Sean Wotherspoon and Shohei Ochiai Share Closer Look at Collaborative Collection

Just days after launching a collaborative collection with Tokyo-based vegan American Chinese restaurant Oscar, Sean Wotherspoon has announced a collaboration with artist Shohei Ochiai — known for his nostalgic and youthful paintings.

Notably, inspiration for the collection stems from Wotherspoon’s adidas Gazelle “Hemp” and includes a range of items, all of which feature a 2D example of the shoe in Ochiai’s signature style. Items featuring the artwork include an original example by the artist, a limited run of 50 prints, a stack of posters, as well as a tee shirt, tote bag, pillowcase and keychain.

Speaking on how he met Ochiai and what he appreciates about his work, Wotherspoon said to Hypebeast “I met Ochiai on IG through DM! I found his work through the Joopiter auctions where he did some work for them. I then slid in his DM as a fan looking to buy originals!” As for the work, he added “I love his focus on 90’s pop culture, this resonates with me. I also love how he creates depth and layers within the work. You really have to see his art in person to appreciate it to the highest level. It’s unreal.”

While Wotherspoon and Ochiai had a number of shoes to choose from, both landed on the Gazelle Hemp, largely because of its various details and because the artist wanted something to challenge himself with. “I know he’s very proud of how the cork insole and stitching on the hemp turned out on his piece. I’m just as hyped,” shared Wotherspoon.

Ochai added to this, stating “I like everything about it, but what I especially like is the white stitching that runs throughout the upper. The stitches create an appealing flow and are very beautiful. I like nature and the design of these shoes is close to the beauty of nature, such as plants, water and the flow of rivers. The color is also one of my favorite elements; the slightly darker green reminds me of the depth of nature.”

Sharing more on his process, Ochai highlighted that he will generally start with 5 rough sketches on paper and that once he decides on the shape to a certain extent, will begin the actual drawing. For the primary drawing, he begins with a 4B pencil, applying maximum pressure, so much so that even if he were to erase, it would leave a mark.

“The way I capture my subjects is to combine in one painting the images that I think are beautiful and that I want to draw from various perspectives. It’s not a technique, but when I correct a painting, I paste paper over it. The more they overlap, the more they become layers and become like a terrain model,” the artist explained further — examples of this method can be found in the gallery above but Ochai insists it is best observed in person.

For those interested in collecting or viewing items from the collaboration, a limited number of prints and posters will be available at 2G, an art toy and apparel store inside the PARCO Shibuya shopping mall, from March 1-3. A limited portion of the collection will also be available online, via GQ Japan.