TOMBOGO Harks Back to the “Hyphy Era” for Girbogo Jeans
Modeled by artists and musicians hailing from the Bay Area.
Tommy Bogo keeps it close to home. The designer grew up in Oakland, California, and TOMBOGO isn’t only merely based in the city but continuously draws from it to inspire each collection.
For his new Girbogo jeans campaign, Bogo is reviving a quintessential window in Bay Area fashion: the hyphy era. Created by local producer Traxamillion, hyphy music interplays pounding beats with a gritty, underground production style. The genre was coined when Keak Da Sneak dropped the namesake track, “Super Hyphy.”
For the lookbook, the brand tapped the next generation of Bay Area creatives, a group that grew up during the hyphy era – “neo-hyphy,” as Bogo calls it.
“The Hyphy Era spawned a whole generation of creatives that have deeply impacted culture from a global perspective,” Bogo said. “The folks that grew up during the movement are now the fine artists, actors, designers, and creatives carrying the legacy forward – that is what “Neo-Hyphy” embodies to me, and is exactly what I wanted to show through this capsule.”
True to the times, the jeans are baggy and boxy, coming in a traditional washed blue, along with washed shades of black, green and taupe. Double pockets are lined with yellow piping, while silver TOMBOGO-branded belts wrap around the thigh and hem, a nod to the metal hardware of the era. An interior belt around the waist allows wearers to cinch the pants for a customized fit. For the shoot, the jeans were paired with shirts designed in partnership with the essentials brand Pro Club.
Posing in front of a yellow school, P-Lo, Kool John, and Jay Anthony from the San Francisco-based collective HBK Gang sport the baggy jeans, alongside the musical artists ALLBLACK, Nef The Pharaoh, and Karri. The contemporary printer Jahlil Nzinga, model Tiana Parker and actress Tia Nomore round out the cast.
I wanted this campaign to serve as a reminder of all of the positive and influential movements that have defined the Bay Area – especially for those who may not know about the Bay Area and what the region has pioneered,” Bogo added. The designer dedicated the campaign to his friend and fellow Bay Area native, the late actor Angus Cloud.
The Girbogo jeans are available to purchase through a raffle on the TOMBOGO website. The brand will also be hosting a pop-up on Saturday, March 30 at Bogo’s alma mater, Oakland Technical High School.
