Description
American fashion designer Shayne Oliver is the founder and designer of New York City-based streetwear label Hood By Air.
Born in Minnesota and raised in Trinidad and Brooklyn, Oliver attended both New York University and the Fashion Institute of Technologybut eventually dropped out. After saving up some money from DJ’ing, Oliver started creating pieces from what he could afford and eventually launched Hood By Air in 2006, which began as an underground label with small-scale production of sweatshirts and T-shirts.
Recognized for aligning with the work of other high fashion heavyweights like Helmut Lang and Raf Simons, Oliver’s designs are known for constantly pushing the boundaries of design and proportions in sophisticated ways. Designs are uniquely androgynous in nature but still celebrate the beauty of both sexes as well as the sex-less.
Oliver’s Hood By Air label eventually took off and exploded across the fashion scene. HBA guided the fashion industry’s visual shift from streetwear to higher, avant-garde extremities. The label has inspired a whole genre of designers besotted with the brand’s experimental use of textiles, print and execution. Featuring premium materials and progressive silhouettes, Oliver’s pieces capture opposing themes of sensuality and hardness, androgyny and masculinity.
HBA has garnered a cult-like following and has received praise from famous artists which includes the likes of Kanye West, A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna and Ciara.
The brand’s collaborations include a limited-edition skate deck with Selfridges and a collaborative boot with Forfex.
