Kenny Scharf Stamps His Sketches Atop Axel Arigato's Signature Silhouettes

Scandinavian-born Axel Arigato is continuing to establish its North American presence. After laying down permanent roots with its first New York City store just a few weeks back, the Jens Werner-led label is joining hands with pop surrealist Kenny Scharf to add some more color to its neutral-hued silhouettes.

The nine-piece capsule spans footwear and apparel, with Scharf’s sentiment of “wearing your art every day” catalyzing the conceptualization process. A seamless amalgamation of Scharf’s American artistry and Axel’s Scandinavian style codes, the collaborative garments come covered in the artist’s infamous smiley faces and shape motifs.

Standing out as the hero piece is a dual-minded bomber jacket, which takes a sleek all-black colorway and is adorned with co-branded patchwork throughout. Axel’s classic hoodies and t-shirt silhouettes are stamped with collegiate branding, elevated with Scharf’s supernatural creatures slithering through the lettering.

On the footwear front, the duo delivers two new takes on the outfitter’s Area silhouette, each of which comes debossed with swirling white stitch work on the side paneling.

“As we launch our first store in New York, working with legendary American artist Kenny Scharf feels symbiotic,” said Werner of the capsule, which also arrives as Scharf opens two new exhibitions in NYC. “We’re thrilled to be able to work with such incredible artwork – continuing our commitment to unique and interesting collaborations that bring together our passions of fashion, art and design.”

Take a closer look at the capsule in the gallery above and shop the range when it goes live on Axel Arigato’s official webstore on October 17.