Hood By Air to relaunch

Yes, you can call it a comeback. Shayne Oliver's Hood By Air is set to relaunch after a three year hiatus. Last year, news of a Hood By Air relaunch was going around and it set the internet's fashion sphere ablaze. In various interviews Oliver would tease the brand's comeback, but would make no concrete statements as to when the line would officially relaunch.

Today, the brand took to Instagram to announce that Hood by Air would be coming back in a new form. The post read "Hood By Air is a monument to youth culture — an institution dedicated to new ideas, housing and transforming them into works of art and fashion. 13-years-ago young, black, and poc creatives started Hood By Air, creating something entirely unique in fashion. Over a decade later, we continue to produce objects and artifacts that transcend attitudes and ideas in order to challenge what luxury means for future audiences. In recent years, we have seen the creative industries distance themselves further and further from real culture. Radical works have been pushed out by gentrification. The youth have been robbed of the physical and psychological spaces necessary for new ideas to grow. The system is antiquated, and we want to replace it with something new. There is another world that needs to be created. We've done it before, and we're doing it again. Today, we introduce Anonymous Club, a vehicle to promote and sponsor young talent. These youths and their projects will become a part of our world. A community we call the Hood By Air Alumni. Hood By Air, the new institution."

Hood By Air went on hiatus in 2017. Oliver has worked on freelance projects since then, including designing collections for Helmut Lang.

The new Hood By Air is expected to be split into four entities, Hood By Air, HBA, Museum, and Anonymous Club. Hood by Air will focus on events and product launches, HBA will be a direct-to-consumer platform, Museum will rework pieces from the brand's archives, and Anonymous will focus on emerging talent.

This Thursday, Hood By Air will be releasing a limited-edition T-shirt in honor of their relaunch with proceeds going toward Uprising, a charity for Black and queer communities. The proceeds will then be split between Black Trans Femmes in the Arts, Emergency Release Fund and Gays and Lesbians Living In A Transgender Society.

Although right now might be a tough time to relaunch a fashion line, Hood By Air has a cult following waiting in the wings. The brand's products can regularly be found on resale site Grailed, with some pieces going for as much as they originally sold for at retail. Hood By Air will be welcomed back with open arms by customers who have fans of the brand since its heyday.