Shinganist

Usugrow, the man behind the Shinganist designs

Tattoo-inspired designs have transported itself from the skin onto t-shirts with the launch of the label Shinganist. The clothing line, which was debuted in August of 2009, was born out of the efforts and passion of Upper Playground, a well-established clothing company known for collaborating with other brands, and Japanese artist Usugrow. With the two powerful players combining their creative forces, fans can only expect to marvel and obsesses over their fresh clothing creations.

The line definitely doesn’t disappoint, rendering Usugrow’s artistry into eye-popping, catchy t-shirt designs. The name of the clothing line, which couldn’t describe it better, hails from the Japanese term “Shingan” or mind’s eye. A “Shinganist” is someone who unleashes his creativity by harnessing the inner power of his mind’s eye, without being distracted by any external factors or elements. The vibe is definitely present in the intricate and surreal designs that Usugrow comes up with, promoting greater awareness of the Japanese underground lifestyle and street scene to western folk.

The Shinganist book, released in conjunction with the launch of the Shinganist clothing brand

Upper Playground has been a long-time player in the clothing market with the varied collection of clothing brands it has amassed. The brand has always aimed to bring forth new ideas to the public and promot awareness of creativity through the collaborations that they do with a multitude of extremely talented street artists, as well as individuals passionate about working with multi-media.

Usugrow, on the other hand, has been a long-time celebrated artist in Japan, with 12 years of clothing line success backing him up. He drew inspiration from the initial artworks he was commissioned to do early on in his career, which ranged from album covers for hip-hop and metal groups, to skating companies wanting his designs featured on their merchandise.  His artwork is rendered beautifully into the mostly black and white designs, depicting elements which are contrasting in nature: vibrant flowers placed atop a sullen skull, black Japanese calligraphy amidst a stark white background, the yin versus the yang. These elements, Usugrow believes, realistically depict everyday living, with many varied individuals and ideals managing to co-exist harmoniously.

This brilliant fusion of Upper Playground and Usugrow – the west and the east – has resulted in an eclectic partnership that goes beyond the limits of underground clothing and extends into the core of the street art lifestyle. Shinganist has promoted their brand lifestyle by going into other artistic endeavors such as, book launches and art shows which feature other talented street artists. Shinganist also meets both of the partners’ goals. As Upper Playground hopes to be able to educate the public further about the different kinds of art forms through the introduction of a brand with eastern flair; while Usugrow strives to expand his market beyond his home country and to make his designs (as well as those of other equally talented Japanese artists) more widely available and known.

A signature Shinganist tee featuring flowers and a skull

The Shinganist clothing brand launch was held at the Fifty24F Gallery in San Francisco, was coupled with the launch of the brand’s book “Shinganist”. The book features diverse tattoo and street-inspired artwork and designs from Usugrow, as well as other Japanese artists such as Mozyskey, Toshikazu Nozaka, Bene, and Jun Kaneko. Aside from this, Usugrow’s first book, “Love & Hate from JP”, was re-released at the same time. To complete the creative experience, a full art show project featuring works from the same artists was also held, cementing Shinganist’s status as a brand that does not just limit creativity to t-shirts and clothes, but covers all bases of their philosphy.

The label’s t-shirt collection will definitely appease Usugrow fans and street art fans alike, who are clamoring for a new installation of inspired and excellently-designed shirts to add to their wardrobe. The first collection comes in neutral shirt colors of black, white and grey. But don’t be deceived by the lack of color – the personality and intensity of the larger-than-life designs more than make up for it, and would definitely make a statement for the wearer.

Grab your Shinganist t-shirts from the following online retailers, before they run out: Upperplaygroundstore.com, Karmaloop.com, Undergroundhiphop.com and Ughh.com.