Griot Apparel for Obama

www. griot apparel .com
Griots keep their own history alive through talking about it... Griot Apparel mixes the oral and narrative elements of the west African griot traditions with the skeptical elements of postcolonial historians. The brand blends art and education into fashion.
Our intention is to use printed visual symbols to provoke conversations and promote awareness, focusing on the stories and images of characters from political and cultural history.
Griots survive in what remains of the Mali Empire. They continue transmitting their culture in poems about Mande and Wolof histories. Griots today live in parts of Senegal, Mali, Gambia and Guinea.
Those who examine what they are wearing and pass along their knowledge become griots themselves.
We treat our clothing as conversation pieces and vehicles for carrying art. What we care to catalyze with our line is creative, critical and constructive conversations... discussions that inspire people to speak of history and provide some insight about our current context.
www. griot apparel .com
www. griot apparel .com
Griot Apparel, LLC is the company through which Julia Cocuzza (Julia Cocuzza .com) and Kevin Selhi (of Dropout/Postgrad) make clothing for, and with, other artists and philosophers. The story of Griot Apparel has been one of organic growth and increasing clarity since the first seeds flowered on 4'20'06. The designs have excited a high consciousness which catalyzes passionate conversations and critical thoughts.
In 2006, a house party on Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn Heights marked the unofficial launch. Releasing the first generation of tees on 4'20 -- Fela Kuti: The Black President (painted/designed by Julia), Dick Cheney: God Loves Ugly (a joint design by Kevin and Julia), and Pol Pot & The Khmer Rouge (a collaboration between Kevin and the Newark, NJ-based design trio Tritonic, LLC) -- the initial high was sparked and a natural dialogue was set in motion.
The Griot Apparel family has since expanded. Our consumer base has grown at the same time that new designers have contributed by adding new subjects to the design line up. We released new logo designs at *Snapshot* and So!Live and brought it back to the crib to celebrate the one year anniversary on 4/20/07, marked with the release of new collaborations, including Nick DeSantis' first Griot design -- Vladimir Putin: Get Rich or Die Tryin', (a joint design by Dropout/Postgrad and Nick DeSantis) Don Pedro Albizu Campos (portrait by Julia Cocuzza).
www. griot apparel .com

www. griot apparel .com
www. griot apparel .com
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Griot Apparel is visually stimulating
and physically comfortable,
subtly abrasive, subversive, and soft to the touch.
Our designs are morally provocative
and heavy with cultural and esthetic reference.
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We conceptualize and produce designs in-house and commission up-and-coming artists to design for us. The process moves in stages with historical and technical dialogue perpetuating it.
Even in pre-production, we try to catalyze focused communications of history, culture and strategy.
Human history is a complex proposition. We struggle to spark this understanding--to create open conversations which direct attention at complexity in collective history--using clothing as our medium. We also host parties and sponsor other events aimed at that end.
This is our way of carrying out the work of the griots.
www. griot apparel .com