E31 INITIATION IS BORN OUT OF THE NOTION OF “LEVERAGE”, PRESENTING A UNIFORM OF SORTS AS A WELCOME GUIDE TO THE WORLD OF AKME. THE BRAND’S “WELCOME PACKAGE” IS A RADICAL TAKE ON THE PROPAGANDA STRATEGY TRADITIONALLY USED TO JUSTIFY AND BEAUTIFY” THE NEW PLACE” TO WORKING-CLASS MINORITIES. THE COLLECTION, DIAZ NOTES, “REPRESENTS THE BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS OF ADJUSTING WHO YOU ARE WITH WHAT YOUR SURROUNDINGS WANT YOU TO BE, THE CONCEPT OF TRYING TO MIMIC AND MOLD YOURSELF TO BE A PART OF SOMETHING THAT WAS DESIGNED FOR YOU TO NEVER FULLY BE A PART OF. “THE CAPSULE COMPRISES LIMITED-EDITION PAIRS OF FOOTWEAR IN FIVE DIFFERENT SILHOUETTES, ALL DESIGNED BY JESUS AND HAND-MANUFACTURED AT THE FACTORY IN LOS ANGELES. EMPHASIZING TRANSPARENCY, QUALITY, AND ACCESSIBILITY, THE SHOES ARE CRAFTED FROM ULTRA-DURABLE HORSE-TANNED COW LEATHER, CHIEFLY USED FOR WORK BOOTS, AND ARE RENDERED IN DENSE MATTE BLACK. THE SILHOUETTES REDESIGN THE ELEMENTS OF VARIOUS PAST AND CONTEMPORARY FOOTWEAR TYPES, DISTORTING, MERGING, AND REMIXING PROPORTIONS, LINE WORK, AND CONSTRUCTION METHODS, RESULTING IN A FAMILIAR UNFAMILIARITY, “AN IDENTITY CRISIS.”A CAPSULE ABOUT THE BIRTH OF A PRE-CONDITION AND A CONCEPT CALLED LEVERAGE. A BEGINNING, WHEN IDENTITY WAS THE ONLY CURRENCY. A TIME WHEN WANT AND NEED WERE PRESENT BUT NEGLECTED, LAWS OF POWER WERE HIDDEN, UNDERSTANDING WAS TAKEN, AND CONFUSION WAS GIVEN THROUGH ACCEPTANCE LABELED AS A CHOICE INSTEAD OF NEED. THE START OF MASS-PRODUCING ENEMIES, THROUGH THE PERCEPTION OF THE NECESSITY OF ORDER. WHEN THE FEELING OF BEING ALIENATED AND EXCLUDED WAS BY DESIGN TO HAVE DUES PAID WITH NO RECEIPTS, FOR ASSETS THAT WERE PRE-DETERMINED FOR ONE NOT TO KEEP. THE CONCEPT OF THE INITIATION OF A GAME WAS NOT TAUGHT BUT LEARNED THROUGH GENERATIONS OF LOSS AND GRIEF. THE BEGINNING OF A QUESTION.”

