Angelo Baque's Second Champion Collab Has Strong Familial Ties
Honoring his Ecuadorian roots and Indigenous Latin American culture.
Angelo Baque first joined forces with Champion on a “Senior Thesis” collection in December 2022, when the Awake NY designer transformed the ubiquitous apparel brand’s Reverse Weave crewneck sweatshirt with a classroom-minded agenda in collaboration with three artists. Where Baque’s inaugural partnership with the brand sought to inspire future generations of creatives, his next Champion collaboration, out globally this week, is a vessel for honoring his Ecuadorian roots and Indigenous Latin American culture.
“This collection is about using my platform to celebrate my people and remind the world that Ecuadorians come in all forms, with different stories and experiences, but we all share a deep sense of pride in who we are,” said Baque.
The collection includes an abundance of designs rooted in Indigenous textile techniques, as well as artifact prints spotlighting the sartorial identifiers of ancient Mesoamerican cultures. Black leather jackets read “Champion” down the torso in cursive font, while matching trousers sport Baque’s name on the back pocket in a similar font. Elsewhere, loungwear items, like hoodies, longsleeves and T-shirts, are dotted with colorful nods to Baque’s heritage.
The campaign, shot and directed by Baque, stars all sorts of Ecuadorian families in a series of portraits, “emphasizing that they are not a monolith but rather a mosaic of experiences and identities,” per the brand.
The latest Angelo Baque x Champion collection is slated to launch during a special event at Dover Street Market Ginza in Tokyo on October 11. Following the activation, the collection will land at the Awake NY store on October 19, and it will become available globally online and in select Champion retailers. Take a look at the line in the gallery above.
