AMBUSH co-founder and Reebok Asia Creative Director VERBAL solidifies ties with Louis Vuitton’s Kim Jones for the unveiling of the duo’s Spring/Summer 2012 PLAYBUTTON project. Limited to a production run of only 30 custom-branded units, the AMBUSH-curated circular music players are emblazoned with the Japanese label’s branding and mocked up in red, blue, black and white. Each PLAYBUTTON arrives with a set of custom brushed metal headphone buds and is packaged in a Louis Vuitton Damier-inspired motif.

Source: AMBUSH

VERBAL holds a unique position within both the entertainment industry and popular culture in Japan. The huge fame he achieved in his role as m-flo’s MC has been followed by five years of his own creative projects which have gone on to inspire a generation of Japanese stars. As honeyee CEO Tetsuya Suzuki said last year, “VERBAL is this generations most important opinion leader, and if anyone knows what they’re talking about it’s Suzuki-san.” Choice excerpts from TOKYODANDY’s chat with VERBAL can be seen below.

It’s been 5 years since m-flo’s last studio album, can you give us a run down of what you’ve done in that time?
Well 5 years ago, with music and fashion, there was a point of conversion where people from different fields and genres kind of got bored with what they were doing and were looking for something new. I’m not from the fashion field but I think at that time it got exciting and there was a merging of worlds. Like how you’ve documented with Tokyo Dandy. There were lots of parties and lots of great energy in Tokyo. Around that time I started a brand called AMBUSH® which got me busy in that realm, and I started DJing which was another outlet for my creativity musically. So the past few years asides from m-flo have been a personal expression of my creativity within music and within fashion. It’s kept me busy.

I’ve listened to the new album, it’s a big change from m-flo’s more melodic hip-hop / J-pop roots isn’t it?
Taku produced the tracks, and when we wrote the songs together this time, the biggest difference between this album and the previous ones is the fact that the whole of the music industry and the economical climate has changed. Now CDs don’t sell. I don’t care what people say, you can be the best musician there is, you can spend loads on promotion with trucks rolling round Shibuya. But CDs just don’t sell as they used too. I kind of look at this as an advantage. Before, when CDs sold, Japan had the second biggest market for CD sales. Because of that an island mentality developed where the Japanese industry saw no need to go global as there was so much money to be made here in Japan. J-pop evolved separately from the rest of the world and was different both in it’s mentality and musicality. As m-flo we were always inspired by both Japanese and foreign artists but our output had to be somewhat adapted to the Japanese way of things. The industry is totally different now. We don’t have to worry about things like ‘Do we need more English lyrics?’ ‘Do we need more Japanese lyrics?’. For the new album we just did what we wanted to do without thinking about it, which is how we debuted. We weren’t really thinking about anything we just put out a couple of tracks and it caught fire. So the title, ‘SQUARE ONE’, it’s how we’ve gone back to how we used to do things, we’ve evolved over the years but this is honest. This is what Taku would do for himself as remix tracks to play on the club floor. It’s not necessarily to sell it’s just something he’s made for fun. When I rap I’m not taking about seishun or sakura kind of thing I’m just talking about whatever the hell I would talk about with friends. The whole station has been a catalyst for us to be able to do what we really want to do on a big level.

The piece in its entirety can be read here.

Fashion and culture landmark LaForet Museum in Tokyo is set to become the next host of Harajuku’s disco event “One Day Disco” alongside a number of special guests. The twin sisters behind Japanese brand Jouetie Ami and Aya will be in attendance as well as TERYAKI BOYZ affiliates; NIGO of A Bathing Ape and HUMAN MADE fame, and VERBAL – founder of AMBUSH. Don’t forget to mark the 31st of March on your calendar if you are in the area.

HARAJUKU DISCO
(6F Laforet Harajuku) Laforet Museum Harajuku Venue:
Date: 31 March 16:00 (Sat)
Starring: Sho Ayanokoji, VERBAL, NIGO, AMIAYA,

Source: Fashionsnap.com

Continuing his time in Tokyo, as well as with Palladium, Pharrell Williams linked with fellow artist VERBAL to take a tour around the illustrious Nakano Broadway. The two icons checked out some of the local novelty items, which you would be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. Watch and listen as they speak about the Nakano presence, as well as their own respective fields of interest.

The last few months have seen a huge resurgence from Reebok. This comes in tandem with the announcing of two new creative directors including Swizz Beatz as the Global Creative Director, and VERBAL as the Reebok Classics Asia Creative Director. Both parties were on hand in Tokyo last week for a Reethym of Lite event that helped launch an all out campaign from the signature running and sporting brand. We caught up with both parties to get their takes on Reebok as a brand and their upcoming roles within the company.

How did the opportunity come about?
VERBAL: Long story short, I met some cool people from Reebok, just having drinks with them and telling them about my first basketball shoes: the Reebok Pumps. I told them that I wrote a paper on Reebok as a business major back in 1993/1994. They kind of knew that I did music and arts, so they thought that it’ll be exciting to have me on board as a Creative Director and to come up with new ideas for the future. That’s why I’m here I guess.

