HYPEFEST Recap: Culture and Community Came Together at Last

The first ever HYPEFEST event just wrapped up from October 6-7 and brought together all things that encompass the HYPEBEAST lifestyle – the best brands in fashion, the most coveted footwear, artists renowned all over the world, music that’s in everyone’s playlist, and gourmet food from the hippest restaurants and cooks.

When fans began lining up (as early as 8 a.m.) the vibe was already buzzing. People were discussing what they wanted to buy, how they were going to get it and which booths to go check out first. Naturally, the biggest buzz came from RIMOWA, who unveiled its next collaboration with Virgil Abloh and Off-White™. Eager fans had multiple restock opportunities to purchase throughout the 2-day weekend, but that didn’t stop people from frantically refreshing and pinging their HYPEFEST apps.

Aape as well started the event off right, giving away free swag bags (a reversible HYPEFEST/Aape tote and Aape branded lanyard) to everyone who queued up on Saturday morning. Girls Don’t Cry, Sacai, adidas, C.P. Company, ACRONYM, ALYX and PUMA had installations that challenged the minds and piqued the interests of guests, while visually stunning booths were created by Palm Angels x Moncler, The VINYL by Beats by Dre and Hiroshi Fujiwara, Ray-Ban and THE CONVENI provided ‘Gram-worthy photos for all. Other booths like THUNDERBOLT PROJECT BY ◾️◾️◾️◾️◾️ & POKÉMON gathered a security-necessary crowd intent on copping the collection, as well as securing their free Level 25-exclusive bag and stickers.

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Art-wise, heavy hitting legends Futura, HAZE, STASH, André Saraiva, Kevin Lyons and Steven Harrington brought their artistic endeavors to long-time fans and newcomers alike, while Katsuhiro Otomo, Kosuka Kawamura and their team created one of the most jaw-dropping exhibitions for their AKIRA presence. Not only was a wall poster for sale at the AKIRA booth, the team created HYPEFEST’s entrance mural — the largest ever produced by the AKIRA team. MCM also brought its monogram pattern in spades with a completely covered private yacht, along with a gigantic MCM branded teddy bear and a red carpet for invited guests into the vessel.

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The event was also visited by a slew of celebrities and influencers both as guests and panelists for HYPETALKS: Action Bronson, Jonah Hill, Gucci Mane, sneaker reviewer Brad Hall, Aleali May, Matthew Williams of ALYX, John Elliott, Lauren Tsai, UniqueHype‘s OG MA, Errolson Hugh, Nigel Sylvester, and Josh Luber. Living “Icon” Jaden Smith even stopped by to unveil his “Forces of Nature” collaboration with G-STAR RAW. Event-goers were also shocked to be graced by the surprise appearance of Travis Scott, as he graciously visited the grounds before swiftly grabbing a Neapolitan Express pizza.

Last but not least, the best music artists were present with performances by Buddy, Venus X, Benji B and Trippie Redd. Saturday’s headliner however, Sheck Wes, stole the show with ground-shaking fans all eager to be part of the performance. Hundreds were able to enjoy the main stage’s aural and visual performance into the night, all for free.

For more of the HYPEFEST festivities, check out our video recap below.