Scotch & Soda’s Jean-Michel Basquiat Capsule Collection Launches at Retail

Crowned: Scotch & Soda has dropped a capsule featuring the artwork of Jean-Michel Basquiat, who was known for his ability to blend high art with street culture.

The Amsterdam-based fashion brand owned by Bluestar Alliance has created a capsule of men’s, women’s and childrenswear that includes graphic T-shirts with Basquiat’s signature crown logo, along with Scotch & Soda’s Zee denim jeans, a camp collar shirt, Breton stripe tops and a bomber jacket with embroidery. The collection also features Basquiat’s “Unbreakable” painting as a new allover statement print on both men’s and women’s pieces.

“At Scotch & Soda we celebrate individuality, authenticity and self-expression and Basquiat’s raw and energetic artwork falls very much in line with that ethos,” said Joey Gabbay, chief executive officer of Bluestar Alliance, Scotch & Soda’s parent company. “Through this collection, his masterpieces are reimagined, merging his bold artistic language with our signature design DNA to create pieces that are expressive and creative.”

To celebrate the Scotch & Soda x Jean-Michel Basquiat collection, Scotch & Soda hosted a launch event at the art café Happy Medium, where 35 guests were invited to peruse a variety of art projects including custom inks and watercolor palettes inspired by the collection while grazing on tropical fruits from Haiti and Puerto Rico, a nod to Basquiat’s heritage. Among those in attendance were  Ava Tocloo, Corinne Collado, Raeann Langas, Winston Jones, Christina Young, Perris Howard and Steven Onoja.

Basquiat, who was of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent, lived and worked in New York City where he became the face of the neo-expressionism movement. He was known for his edgy and raw works that combined powerful imagery, text and symbolism. He died in 1988 at the age of 27 of a heroin overdose.