Swizz Beatz: The opportunity came about through mutual friends, they were looking to do something new and my name was on the list I guess. Following up with the work I did with Christian Louboutin, I kind of wanted to tone things down and reach the masses.

What does your job and role encompass?
V: As a Creative Director for Asia-Pacific, I came in right in the middle of the Reethym of Lite Campaign, so I started off by doing the visuals, the ads and the overall campaign. And for the near future, we’ll be working on some products, so you’ll see them coming out in 2012. For the creative side, they gave me 100% freedom as some of the ideas I came up with are probably physically impossible, but they’ll add on to them and translate my concepts in some other ways.

SB: My job is to make sure the brand is ahead of the curve, the campaign is cutting-edge, the designs are on point, and the brand connects to the right people. My job is almost everything.

Coming from musical backgrounds, how difficult was it to make a transition into fashion and product?
V: I think music and fashion just goes hand in hand you know, like hip-hop music – people are dressed in a certain way from a certain background. Doing music and going into fashion and designing just kind of came naturally for me, so I think hopefully I’ll be able to use my experiences and translate that to what I’ll do for Reebok.

SB: It wasn’t even a transition, I was into fashion since I was a break dancer in the South Bronx in the ’80s, and I used to have the denim jackets with the graffiti on the back, fat shoe strings and things like that. I’ve always been in fashion, but I guess my first transition was working with Kidrobot and that’s how it started officially as a business.

Does working on product with Reebok require a different creative mindset?
V: It definitely does. I have a lot of ideas on jewellery but probably not as much for apparel, so it’s a challenge for me in a good way. I’ve been given opportunities in the past by brands like Topman and A Bathing Ape. For example, NIGO will let me work on his BAPE STAs, so that was kind of my first experience with sneakers. But obviously with Reebok, it is even bigger as there are so many resources. I don’t even know where to start as I’m an apprentice now and I’m still learning. It might be a bit rocky in the beginning, but I have a vision so hopefully I can get there with the help of many people.

SB: Yes definitely, it requires a different mindset, as Reebok is something that has so much heritage and it’s now living in the future. So it’s about how you can translate that to a kid who never had a pair of Pumps and how do you introduce something new to get their attention to bring them back to the Pump, and it’s also about rebuilding the brand by redoing something old. The project is about reinventing the history with new technology, new everything.

Do you think your Reebok customer is the same as your musical customer?
V: I would say yes, for example the other day somebody asked me what sneaker is to you and I immediately said culture. Most of the memorable sneakers are models from the past which had something to do with culture, like music and film. Like when you listen to certain music, it gives you energy, courage and it makes you feel a certain way.

SB: I think they’re definitely the same customer, but I think it’s even people outside of music, as I can see Reebok is hitting to different audience around the world, I can definitely see that happening.

What were deciding factors in you guys working together respectively with Reebok?
V: From what I understand, I think they kind of saw that when I create, I’ll include everybody from the whole scene. When I do collaborations for my brand AMBUSH, I’ll work with people from George Jensen to local designers and I think that eclectic vibe is the key to bringing in new blood for Reebok. They also believe that I have a very good understanding of the industry and that I’m the right person at the right time for the job. When you have a pair of sneakers which has the same emotional attachment and image to that particular culture, then you’ll feel the same.

SB: The deciding factor was being able to fix things I didn’t like about the brand. That the brand can be something that’s cool again and I think we started off pretty decent. Reebok hasn’t really been talking to the culture for many years so it’s about putting things back on the radar and setting the record straight.

How familiar were you with each other’s work? What can you guys learn from one another?
V: I just started to get to know Swizz as a creative, like previously I’ve known most of his music work obviously but this is definitely the first time to work as a creative duo. We both do music, but now we’re together in doing something totally different. I already see the big things he’s been doing in the States and global, definitely inspired. On the Asian side of Reebok, we can start local, make some noise and hopefully it’ll organically spring back to the rest of the world.

SB: VERBAL is a creative mind, even when I met him through NIGO back in Japan years and years ago. I knew he was different and seeing him now with his crazy jackets and stuff, it just shows that he’s not scared to reach out and to create something new and that’s something what the brand needs.

What are you looking to achieve with this opportunity?
V: It’s an honor to be a Creative Director but it’s also nerve-racking and it’s a big role to fill. I think people are excited and I’m really happy about it but at the same time there’s a lot of pressure, as I have to deliver some fun projects and make some cool products from the ideas I have. What it comes down to is that we have to achieve numbers to call it a success and hopefully I’ll follow-up on that end. Hopefully I’ll be a good asset to Reebok.

SB: Simple, I just want to make history. Everything comes and goes, but history stays, when people think of Reebok, I want people to think about Swizz and VERBAL coming on board and changing the whole thing.

