy gives energy to NAMESAKE’s fictitious basketball team.
Pistol” Peter Maravich’s marksmanship in the 1977 NBA All-Star game lives through the garment's details. Fitted, dapper designs find unlikely pairings in the classic “locker room” tracksuit. Cinched waists on leathered bombers and field jackets relish the offbeat spirits of Andre 3000. If there was ever a junction where Southern Rap and Takehiko Inoue’s ‘Slam Dunk’ manga met, it’ll be here. These details serve to emphasize the designers’ far-reaching references to elevate the uniform through narrative.
Pulling from the designers’ personal life chapters, Japanese influences run rampant. Leg warmers give nod to late nights lurking in Harajuku, while the unique “Nori Wari Some” dye techniques employed by Kyoto hand-dyeing specialists experiment with textures. Corduroys, denim and French terry are covered with unique 5mm dye paste that creates natural cracks after dried. The creased, hand-crafted nature results in each garment uniquely different piece by piece.
Elsewhere, extended leather lapels are pinned back in formality, yet offset by bright varsity colors and loud emblems in homage to the legendary Harlem GlobeTrotters and Sun Ra’s sci-fi films.
The nonchalant style gives ode to Jason Williams' ‘02 Kings era swagger. Modern Y2K edits are applied to traditional plaid. The oversized kilt-like cuts not only continue the brand’s millennial styling, but parodically reimagine the conventional masculine status system in the athletic world.
All underlaid with a mesh base and technical fabric, these facades encompass the vocational span of NAMESAKE’s highly designed spectrum of modern, functional wear.
From the Kaohsiung harbor to their inaugural Paris Fashion Week calendar date, the band of outsiders kick down the doors once more.
If basketball’s greatest lesson is to “never give up,” then NAMESAKE graduated best in class.
Director - Wang Yu
Creative Director - Steve Hsieh
Cinematographer - Sljam
Focus Puller - Chou Yi
Assistant Camera - Wang Yi Ru
Gaffer - Hippo Sung
Best Boy - Li Hao Shiao
Lighting Assistant - Kuan Yen Lee, Chang Wei Chieh
Editor - Shao Yee, Wang Yu
Colorist - Ziju Pic, Wang Yu
Original Music - Jon Du
3D Animation - Zhi Xian Zhu
Set Design - Wei Cheng Liao
Choreography - Chang Yu Chia, Chang Che Wei, Liu Jia Wei, Lin Bo Kuan, Tang Yi Yang
Styling - Michael Hsieh
Hair - Eason Chen & Adam Zhen
Hair Assistants - Zan Chen & Una
Makeup - Nash Chen
Makeup Assistant - Momo Guo
Models: Samuel Borghuis, Chou Hengchi, Zachary Chou, Mason Chang, Chi Chung Lin, Eden Huang, Yaan, William Zhan, Rus Zhan, Wenxin Hsieh, Po Hsuan Lee
N3 TEAM: Ritz Chye, Rick Hsieh, Jodye Chang, Dobby Liao, Alfie Cheng, Sophie Wang, Aaron Chang, Betty Lin, Ming Cheng
Special Thanks: Tony Hsieh, Lily Zhan, Richard Hsieh, Julio Ng Chun Bong, Kai Ko, Boah Kim, Jamie Huang, Pierce Wang, Mai Chieh Sun, Eros, Aschon, Hugo Lecot, Marc Henri, Anne Guilloteau, Marine Fourie
Words: Arthur Bray