BAD LAND OR (THE FEAR OF FALLING INTO THE SKY)LIZA BARBAKADZE AND NINI BARBAKADZE OF THE LONDON-BASED PUBLISHING PROJECT PHREAK ISSUE TAKE AKME’S VISUALS TO THE EDGELANDS OF POST-SOVIET GEORGIA. "AKME CREATES EACH PRODUCT AS A PROGRESSION OF SORTS FROM ITS PREDECESSOR, DESIGNING WITH THE VALUES OF RESOURCEFULNESS AND REPURPOSING AT THE CORE OF THE BRAND. WE WANTED TO TAKE A SIMILARLY TRANSFIGURATIVE, ALMOST PROGRESSIONAL APPROACH FOR THE CAMPAIGN, EXAMINING PREVIOUS STORIES THAT AKME HAS TOLD AND APPROACHING THEM FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE.FLIPPING THE IDEA OF "INITIATION" AND ASSIMILATION UPSIDE DOWN, WE LOOKED INTO THE NOTION OF "FAILED INITIATION"; OF AN ILL-FORMED SOCIETY. THERE IS A SICK SATISFACTION TO BE TAKEN IN THINGS THAT ARE A BIT OFF. AKME'S PREVIOUS CAMPAIGNS HAVE PROPOSED THEIR FOOTWEAR AS A "WELCOME PACKAGE" TO THE BRAVE NEW WORLD FOR THE DISPLACED. WE WANTED TO TAKE A BLURRY, BROKEN LOOK AT THOSE WHO NEVER MADE IT TO THE NEW WORLD. THE INFAMOUS AND ELECTRIFYINGLY TRAGIC STORY OF THE JEANS GENERATION SERVES AS THE INSPIRATION FOR THE CAMPAIGN. IN 1983'S GEORGIA, DESPERATE TO FLEE FROM THE IRON CURTAIN, GEGA KOBAKHIDZE, A YOUNG ACTOR, AND SEVEN FRIENDS HIJACKED A PLANE HEADING FROM TBILISI TO LENINGRAD. THEY FAILED, WERE IMPRISONED, AND A NUMBER WERE KILLED. THE DISSIDENTS WERE DONNING BLUE JEANS. AS THE PARTY ACTIVELY DISCOURAGED ANY INTEREST IN WESTERN ATTIRE, WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE EASTERN BLOC, WEARING JEANS WAS SYNONYMOUS WITH SUBVERSION—AN ACT OF REBELLION AGAINST THE NORM AND A SYMBOL OF THE YEARNING FOR THE FORBIDDEN DREAMLAND.BUT AMIDST THE TOTAL GLOBAL MAYHEM, WHERE IS THIS DREAMLAND ANYWAY? WHERE DO WE ESCAPE TO? DEPARTING FROM THE ORIGINAL FOCUS ON ASSIMILATING IN A NEW PLACE, OUR ITERATION EXPLORES THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SARTORIAL SYMBOLS—EMBODYING REBELLION, FREEDOM, AND THE ALLURE OF AN IMAGINARY AND NON-EXISTENT SAFE HAVEN—FROM WITHIN THE PLACE ONE IS TRYING TO ESCAPE RATHER THAN COME TO. BLUE JEANS ARE REPLACED WITH AKME FOOTWEAR.  "BAD LAND OR (THE FEAR OF FALLING INTO THE SKY)" IS A SIDE QUEST OF SORTS WITH MISCOMMUNICATION AT THE HEART OF IT. DREAMING IN A GLITCH. ALMOST HEROES. THE GREY AREA. THE TRUTH OF UNTRUTH. REBELS WITH A CAUSE BUT NO MEANS TO REBEL. AN ABSTRACTED GLIMPSE INTO A STORY-CUM-NIGHTMARE THAT FITS (BUT NOT REALLY) INTO A MUCH LARGER STORY AKME IS TELLING.THE STORY UNFOLDS IN THE EDGELANDS OF CENTRAL GEORGIA, JUST OUTSIDE THE SMALL, DERELICT, NOTHING-EVER-HAPPENS TOWN WE GREW UP IN. THE SITE IS SCATTERED WITH DEBRIS FROM THE DEFUNCT TRANSMISSION TOWER—THE VERY ONE OUR FATHER USED TO CLIMB TO BROADCAST AMERICAN FILMS TO THE TOWN (THE LEGALITY OF THIS IS QUESTIONABLE, BUT WE'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT). WE'VE CREATED A CULT OF SORTS, ONE THAT FEARS THE FALL YET WORSHIPS THE SKY—A CULT OF THE HELPLESSLY HOPEFUL TRYING TO ESCAPE WITH NO PLACE TO GO, BRANDED WITH AKME AS THEIR SYMBOL OF REBELLION, AND PLOTTING A GETAWAY DESTINED TO FAIL. “