What is the biggest cultural difference between Asia and the rest of the world?
V: I think like Japan, it’s a very secluded country, they have a dosage of influence. They import stuff and they’ll create their own entity, that’s why J-Pop is only J-Pop in Japan, it doesn’t make sense anywhere else. Like fashion here only makes sense here, but when it goes out of Japan, it’ll stay fresh as it’s so different. I was in Shanghai and Beijing couple of weeks ago for tours, China is a superpower but it’s too closed in, but then it has an energy of its own and I think it’ll create something that is powerful over time as it harnesses this creative energy. The western world encourages freedom, so that gives a certain direction and vibe, Asia on the other hand has boundaries on particular purposes, so I believe Asian countries like China and Japan are ready to come full force. The West doesn’t know what Asia has in store yet and we’re ready to explode.
SB: The Japanese market is amazing, it’s ready to explode, it has a voice that needs to be heard around the world and I think that moment is coming and I’m just happy that I can be part of it.

Where does Reebok’s Classics product line stand now and where do you want to take it?
V: It’s safe to say that people are bored of sneakers in general, but Reebok always had cool products and what I wanted to do is maybe do some interesting marketing to make these products more visible. I think everyone at Reebok likes to have fun, that’s the first impression and it was one of the reasons for me to join this team. I just want everyone to start opening up more and come up with crazy schemes and get the products out there. It’s like the shy guy at class who’s ready to blow up, this is what Reebok is to me.
SB: There’s very clever ways to reintroduce things and I think this ultralight material is a great start. Reebok has a mass group of clients, that’s why the campaign is very international. You can’t get caught with just rap and this and that – when I’m thinking, I’m thinking of the world.

How much of the regional differences will factor into the overall aesthetic of your products?
V: There have already been so many cool designs out there, so obviously I want to try to come from a more conceptual angle which I can’t really disclose at this point, but there’s this one theme where it’ll string together the whole Asia-Pacific region together. So with this concept, all the places can just go crazy with it. Right now there are a lot of good models, but people want that product because of the names which are involved in the collaboration, and my goal is to use what I have to bring it back to the product itself – that’s what made the whole culture very potent in the past, as it was about the product at the end of the day.
SB: Maybe 30%, I wanted to make it as new as possible. The fresher it is, the easier it is to introduce. If you have something new and innovative, it’ll become a conversation piece as people will be like, “Wow, I haven’t seen that before.”

Any musical collaborations to come of this and any last words?
V: Actually my group M-FLO is coming back, we haven’t had an album since 2007. Starting with Reebok, we’ll pop off with our new song called “Run.” We’ll be doing more stuff with M-FLO, we’re also in talks with Swizz about maybe doing something more together so yeah I guess you’ll hear more from that. Watch out for 2012!
SB: Yeah we’re actually going into the studio soon and who knows? I just want to tell the fans that Reebok is back and sky is not the limit.

Photography: Hypebeast

A few days ago, we previewed to you the exclusive behind-the-scenes to Reebok’s “Reethym of Lite” campaign. Working under the creative direction of VERBAL, Reebok’s latest campaign is inspired by the conservation efforts that have occurred in Japan following the events of earlier this year. Enlisting creative agency Superbien to create a futuristic cityscape backdrop, Reebok’s latest campaign features an all-Asian cast which includes Norwegian Wood’s Kiko Mizuhara and Japanese male model Daisuke Ueda. All models are clad in Reebok Lite’s latest offerings which include pop-colored apparels and heritage-inspired footwear. The rest of the creative team includes celebrated photographer Doi Koichiro, visual director Yoon, stylist Shun Watanabe, and makeup artist Moma.

Geared towards its Asia Pacific demographic, Reebok launched its “Reethym of Lite” campaign last night in Tokyo. Featuring a star-studden lineup of guests and performers, the celebration was headed by Reebok Classics North American and Asia creative directors Swizz Beatz and VERBAL. The event featured over 1,000 guests, with a DJ set by Taku Takahashi, performances by Swizz Beatz and VERBAL, and Japanese group Trippple Nippples. Celebrity guests included NIGO, Sam Lee and Mademoiselle Yulia, which accounted for only a fraction amongst a who’s who of others. Take a look at the recap above!

Photography: Hypebeast

Musician and AMBUSH co-founder VERBAL has recently been announced as the Creative Director for Reebok Classics Asia. The multifaceted creative will surely inject a greater perspective into the brand given his strong connection through many facets of culture, including music and fashion. VERBAL was recently on hand to help celebrate the new Reebok “Reethym of Lite” campaign in New York City.

Source: TOKYO DANDY

As the devastation of one of Japan’s worst natural disasters slowly subsides amidst uncertain radioactive futures, the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake has had an unforgettable impact on the Japanese population. In the midst of preparing his first solo album launch, Japanese rapper and designer VERBAL quickly saw his focus move away from promotion and towards helping and supporting. We spoke with VERBAL regarding what sort of change the aftereffects of the earthquake and the tsunami have had on the Japanese youth and how it has influenced the creative realm. The help of foreign friends together with a quick alignment of the Japanese people have surely put the right steps forward towards rebuilding Japan.

Director: Caesar Rodriguez

Resident Hypebeast blogger, designer and AMBUSH brand founder VERBAL will premiere his debut album next month titled ▼ISION▲IR. The album features a heavyweight cast of both Eastern and Western music superstars including Lil Wayne, Namie Amuro, Nicki Minaj, Shinich Osawa and Swizz Beatz. The album is set to debut on March 16, 2011. Stay tuned for more details including any single releases.