Graff trucker hat installation to launch new Welli clothing label

TOP SHELF CLOTHING
Straight Outta Welly City

Hip hop entrepreneurs Kerb 1 and Juse 1 are launching the dopest graff trucker hats in Aotearoa, with a unique installation at Wellington's Deluxe Espresso Bar.

Deluxe co-owner, Matt Wilson first spotted the duo's work on flags they created for the NZ International Arts Festival, and invited them to showcase the hats at his café, insisting that they also paint the cafe walls in their inimitable styles.

The hats featuring B-boy and DJ designs, the Top Shelf logo, and other hip hop inspired art, will be for sale at the café. The graff trucker hats, also available with customized designs, are the first step in the development of the entrepreneurs Top Shelf Clothing, Wellington's only hip hop/aerosol art label.

"We're starting Top Shelf Clothing in order to expose our ideas and designs to a wider audience beyond other Aerosol artists. We've always had an avid interest in putting graff onto clothing and it seems like a natural step for us" says Kerb 1

The trucker hats are a medium inspired by hip hop pioneers in New York who created personalized trucker hats to stand out in a crowd. Top Shelf are among the first to offer customized hats in Aotearoa. Kerb 1 and Juse 1 will personalize the hats with any chosen name or word, all done in a graffiti styled letter font that can be rocked at any event.

"The hats are a foundation to work on, sort of a capital raising process to lead into screen printed T Shirts, hoodies and pretty much anything we can think of. We're really interested on working on a variety of fabrics and surfaces," says Juse1

Kerb 1 and Juse 1 are rated among this country's top hip hop artists, and their work, known to the average Joe as Graffiti but to the artists as Aerosol Art, features in backdrops, posters, flyers, web design, magazine work, muralist type work, vehicle designs, youth graffiti programs and billboards.

They have worked with artists like Scribe and are regulars at the annual Aotearoa Hip Hop Summit. Around Wellington their artwork is prolific and legal, gracing the walls of Chaffers Park, the skate half pipe at Island Bay Park, and on the Wellington Observatory, and they featured in the Respect Aotearoa Hip Hop exhibition touring the country.

Hip hop clothing is considered one of the freshest and most exciting fashion accessory for anyone stating, "I'm hip and I'm it!" and the Top Shelf launch will be laying down the gauntlet to the likes of the King Kapisi 'Overstayer' label, and South Auckland's Dawn Raid clothing label.

Top Shelf Installation
From Monday 6th September, 2004
Deluxe Espresso Bar
Kent Tce
WELLINGTON

To get your self a customized hat email: www.topshelfclothing@hotmail.com">http://www.topshelfclothing@hotmail.com