Hypebeast Flea: Air Pangea
From Jamaican influence to Mexican charity work, Air Pangea is taking its upcycled garments on a journey around the world.
As a brand that consistently puts sustainability first, Air Pangea loves to celebrate communities across the world in an eco-friendly way.
Founded by stylist Leila Afghan and her friend Rhi Connell, Air Pangea’s approach to garment design is inspired by a slew of countries and cultures, and by their stories and differences. This inspiration is then packed into small capsule collections, with past examples paying homage to Jamaican culture through intricately-dyed string vests, while other projects have supported initiatives close to the brand’s heart, such as Mexican charity, Isla Urbana.
Air Pangea is now bringing its styles to Hypebeast Flea, with a collection of upcycled and reworked garments that are designed to take attendees on a tour of the world.
Check out our conversation with Air Pangea ahead of Hypebeast Flea below. Tickets to Hypebeast Flea are free! Don’t forget to sign up here now.
Hypebeast: Explain your brand to people who may not know you yet.
Air Pangea is a fictitious airline that takes viewers on a journey to a new destination with each capsule collection. Each collection is made sustainably in collaboration with the local artists and designers of each destination. I grew up with my grandad, who was an engineer on British Airways Concorde, so I’ve been fascinated by aviation and travel my whole life, so it’s also like a little tribute to that.
What’s the journey been like from starting your brand, to where you are today?
It’s been all over the place, we started just before covid appeared, so it was a crazy time for starting out, but it taught us the importance of adapting. Air Pangea is a fun side project rather than a whole serious business, so we want to keep it that way and just keep having fun with it
Flea is going to be hosted for the first time in the UK. How does the UK’s creative community inspire you and your brand?
This creative scene right here is so crazy because it’s so international at the same time, even if you’re born in London like us, none of us are actually English – London is a melting pot of different races and ethnicities, so this shows in the creativity of the city coming from all directions its really impressive tbh. I think this is another aspect that really inspired Air Pangea – that London is so multicultural
What have you got planned at Hypebeast Flea?
Lots of upcycling, natural dying, collaborations, and an epic zine based on London
What other vendors are you looking forward to checking out at Hypebeast Flea?
AGR!
