Axel Arigato teams up with New York artist Alvin Armstrong on capsule collection

Swedish footwear and apparel brand Axel Arigato has today launched a new limited-edition 10-piece capsule collection in collaboration with New York-based artist Alvin Armstrong.

The collection draws inspiration from Armstrong’s ‘The Listening Skies’ piece of work in what is the first time he has extended his visual language beyond canvas and into clothing.

Working closely with Axel Arigato’s Creative Director, Jens Werner, the result is a collection that reimagines Armstrong’s layered colour palettes across ready-to-wear pieces, while also introducing a new sneaker style called ‘Squish’.

Werner said: “What struck me most about Alvin’s work is his instinctive use of colour, textural depth and his ability to express emotion through simplified forms. We started from one of his archival paintings, but the collaboration quickly became something much deeper, an open exchange that pushed both of us outside our usual ways of creating.

“Alvin approached every stage with real curiosity, embracing the process of learning about garment making and design. That shared sense of exploration and honesty is what gives this collection its energy.”

The collection features individually hand-painted artworks by Armstrong, stitched onto T-shirts - allowing collectors to quite literally own a piece of original art.

Armstrong commented: “To me, this is really about the colour story of the collaboration. That should be our main thread - bold, simple colour blocking that enhances the whole experience.”

Each piece in the collection is “designed to exist between studio and street, between gesture and garment”, as a wearable expression of Armstrong’s world.

Key pieces include a bold oversized brushback inside-out fleece sweater with vibrant yellow stripes and accentuated frayed sleeves, a reversible chocolate brown fleece with a signature logo-lock up zipper, a 100% silk dress shirt featuring an expressive custom reprographic of ‘The Listening Skies’ a white denim workwear co-ord featuring colour-pop button details, and a knitted balaclava that echoes the colours and lines found throughout the collection.

There is also a celebration of Armstrong’s love of music through 100 individual hand-drawn artworks capturing jazz musicians mid-performance. Expressive and entirely unique, each piece is hand-stitched onto blank ‘white canvas’ T-shirts, offering the opportunity to own a wearable, one-of-a-kind artwork “lovingly and painstakingly created by the artist himself”.

The ’Squish’ sneaker reimagines familiar Axel Arigato footwear designs, but features exaggerated curves and a ‘squished’ gum sole into a tactile upper. Handcrafted in Portugal from premium nubuck and suede, the sneaker blends craftsmanship with irreverent design, drawing inspiration from skate culture and modern sculpture with an oversized silhouette.